What’s the story?
2016 was arguably the worst year of Raymond Leppan’s professional career, but the man formerly known as Adam Rose is looking to bounce back with aplomb in 2017. The former WWE star recently unveiled a new gimmick on the independent scene, eschewing his party animal Adam Rose persona in favour of something closer to the Leo Kruger persona he used in WWE developmental.
Leppan is being billed as KRUGAR going forward, although reports suggest the gimmick is similar to the South African big game hunter one he used in NXT.
KRUGAR has also updated his look, growing out a mohawk. The look was unveiled at an independent show in LaSalle, Illinois, and confirmed via a photo on Twitter by the user @PohnJarker.
In case you didn’t know...
Raymond Leppan spent six years in WWE, working in developmental first as Leo Kruger before a gimmick change to Adam Rose in 2014 saw him relatively fast-tracked to the main roster. The gimmick proved to be something of a wash on the main roster, however, and by the beginning of 2016 Rose had been relegated to the level of an enhancement talent.
2016 saw Rose pick up a wellness policy violation, something the South African subsequently took to social media to deny. This was followed by an arrest for domestic violence and a messy situation that eventually led to Rose requesting his release from the company, a request that was accepted on 23 May.
The heart of the matter
In November 2016 Leppan announced that he was going to be taking a hiatus from professional wrestling in order to focus on his family and home life. In the six weeks or so that followed, Leppan’s social media accounts were hacked and the former Adam Rose seemed to fall off the radar, before posting a video early in 2017 announcing the death of Adam Rose and the birth of KRUGAR.
What’s next?
KRUGAR is almost surely going to be more visible in 2017 than Adam Rose was in the second half of 2016, and whilst it isn’t clear where he will show up, his standing as a former WWE competitor will almost surely guarantee a decent amount of work for the man from Johannesburg.
Watching this former NXT star rebuild his career could yet turn out to be one of 2017’s most interesting stories.
Sportskeeda’s take
Adam Rose’s plight during the first half of 2016 was one of the more difficult stories in professional wrestling last year, so it is great to see KRUGAR back on his feet. We wish KRUGAR all the best going forward.
Send us news tips at [email protected]
What makes Sting special? His first AEW opponent opens up RIGHT HERE.
