Thursday, October 1, 2026
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Killer Kross, the Major League Wrestling (MLW) World Heavyweight Champion, has paced the streets outside of 2300 Arena in South Philadelphia before.
Both the wrestler and the venue have gone by better-known names in wrestling history. Kross is formerly known as Karrion Kross, a two-time NXT champion who spent more than five years with World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE).
As for the venue, 2300 Arena will forever be known locally as the ECW Arena, home of the iconic Philly-based wrestling company, Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW). This weekend, the “best version” of Killer Kross steps back into the squared circle for MLW for a pair of shows at the legendary wrestling venue on Friday and Saturday nights.
"Philly has always been a special place for me, because the very first place I ever wrestled in Philly, aside from being my MLW debut, was the 2300 Arena,” Kross told Metro Philadelphia in an exclusive interview.
“Tommy Dreamer brought me there for House of Hardcore. So, that's another full circle. We’re just doing laps around the circle thing, man. Growing up watching ECW and never thinking I'd ever be able to perform there. Every time I go to Philly, I take a walk around that area, and it’s just nothing but good vibes for me.”
Kross owns an additional 15-pound world heavyweight championship title to drag through airport security these days after winning a 40-man battle royal at Battle Riot VIII to become the new MLW World Heavyweight Champion in late January. The 6-foot-4 psychological wizard overcame Alex Hammerstone, Matt Riddle, Donovan Dijak, and Bishop Dyer (formerly known as Baron Corbin in WWE) to stand tall alongside his wife (Scarlett Bordeaux) at the event’s conclusion. Impressively, he used his recent television time to celebrate wrestling fans rather than hyping his own title-winning accomplishment.
“It’s all the stuff you guys don’t see on the show,” Kross responded when asked why that was important to share with the wrestling audience around the world on MLW Fusion.
“The meet-and-greet lines at the beginning of the day, the people coming up and telling you they drove over multiple state lines and slept in their car to come to the show. Coming to a wrestling show still is a very big deal for people. I wanted them to know that I understand that, I respect it, and I wanted them to know what the goal of every wrestler backstage at MLW was - which was to connect with them. At the time we were filming that, I wanted it to come from the heart. That was based (on) a lot of the interactions I had at the beginning of the day with people who were being authentic with me, so I said, ‘You know what, I’m going to be authentic with them’.”
With WWE showcasing wrestling on the national stage via Netflix and ESPN and All Elite Wrestling with two weekly television shows on TNT and TBS, a whole new generation of fans is discovering the action inside the squared circle.
Independent wrestling shows, like MLW, typically offer a greater variety of wrestling styles than seen on television. Indy shows might open with a masked luchador battle and end in a bloody, no-disqualification main event. It’s an aspect of being with MLW that resonates with Kross.
“I think it's cool to bring everybody under one roof and show them that there's not just two flavors of ice cream,” Kross said with a mischievous smile. “I mean, we'll give Baskin-Robbins a run for their money, all right? We got “barbed-wire” flavor. We got “flaming two-by-four” flavor. We have chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry. But we also have Blood King (flavor), which perhaps is not for everybody.”
The "Blood King” version of Killer Kross emerged after a bloodied, crimson-faced combatant won his first MLW championship in January. “That match will serve as the birth of this character through suffering,” Kross said. “I’ve always personally said, ‘To me, pro wrestling is creating art through suffering. How much are you willing to endure to create this art for people to remember?’ It’s a very tough performance art, man.”
Kross expects MLW’s return to Philadelphia to be a spectacle this weekend. “You are going to see one of the craziest, most unhinged shows of pro wrestling that you will see anywhere. We can give you crazy. Everybody loves crazy pro wrestling,” Kross stated.
“Then, we can give you technical wrestling. We can give you Lucha Libre from CMLL, former NOAA, and former New Japan. There we have people from all over the world under one roof that can literally do anything they want. Nothing's going to be phoned in, and that's the kind of show you're going to get. You're going to get to see professional wrestling, true professional wrestling, at its core.”
That sounds like the type of wrestling show that Metro Philadelphia wrestling fans will not want to miss!
The first of two shows at 2300 Arena is "MLW Summer of the Beasts fueled by Don Gato Tequila", on Friday, June 12. The very next night features a television taping for MLW Fusion TV field by Don Gato Tequila. Both shows are listed with 5:30 pm start times. Tickets are still available via MLW.com.
