Home
World Wrestling Entertainment
2005
Upon signing with WWE, Anderson was sent to the Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW) farm league. After six months he was called up to work on Velocity. Before his first SmackDown! match, a victory over Funaki, he showed himself to be a cocky and arrogant wrestler with not only his mannerisms but by taking a microphone and performing his own ring announcement. He referred to himself as "Mr. Anderson" for this match. To avoid comparisons with the more famous Anderson family, he changed his name to "Mr. Kennedy This idea was initially suggested by Paul Heyman and was chosen as his name because it is Vince McMahon's middle name
Kennedy made his SmackDown! debut on August 25, 2005, once again defeating FunakiKennedy would also create an ongoing "mini-feud" with SmackDown! ring announcer, Tony Chimel. The feud is based on Kennedy believing that Chimel's announcing is not done well enough or with sufficient respect, and thus he must either perform his own introductions or force Chimel to introduce him again. Kennedy's self-ring introductions before the match became one of his trademarks While working on Velocity and SmackDown!, he was also still working in OVW. Kennedy made his pay-per-view debut at SmackDown!'s No Mercy 2005, defeating Hardcore Holly, injuring Holly's ribs during the match
On the November 11 edition of SmackDown!, Kennedy faced Eddie Guerrero for a spot on SmackDown's Survivor Series team. He lost the match when Guerrero tossed him a steel chair and played possum, a move which Guerrero had made famous. The groggy referee turned around and saw Guerrero on the ground with Kennedy holding the chair, and consequently disqualified Kennedy, awarding the place on Team SmackDown! to Guerrero. This was Kennedy's first loss. In retaliation, Kennedy struck Guerrero over the head with the chair after the match. This ended up being Guerrero's final televised match, as he passed away on November 13 in his hotel room in Minneapolis, Minnesota, where a supershow taping of both RAW and SmackDown! was to be held. In interviews about the incident, Kennedy has stated that he considers this an "unfortunate honor
In December 2005 Kennedy participated in WWE's "overseas" tour. On the second day in Italy, Kennedy suffered a serious latissimus dorsi tear. He attempted to work through the injury, but was said to have been hurting so bad that he couldn’t even put his hand in his pocket to get his wallet at a restaurant. Seeing a doctor he was informed that he'd suffered a complete tear, compared to Batista's partial tear from earlier in the year, and that he would not be able to work through it, even with a somewhat lighter schedule, but would instead need surgery. The December 6 surgery was a success but Kennedy was still forced out of the ring for nearly six months while he rehabbed the injury.
2006
Though he couldn't wrestle, Kennedy still returned to SmackDown! on January 6, 2006. This time, it was as a color commentator for a Cruiserweight Title match. He continued to make appearances on SmackDown! and Velocity throughout January and February, making his ring announcement and commentating specific matches as a representative of The Network. He even made an appearance on the January 11 edition of Byte This! with Todd Grisham to maintain visibility.
At the OVW tapings on May 10, Kennedy returned to in-ring action facing the OVW Heavyweight Champion, CM Punk in a title match that Kennedy was unable to win. Kennedy made his return to SmackDown! on June 9 with a victory over Scotty 2 Hotty after using the Kenton Bomb.
Kennedy lost by pinfall, ending his streak of never being defeated by pin or submission, on the July 14 edition of SmackDown!, when he was rolled up by Matt Hardy.
On the July 21 edition of SmackDown!, Batista put out an open challenge to replace his opponent Mark Henry, who had been injured, at The Great American Bash on July 23 for the Number 1 Contender spot. Kennedy accepted the challenge and went on to win the match by disqualification. However, he suffered a severe injury during the match after being thrown headfirst into the steel steps, resulting in an exposed cranium laceration which required 20 stitches to close He then entered into a short feud with Batista, defeating him by count out in their second match, but losing via pinfall in the third.
Kennedy also helped Shane and Vince McMahon in their feud with D-Generation X, appearing at both SummerSlam and the August 28 edition of RAW along with Finlay and William Regal from the SmackDown! and RAW rosters, to attack DX.
On the September 1 edition of SmackDown!, Kennedy defeated Finlay and Bobby Lashley in a Triple Threat match to win the WWE United States Championship, his first title reign in WWE.
