Karrion Kross details what got him into martial arts

Karrion Kross recently opened up about how movies and television sparked his interest in martial arts when he was a kid.

The Herald of Doomsday was one of the most dominant NXT Champions of all time. Since his WWE return last month, he has been thrust into a main event storyline with Roman Reigns and Drew McIntyre. A large part of his wrestling persona is his MMA style in the ring. This includes his finisher, the Kross Jacket, which is a sleeper hold similar to those used in the Octagon.

Kross recently gave an interview to El Brunch de WWE, where he discussed a variety of subjects. He spoke about how superheroes intrigued him about professional wrestling and also how watching TV got him into martial arts. He had this to say about the latter -

"When I was a little boy and I would watch TV, my generation, we had Jean Claude Van Damme. We had Bruce Lee. We had Jet Li, Chuck Norris,” Karrion Kross began. “And I would see them always doing these fancy kicks, these high kicks, and my father was on the boxing Olympic team for Puerto Rico. So all he did was box, and he would wrestle for the Olympic team in Puerto Rico, and he would get mad when I would ask him to teach me; he’s like, ‘I don’t do that. I can teach you to punch someone in the face, that’s it." he said [H/T Wrestle Zone]

Karrion Kross would go on to say that he took classes for Sambo, a Russian martial art, which takes its inspiration from Karate and Judo. He would be well versed in martial arts by the time he started pursuing a wrestling career.

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Karrion Kross shares his honest feelings about Drew McIntyre

Kross made his surprise return to WWE on the SmackDown after SummerSlam. He attacked Drew McIntyre from behind and stared down the Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns. He was also at ringside for the world title match at Clash at the Castle.

The former NXT Champion attacked McIntyre for a second time during the latter's match against a debuting Solo Sikoa on last week's episode of the blue brand.

During the same interview with El Brunch de WWE, The Doomwalker opened up about how he actually feels about the Scottish Warrior, saying that he respects the former WWE Champion.

"I have a lot of respect for Drew McIntyre. I respect what he has been through and what he has accomplished and I think that he is the perfect person to destroy on television to set the tone for what I’m about to do in the immediate future. It’s nothing personal at all and he is just in the way and not for long. He won’t be for very long and that’s the politest way I can put that," said Karrion Kross. [H/T POST Wrestling]

Karrion Kross will reportedly take on McIntyre at WWE's upcoming premium live event Extreme Rules. The match could be a stepping stone for him to challenge The Tribal Chief for his titles in the future.

Would you like to see Kross challenge Roman Reigns for the undisputed WWE Universal Championship? Sound off in the comments below!