A recent Instagram post by wrestling journalist Chris Van Vliet revealed that the top t-shirt sellers at the work-shoot promo after WrestleMania 41, and Joe Hendry, the viral TNA World Champion who challenged Randy Orton at WrestleMania 41, lead the way, beating WWE's prominent stars like John Cena and Roman Reigns.
From t-shirts to hats and any apparel in between, most of the company's top-rated performers have many items you can purchase to show your for your favorite stars. Often, a performer's merchandise sales have made the promotion sit up and take notice, and they can actually lead to that wrestler getting a push. In some ways, buying a star's souvenirs is a way to 'cast your vote' for who should be in the main event.
Karrion Kross Has the Best-Selling Shirt on the WWE Shop
The Performer's Mystique Intrigues the Audience
It may seem unbelievable that Karrion Kross is outselling the John Cena retirement shirts or stars like Roman Reigns and CM Punk in general, but he's always been an underground favorite during his time with NXT and WWE. Having cut his teeth in the Indies and with TNA Wrestling, he offered a gritty persona with a violent ring style. For almost a decade, he has been labeled by a large portion of the internet wrestling community as a can't-miss, future superstar.
A similar organic movement of is what pushed the No. 2 best-seller, Joe Hendry, to stardom. Considering he's not even signed with WWE, but with TNA, that is a sure sign that, as his theme song says, "he will appear" soon on WWE screens in a permanent fashion. And yet, despite Hendry's viral songs, a match with Randy Orton at WrestleMania 41, and social media dominance, it's Kross's t-shirt that sits at the top.
Under his former persona, Killer Kross, he honed his craft before g with World Wrestling Entertainment in 2020. In the five years since, he and his real-life wife, Scarlett, have been repackaged, released, and re-signed. And in every instance, his massive potential has been virtually ignored. Even when Kross got the chance to make an appearance as the NXT Champion on a 2021 episode of RAW, he was beaten by Jeff Hardy in two minutes. That was a shocker for many of his followers, as it was widely believed that Karrion was one of Triple H's favorites. However, Vince McMahon was still in charge of booking at the time, and he clearly did not see a star in Kross.
Will WWE Finally Push Karrion Kross?
Fans Have Been Waiting For The Star To Rise Through The Ranks
Based on the online reaction to his fiery promo and the fact that he's a top merchandise seller, it only leaves one question: Is WWE finally ready to harness Karrion Kross' full potential? The smart money says yes, because even those in the company who once doubted him must see the possibilities that he and Scarlett bring to the table now. The people have spoken, and they want to see Kross get his shot at stardom.
An articulate and skilled communicator, Kross can hold his own on the microphone with just about anybody. At 6'4" and 265 pounds, he's got the prototypical size of a WWE heavyweight, but moves gracefully in the ring and can wrestle longer matches when necessary. He's got main event talent, and it's time for the promotion to tie a rocket ship to him and take him to the top.
If not, WWE will be missing out on what could be the 'next big thing'. As the years , Kross is slowly going from a promising prospect to a potentially wasted one. Now 39 years old, if he's ever going to take a big leap forward, then the time to strike is right now. Merchandise sales have helped some Superstars get a massive push, including names like Rey Mysterio and, recently Jey Uso. This achievement could be just what Karrion Kross was missing to finally make the next step in his WWE career.
Source: @chrisvanvliet (Instagram)
