Killer Kross Says Life After WWE Has Been Better Than He Expected: ‘I Just Let It All Go’

Killer Kross says he has let go of the frustration surrounding his WWE exit and is in the best place he has been in years, crediting experiences he never would have had if he had stayed with the company.

Speaking on The Ariel Helwani Show, Kross described how he felt immediately after leaving and where he is now.

“Well, truth be told, it’s what you said. I was crushed. I wasn’t sure how to feel about everything. It’s like, you have this dream as a kid to be somewhere, and you really, really feel like you’re supposed to be there. And you know what’s working and you know what doesn’t, but you’re willing to try to keep making it work. And so, I just didn’t expect how things would pan out.”

The turning point came at MLW Battle Riot, where his mother — a cancer survivor — was in the front row to see him compete for the first time since completing her treatment.

“The first time she got to see me perform post-all of the treatments was MLW Battle Riot. That night, I had like an hour and a half. First man into the Battle Riot, last man standing. You win the title, bleeding all over the place. Then there’s mom in the front row, and I can dedicate the performance to her right then and there. It means everything, put the title on my mother’s shoulder. Aside from that, I’ve been to like six new countries this year. I’m visiting new cultures, learning about new places. I just let it all go.”

He said the momentum on the independent scene has surprised even him.

“I’ve had people that even care about me tell me, ‘Hey, don’t burn any bridges. Because you know, this big boom that you have in the independents, it could go away.’ And it hasn’t gone away. It’s actually gotten bigger and better. Even I was thinking, ‘Oh, surely maybe things would kind of taper off, right?’ Because it does for everybody. But I think my situation, to me at least, it feels different because of the nature of my exit, and how people were with me and people could see through what was going on.”

Kross and Scarlett’s WWE contracts expired without renewal in August 2025.