[Review] Life is Fighting by Kevin Robert Kesar

Karrion Kross's physique - a hulking 6'4', 265 pounds - and the unbridled intensity in his eyes is enough on its own to inspire fear in opponents. Factor in his unique combination of precision and abject ruthlessness, and it becomes clear that anyone stepping in the ring with Kross is in immediate danger. A master of catch wrestling and sambo, Kross has done battle around the world. He boasts an array of devastating suplexes, including his dreaded Doomsday Saito. And if that's not enough, he's more than happy to put opponents to sleep with the Kross Jacket. For all his menacing exterior, the human being behind the character - whose real name is Kevin Kesar - is a soft-spoken, highly thoughtful individual with a powerful story. Recognised by peers for his exceptional love for his profession, Kesar endured numerous setbacks on the way to achieving his dream. Along with his wife, Elizabeth - known in WWE as Scarlett - he has repeatedly found the fortitude to bounce back stronger, personally and professionally.

This book is full of fascinating stories, heartache, humour, and even some advice for those with similar aspirations. Readers will be immersed into Kesar's unique mindset as he pulls back the curtain on what the journey (and the fight) to the top of sports entertainment is really like.

I've watched wrestling since I was a kid - except for a few years where I sort of just fell off the WWE radar. For the longest time my favourites were the seemingly superhuman Undertaker and Stone Cold, perhaps every person my age loved them for their larger than life personalities. But when I started watching WWE again, I was drawn to a man called Karrion Kross, who at that point was part of the developmental brand NXT. And I was hooked. The guy was huge, with a shaved head and the look in his eyes was enough to have even the toughest individual shaking in fear. He was the perfect bad guy, bulldozing his way through his opponents and delivering top notch promos alongside his partner Scarlett. These two captured my imagination in a way that hadn't happened since I was little, so when they were released from WWE in 2021, I was disappointed. Disappointed but, sadly, not that surprised. You see, after moving from NXT to the main roster any momentum that Kross had came to a screeching halt after he was completely repackaged - gone was the unstoppable machine who struck fear into the hearts of his opponents. Instead we were given a masked gladiator who was sadly squashed in just a few minutes to Jeff Hardy. Thankfully, once HHH took over the creative helm, Kross and Scarlett were brought back into the WWE fold much to my delight. He was given the space to work creatively on his character and presented us with a character who was a master manipulator, pulling the strings of everyone on the roster. At the time of writing, he has his sights on AJ Styles and I cannot WAIT to see where this goes.

Life is Fighting is the first book by Kevin Robert Kesar - better known to the world as Karrion Kross - and is chock full of stories from his childhood all the way up to the current day. The tone was set from the get go with the tale of how when he was a child, a guy off his face on drugs tried to get into the trunk of his father's car while they were parked outside a gym. His father proceeded to beat the guy to kingdom come and when young Robert asked what had happened...it was all very hush hush. It was only later that he found out exactly what had happened. Each chapter tells its own story - some offer advice, some tell the story of the struggles that he went through in his journey into professional wrestling, others tell the tales of how he threw someone threw a window in his favourite restaurant. Yes, that actually happened. But probably my favourite part of Kesar's memoir was his love story with Elizabeth - better known as Scarlett in WWE. It just filled my heart with so much joy reading how these two individuals came together and just KNEW that they were life partners. Honestly it was such a beautiful story that ended with them getting married on a glacier.

Kesar's narrative style is that of a conversation that you could be having with a friend. It's so easy to read and, like his character work in wrestling, he hooks you in from the word go. It's the sort of narrative that, in my opinion, would work excellently for a novel. We know already that he is a mastermind at creating characters so I truly think, should he ever sit down and write a novel, he could very easily have a best seller on his hands. The pages drip with humour, mixed in with life lessons and the rollercoaster that he has been on throughout his journey. The main lesson, to me, in this book is that life IS fighting, but it's a fight worth taking on.

This book is perfect for anyone who is a fan of professional wrestling and combat sports, particularly fans of Karrion Kross. Beautifully written and chock full of tales that really do inspire, it is up there with the memoirs of other WWE superstars such as Becky Lynch and AJ Lee.

Highly recommended. 5/5

Life is Fighting will be published in August 2025 in the USA, and September 2025 in the UK, by ECW press.

I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks to both Kevin Kesar and ECW press for the advance copy of 'Life is Fighting'