Backstage WWE Rumors: Montez Ford, Karrion Kross and More

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Credit: WWE.com

Montez Ford’s recent SmackDown main event may be indicative of an upcoming singles push, the wrestling rumor mill tells us this week.

The latest on the high-energy, charismatic performer headlines a collection of reports that also includes an update on Karrion Kross and potential repackaging, as well as the latest on Toxic Attraction’s Jacy Jayne following a scary fall during Tuesday’s USA Network broadcast.

Dive deeper into each topic with this assembly of rumor and innuendo from across WWE.

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When Montez Ford battled Roman Reigns in the main event of the September 24 episode of SmackDown, it served as a trial for a singles run, according to Louis Dangoor of GiveMeSport.

Dangoor followed up, stating, “The decision was made to keep the Street Profits together for the time being, but sources have told us that the door is still open for Ford to break out as a singles star over the next few months, just with Angelo Dawkins on the same brand.”

Ford has earned praise for his performances with The Street Profits since the team’s debut, thanks to a magnetic charisma, on-screen presence, and athleticism that is matched by few. His performance in the match against Reigns, and his ability to have the fans on the edge of their seats late despite having no chance in hell of actually beating The Tribal Chief, is a testament to the energy he brings to the ring.

The Street Profits have been one of the best teams in professional wrestling over the last year and Dawkins is no slouch, either. The idea of splitting them up seems a bit premature, but the company needs stars and Ford is one that leaps off the screen every time he gets the opportunity.

Considering how stale some of the characters on the show are, and WWE’s stubborn reliance on the same faces every week, it is encouraging to read reports such as this one, which suggests WWE knows it has breakout potential in some of its performers and are at least giving them the opportunity to sink or swim.

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Remember that time NXT put a ton of effort into building Karrion Kross into this cold, calculating, and dominant force who ran through the roster en route to capturing the brand’s world title and how effective that booking was?

WWE main roster officials do not.

WrestleVotes reported, “Source states WWE is shifting Karrion Kross’ character once again. Plan is for him to be more of a “psycho” yet still “calm & cool.” As of now, the helmet stays, but for whatever reason, still no Scarlett. Presentation of entrance including theme music set to change as well.”

If accurate, and there is no reason to believe it is not, this would essentially strip away everything that worked about the character in NXT in favor of an over-the-top caricature on Monday nights. Gone would be Scarlett who, as we have seen already, was a far more integral part of the presentation than we realized. The stupid helmet stays and the music will probably be reduced to some generic rock piece put together by whichever composers not named Jim Johnson are stinking it up in the studio.

Like Keith Lee, Kross will see everything that proved to work in NXT removed as Vince McMahon and his band of writers try to main roster-ize Kross in their vision.

So far, in both stars’ cases, it has not worked. There’s no reason to believe it will, either.

Unfortunately, because Kross at least had the look and presence to be a big-time player on a roster desperately in need of fresh ones.

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During Tuesday’s triple threat match also featuring Io Shirai and Persia Pirotta, Jacy Jayne of Toxic Attraction took a nasty fall that resulted in her removal from the match. According to Bryan Alvarez of Wrestling Observer Live, Jane was taken for a CT scan and while the results were normal, there is no update on her availability for next week’s Scareway to Hell Ladder Match for the NXT Women’s Tag Team Championship at this time.

Jayne has seen increased television time as part of the trio with Gigi Dolin and Mandy Rose and had been a frontrunner to take the tag titles off Shirai and Zoey Sparks in a match that also features Pirotta and Indi Hartwell.

No one wants to see anyone go down with an injury, particularly when they are in the midst of a significant push. Hopefully, for the young performer’s sake, she is able to compete in what has the potential to be a breakthrough match for her and Dolin.