Karrion Kross had his first PLE match in two years at WWE Night of Champions in Saudi Arabia, where he lost to Sami Zayn. Many were excited to see Kross in a featured match as his popularity has increased since his infamous “worked/shoot” promo in April during WrestleMania weekend.
Unfortunately, glad tidings in wrestling often come with mudslinging. WhatCulture.com reported that the reason Kross has received a lack of television time is that he won’t take bumps in his matches. The report cites comments on the matter from longtime wrestling journalist Wade Keller.
“I talked about this when he was all the rage in NXT and coming out of TNA,” said Keller. “I was like, ‘wrestlers are telling me when he gets to the main roster, nobody’s gonna put up with the fact that he doesn’t take bumps.’ He’s scared to bump. He doesn’t flat back bump. I don’t know if he’s got an injury or a concern.”
A bump (or back bump) in professional wrestling is a controlled backwards fall onto the canvas, designed to prevent injury while absorbing impact. Wrestlers tuck their chin while slapping the mat with their hands, distributing their weight evenly to dissipate the force.
The idea that Kross doesn’t take bumps is weird. After all, why should a wrestler put their body on the line to make someone look good if their opponent isn’t willing to do the same? Kross delivers several suplex variations to his opponents. So, the least he can do is take a few bumps in return?
Taking bumps in a match is its own animal. Timing, psychology, and trust are all factors that contribute to a wrestler throwing themselves on their back to create the illusion that they have been knocked down by a thunderous blow and battered by a bone-crushing maneuver.
It’s unlikely that Karrion Kross simply refuses to take bumps, which is a conclusion some have drawn. Such a decision would be detrimental to his career. Maybe the physical movement of taking a flat back bump is too awkward for him, making it difficult for him to perform.
Speaking from experience, there are a fair number of wrestlers who, for whatever reason, can’t do certain moves that everyone else can do without thinking twice.
Perhaps Kross’ matches are constructed by the creative team so he’s not supposed to take a lot of bumps to protect the dangerous aura that comes with his 6’4 “and 265 lbs frame. Kross was booked as a monster during his time in NXT, where he was physically larger than most of the wrestlers on the roster.
Kross was also booked in a similar fashion during his first run on WWE’s main roster in July 2021. He didn’t take a single bump in his debut match, where he inexplicably lost to Jeff Hardy. The idea of not being knocked down by a veteran like Hardy was to impress the audience with Kross’ size and strength. Kross was booked this way until his release from the company four months later.
Nine months on the independent scene paved the way back to WWE for Kross, where it looked like he was positioned to be a featured player in the world title mix. However, instead of a dominant monster vying for championships, Kross was regularly booked among the rank and file.
Instead of being programmed with cruiserweight-style wrestlers like he was in NXT, Kross worked with the likes of Drew McIntyre, Madcap Moss, Sheamus, Shinsuke Nakamura, and Bobby Lasyhey. All wrestlers who Kross wouldn’t have a definitive strength and power advantage over to manhandle them in the ring.
The monster in developmental was essentially an average-sized guy on the main roster. It is possible that, after years of being a wrestler who rarely got knocked down, Kross is having difficulty adjusting to being a wrestler who gets dropped as much as the next guy.
Fans in the internet wrestling community say Kross not taking bumps is a non-issue, while others say it’s something they’ve noticed for years. There are also those who insist that Kross not only takes bumps, but takes them just fine. It’s akin to everyone watching the same thing and seeing different things.
Instead of taking such an accusation at face value, a deep dive is required. I watched nine Karrion Kross matches to see how many back bumps he took.
- Karrion “Killer” Kross vs. Davey Boy Smith Jr. – Ric Flair’s Last Match – 7/31/22: Everything was above board here. Smith and Kross traded Saito suplexes with each other like they were going out of style.
- Karrion Kross vs. Shinsuke Nakamura – SmackDown – 5/5/23: Kross cautiously took three bumps and a German suplex bump just fine. However, Kross didn’t bump for the flurry of strikes Nakamura typically delivers before the Kinshasa. Instead, Kross sold to the opposite corner of the ring while dropping to his knees: nothing damning, but a few things to keep an eye on.
- Karrion Kross vs. Bobby Lashley – SmackDown – 3/8/24: Nothing suspicious to report here. Both wrestlers used their power in a back-and-forth battle between two suplex machines.
- Karrion Kross vs. AJ Styles – Monday Night Raw – 4/14/25: Kross bumped off a dropkick while avoiding contact with the left side of his back. Kross took the same bump off a set-up forearm and the Phenomenal Forearm.
- Karrion Kross vs. Dragon Lee – WWE Main Event – 5/3/25: Kross did not take a single back bump in the match.
- Karrion Kross vs. Tyler Bate – WWE Main Event – 5/17/25: Kross took two back bumps while avoiding contact with the left side of his back. Kross made it a point to land on the upper right side of his back.
- Karrion Kross vs. Akira Tozawa – WWE Main Event – 6/7/25: Kross bumped cautiously on the right side of his back off a Shining Wizard, but he took a nice bump off a missile dropkick that sent him to the floor.
- Karrion Kross vs. Cruz Del Toro – WWE Main Event – 6/21/25: Kross took one back bump off an enziguri. Kross didn’t bump after taking three dropkicks. Depending on the circumstances, some wrestlers would bump for all three dropkicks while others would only bump for the third and final dropkick.
- Karrion Kross vs. Sami Zayn – WWE Night of Champions – 6/28/25: Kross took six back bumps, and they were all perfect.
Upon examination, the evidence shows that Karrion Kross doesn’t bump in some of his matches, while he bumps just fine in other matches. However, he often favors the right side of his back when taking a bump, which makes sense, considering he separated his right shoulder in NXT.
Shoulder injuries can come with a litany of long-term complications, such as a reduced range of motion and lingering pain. Asking someone who might struggle with these issues to constantly throw themselves on their back while slapping out with their arms to reduce the impact is a recipe for disaster.
Unfortunately, it is the way Kross bumps that sometimes detracts from his matches. The sound of a wrestler crashing to the canvas is absent, and his stiff, cautious bumps convey a lack of action. These two missing elements are detrimental to a performer like Kross, who is sometimes panned for a lack of excitement from bell to bell.
There is no evidence to suggest Kross outright refuses to take bumps. However, wrestling often breeds cynicism to the nth degree. There will always be some people who believe Kross doesn’t take bumps, regardless of the contrary.
Despite joking about the criticism in an interview, hopefully, Kross is genuinely taking it in stride and will not let online discourse dictate how he works in the ring. Kross will soon turn 40. He finally connected with the audience after years of WWE struggling to do it themselves. It is now or never for the former NXT Champion to strike while the iron is hot.
If things cool off, they may never heat up again.
It’s a shame the discourse surrounding Karrion Kross heading into Night of Champions was centered on how he takes a back bump instead of his match with Sami Zayn. It was an opportunity to make a great impression amid his newfound popularity. Despite being a heel, Kross received tremendous support from fans in Saudi Arabia.
Zayn defeated Kross at Night of Champions. The loss didn’t diminish Kross’ momentum as someone, many believe, is worthy of superstardom. Bumping controversies notwithstanding, WWE is ok with the way Kross works in the ring. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have a job.
Loud and numerous voices through social media can easily turn fiction into fact. While there is a universe where scuttlebutt about a wrestler not wanting to take a back bump could be damning to their career, it appears this universe has cleared Karrion Kross of such charges.
Hopefully, “Bump Gate” is behind us, and the well-received performance of Karrion Kross at Night of Champions is the beginning of something more.
RingsideLogic.com 