Karrion Kross has visibly struggled since his WWE return, and during the latest episode of Smack Talk, Dutch Mantell admitted that nothing about the 37-year-old star had "excited him" thus far.
Kross was presented as a top guy during his time in NXT but could not replicate his success on the main roster when he was called up a few years ago. Kross and his real-life partner, Scarlett Bordeaux, were released in 2021, and they competed for a few companies before getting re-signed by WWE in August last year.
While fans had high hopes for Kross, he's been unable to live up to the expectations as he's not been involved in any high-profile storyline.
While speaking on Sportskeeda Wrestling's SmackDown review show, Dutch Mantell was brutally honest with his verdict on Karrion Kross, as you can view below:
"I don't think he is going to advance because there is nothing really to advance at this point. That tick tock sh** ain't getting it. "Tick tock, okay we get it! But, there is something missing there, and there is no intrigue about him; there is no nothing. Sid, do you agree? He doesn't excite me! No!" [53:00 - 53:30]
Mantell reminded listeners that he'd not been impressed by Karrion Kross since he debuted on the main roster. The former manager even felt that Scarlett was more compelling to watch on TV than the former NXT Champion:
"Karrion Kross, I've said it from the beginning, but there's something missing! Totally missing! When he does his interviews, I don't feel anything," Mantell continued. "I mean, the girl, she has more interest than he does." [53:31 - 54:00]
Karrion Kross suffered another big loss on the latest SmackDown episode
WWE has started to invest in a few previously underutilized stars following WrestleMania, with Shinsuke Nakamura being one of the superstars getting a renewed push.
After a brief absence, the Japanese star wrestled his first SmackDown match this week and picked up a clean victory over Karrion Kross. As noted by Smack Talk's co-hosts Rick Ucchino and SP3, both Kross and Nakamura needed a win to get back on track in WWE, and the company chose to back the King of Strong Style.
Dutch Mantell noted that Kross getting beaten was a telling sign of how WWE views the star, which raises apparent concerns about his long-term future in the promotion.
"And they went to the ring with Nakamura, and neither one of them, like, advances the needle. But you said Karrion Kross needs something; he needed something tonight, but he didn't get it, which I think is very telling," said the WWE veteran. [54:01 - 54:30]