Earlier this week, WWE’s “The Bump,” Bobby Lashley, was asked about his mindset heading into WrestleMania 40 this weekend.
On Sunday, Lashley & The Street Profits vs. The Final Testament’s Karrion Kross & AOP in a Philadelphia Street Fight will be taking place. Lashley said that he has been handcuffed as of late.
Kross appeared on the Undisputed podcast to address Lashley’s comments.
“Let me put this in perspective. I’ve had nothing but respect for this guy from the very beginning. We’ve worked for the same companies. I show up, I do good business, I don’t go into business for myself. We’re all from different generations. I talked to Paul Ellering about this. I said, ‘Paul, am I out of line right now?’ He said, ‘Absolutely not.’ To go and do media and say, ‘I’m excited about this weekend, but I’m looking at the main event, and we’re going on to bigger and better things,’ brother, just sell the match on Sunday. Don’t talk about how you’re handcuffed. Here’s the reality check. Everybody in this business is handcuffed. We all think we can do better. You don’t go out in the court of public opinion and try to get sympathy on the week where all eyes are on us. It’s totally unnecessary, it’s a slap in the face to the audience. ‘Yeah, I’ll show up, it’s not really what I wanted to do.’ It’s a slap in the face to the boys in the match. He should apologize to Profits and B-Fab. Honestly, he should apologize to AOP and Paul Ellering. Paul Ellering has been in the business for a long time. The dude almost fell over when he heard that. It’s completely unprofessional. People were confused about the conflict on TV of what brings the groups together to fight. Guess what, now it’s fucking real because it is real. You guys are going to get your money’s worth on Sunday. I’m showing up to give you the show of your life. I don’t know what this fucking guy is doing showing up on Sunday, but I’m happy to be here and happy to be part of the lineage of this. I guess we have to apologize to Bobby that he’s not in the main event. Maybe it’s because of the way he talks, which is why the top guys don’t want to work with him. ‘Handcuffed.’ Everybody has great ideas and thinks you can do something better. Here is the business. This is the difference between being a wrestler and a professional wrestler. ‘He’s just mad, he shouldn’t say that.’ It’s beyond that now. This blew my mind today. Beyond that, I’ll go do my job like I always do. Doing something like that, it’s disrespectful to everybody that came before him and everybody showing up that night. I thought that was fucking crazy,” said Kross.
Kross noted that it all comes down to respect for him.
We’re all very competitive. We’re all trying to put on the best performance. You don’t want to ever look down on somebody. You don’t even want to lead them into thinking you’re looking down on them. It’s okay to think you can do better and that you belong higher up on the card, but to just go out like that, whatever his intention was with that statement, this is the way he said it, this is the way I took and the way a lot of people took it.
“This isn’t the way you climb up the card. When you get people crying for you online, that’s not going to help improve your position. I understand, maybe you’ve had the worst your in your career for wrestling. I heard him say that. That’s his words, not mine. I can empathize with that. To go out there and try to win people over and have them cry for you, sorry man. That’s not what this business is all about. I think he forgot where he came from, ironically. I used to look up to that guy. I remember when they stacked him up in ECW, and I thought, ‘This is the right guy. For the reincarnation of ECW, this would be the guy you want to put in there.’ You don’t want to put in a WWE manufactured person, the crowd would reject him. I looked at him so differently, with admiration, so much admiration, up until six hours ago. I lost my mind.”
In a recent interview on WWE’s “The Bump,” Bobby Lashley discussed his mindset heading into WrestleMania 40, where he will be facing off against Karrion Kross and The Street Profits in a Philadelphia Street Fight. Lashley expressed that he has been feeling “handcuffed” as of late. Kross, in response to Lashley’s comments, appeared on the Undisputed podcast to address the situation.
Kross began by stating that he has always had respect for Lashley, as they have worked for the same companies in the past. He emphasized that he does good business and doesn’t go into business for himself. Kross even consulted with Paul Ellering, a veteran in the industry, to ensure he wasn’t out of line. According to Kross, Ellering confirmed that he was not out of line.
Kross criticized Lashley for talking about feeling handcuffed and expressing excitement for future opportunities instead of focusing on selling the match on Sunday. He believed that such comments were unnecessary and disrespectful to the audience and the other wrestlers involved in the match. Kross suggested that Lashley should apologize to The Street Profits, B-Fab, AOP, and Paul Ellering for his unprofessional behavior.
The NXT star also highlighted the confusion caused by Lashley’s comments, as they contradicted the storyline that brought the groups together to fight. Kross assured fans that they would get their money’s worth on Sunday and promised to deliver a memorable show. He expressed his happiness to be part of the lineage of professional wrestling and criticized Lashley for not being in the main event, suggesting that it might be due to his attitude and the way he talks.
Kross emphasized that respect is crucial in the industry and that everyone is competitive and striving to put on the best performance. While it’s natural to believe in oneself and aspire to higher positions on the card, Kross believed that Lashley’s approach was misguided. He argued that trying to win people over by eliciting sympathy online is not the way to improve one’s position in the business. Kross felt that Lashley had forgotten where he came from and expressed his disappointment in the former ECW star.
In conclusion, Karrion Kross responded to Bobby Lashley’s comments about feeling handcuffed by criticizing his unprofessional behavior and lack of respect. Kross emphasized the importance of selling the match and focusing on delivering a great performance rather than seeking sympathy from fans. He expressed his admiration for Lashley in the past but was disappointed by his recent actions. As WrestleMania 40 approaches, fans will be eagerly watching to see how this feud unfolds in the ring.