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Unhappiness over creative and pay has led to a rift between Impact Wrestling and Killer Kross, PWInsider.com has learned.
We have been told by numerous sources that Kross, 33, has been unhappy with the current multi-year deal he signed with Impact a year ago and has requested a raise in pay, based on what his market value could be outside of Impact Wrestling. We are told that Kross has also raised some concerns about how he is being used from a creative standpoint, but the major issue that has caused the schism between the two sides is financial.
Sources indicate that Kross, unhappy with his current pay scale, pushed for a six-figure guaranteed deal that would bring him far more than he was currently making working for Impact.
The Impact side of the story is that Kross was offered and agreed to a deal a year ago when he was relatively unknown (on a national level) and that Kross agreed to those terms. Now that Kross has had a year on their TV (raising his profile obviously) and voiced his financial concerns, we are told that Impact countered with an offer for a new, restructured three-year deal but that that money offered was well below the six-figure per year deal Kross was looking for. We are also told that Kross’ current deal pays him by the date, while he was seeking a more guaranteed deal that would pay him a base salary vs. paid by the date booked, since many Impact contracts don’t guarantee a set number of dates per year – and that Kross was pushing for a guaranteed salary.
After turning down the restructured deal, sources indicate that Kross asked for a release from his Impact contract a week ago, seeking to explore his options elsewhere. Kross has had WWE tryouts in the past and we are told there’s been interest in him there and in other places in recent months, so it wouldn’t be a far-fetched notion in the current pro wrestling landscape that he’d likely to secure a spot somewhere.
Thus far, we are told Kross' request for a release has not been granted and that Impact has no current plans to offer him a release. Kross, who debuted for the company in 2018, is under contract for several more years based on the deal he signed in 2018.
Relations between the two sides remain professional, we are told.
Kross appeared on the Impact tapings in Philadelphia as part of a program with Eddie Edwards, so he will be on TV for the next several weeks. Impact’s next TV tapings are in New York City in early June, which would be Kross’ next expected appearance.
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