Karrion Kross has opened up about his and Scarlett’s WWE exit, accusing the company of using manipulative tactics during contract negotiations before their departure.

Speaking on Coach and Bro, Kross explained that WWE initially extended a new contract offer, only to retract it within 24 hours. Despite the uncertainty, he and Scarlett remained calm and refused to panic, saying they were not going to compromise their values or accept disrespectful treatment just to stay with the company.

“We just kind of shrugged. We’re not fatalists, like, ‘If we can’t do what we want, it’s the end of the world.’ Of course it means the world to us to be there and perform at our best , but not under those conditions. We’ve always approached things with logic and fairness. And if that’s not going to be met, we’re not young, starving 20-year-olds who are going to subject ourselves to being spoken to like that. We know what’s going on.”

Kross revealed that instead of rejecting the deal outright, they tried to keep discussions open. However, someone involved in the talks allegedly twisted their words, threatening to report to upper management that the pair had turned down the offer.

Kross said he quickly stopped the situation from escalating, telling the person not to misrepresent his words. He described the entire interaction as manipulative and uncomfortable, saying it felt “strategic in the worst way.”

“So if the conversation isn’t going to proceed fairly, we’ll just say, ‘We’d like to keep the dialogue open. We’re not saying no. We just want to continue discussing this.’ And at one point, the guy goes, ‘Well, we’re going to tell them you declined the offer.’ And I said, ‘Don’t do that, because that’s not what I said. Don’t put words in my mouth. If you’re going to say something, say that I want to keep the dialogue open.’ The whole conversation felt strategic on their end. Strategic , and very gross.”