On September 8 edition of SmackDown!, Kennedy announced that he wanted to move over to RAW, as SmackDown didn't interest him anymore because he had already defeated every top performer on the roster. This led to SmackDown! general manager Theodore Long making a match between Kennedy and The Undertaker (who Kennedy had never faced) to be held at No Mercy 2006, which Kennedy went on to win by disqualification
On the October 13 edition of SmackDown!, Kennedy, now with a win over The Undertaker in the books, again stated his desire to move to RAW, and again Long put him against an opponent who he had never faced - this time Chris Benoit - with Kennedy's title on the line. Long said that, if Kennedy were to defeat Benoit, he would be given his release and be allowed to go to RAW. Kennedy lost the United States Championship to Benoit after a distraction from The Undertaker, who was standing in the entrance. Kennedy tapped out to the Crippler Crossface, marking his first submission loss. Late in 2006, Kennedy joined forces with Montel Vontavious Porter in matches against the Brothers of Destruction (Undertaker and Kane) in various combinations. On the November 3 edition of SmackDown!, Kennedy and MVP lost to the Brothers of Destruction. They first got counted out, and Theodore Long restarted the match with no countouts. Then they disqualified themselves with a low blow by Kennedy, and Long restarted the match again with no countouts and no disqualifications.[
Kennedy and MVP continued to feud with the brothers, with MVP feuding with Kane while Kennedy challenged The Undertaker to a match at Survivor Series, which was later announced as a First blood match. Kennedy won that match after MVP turned on him and aimed for his head with a steel chair, but missed and hit The Undertaker instead, busting him open. After the match, the Undertaker viciously attacked Kennedy, forcing him to bleed. The Undertaker finally got his revenge at Armageddon, when he defeated Kennedy in a Last Ride match
2007
Mr. Kennedy grabs the briefcase to win the 2007 Money in the Bank ladder match
After a brief hiatus, Kennedy returned to SmackDown! on January 5, 2007 and defeated Chris Benoit in a "Beat the Clock" match, with the overall prize being a shot at Batista's World Heavyweight Championship at the upcoming Royal Rumble Kennedy's time of 5:07 ended up being the fastest. At the Royal Rumble, he had Batista pinned for a three count while the referee was out of position but ended up losing the match anyway, as well as a subsequent rematch. ] From there, Kennedy began a short feud with ECW World Champion Bobby Lashley, leading to a match at No Way Out which Kennedy won by disqualification, preventing him from becoming champion.[31] Kennedy challenged Lashley unsuccessfully on ECW and SmackDown! as well.
Kennedy would go on to earn himself a spot in the 2007 Money in the Bank ladder match by defeating Sabu in an Extreme Rules match . At WrestleMania 23, Kennedy won the Money in the Bank ladder match, giving him the right to challenge any World Champion in WWE at any date up until WrestleMania 24. During the match, Kennedy was nearly thwarted from getting the briefcase by Finlay's on-screen close friend, Hornswoggle. Kennedy hit the Green Bay Plunge on him off the ladder to save his shot at the briefcase.[35] Kennedy announced on the April 30 edition of Raw that he would be cashing in his Money in the Bank championship opportunity at WrestleMania 24 On the May 7 edition of Raw, Mr. Kennedy lost his Money in the Bank opportunity to Edge, losing mere moments after a blow to the head from a monitor before the match began/ Mr. Kennedy never got the chance to win the briefcase back, however, as Edge cashed the briefcase in to win the World Heavyweight Championship from the Undertaker on SmackDown! the next day.
Kennedy is currently sidelined from in-ring competition because of injury; it was believed that his right triceps muscle tore off of the bone and would be out for a minimum of 5-7 months. WWE.com reported that Mr. Kennedy was so distraught over another injury combined with losing his Money in the Bank shot that he may never wrestle again. WWE.com then reported that the injury was not as serious as once predicted; the triceps tendon did not tear off the bone but due to a massive hematoma, he will still be out of action for 6-8 weeks from a medical standpoint. On the June 11 edition of Raw, Mr. Kennedy was drafted from SmackDown! to Raw as part of the WWE Draft.
In wrestling
* Finishing moves
o Green Bay Plunge (Second rope Rolling fireman's carry slam)
o Kenton Bomb (Senton bomb)
o Spike DDT
o Green Bay Meatpacker (Hangman's neckbreaker) - 2006
o Standing Green Bay Plunge (Rolling fireman's carry slam)
* Signature moves
o Facewash
o Dropkick to the knee
o Bicycle kick
o Indian deathlock
o Missile dropkick
o Shoulderbreaker
o Snap DDT to a kneeling opponent
o Reverse figure four leglock
o Feint enzuigiri spun into a corkscrew roundhouse kick - 2005
o Swinging side slam
o Side slam backbreaker
* Nicknames
o "The Brash, Cocky Loudmouth"
o "The Future of Sports Entertainment"
o "The Future of Professional Wrestling"
o "The Fastest Rising Superstar on SmackDown!"
o "The Green Bay Slammer"
o "The Man from Green Bay, Wisconsin"
o "Mister Money in the Bank"
2005
Upon signing with WWE, Anderson was sent to the Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW) farm league. After six months he was called up to work on Velocity. Before his first SmackDown! match, a victory over Funaki, he showed himself to be a cocky and arrogant wrestler with not only his mannerisms but by taking a microphone and performing his own ring announcement. He referred to himself as "Mr. Anderson" for this match. To avoid comparisons with the more famous Anderson family, he changed his name to "Mr. Kennedy This idea was initially suggested by Paul Heyman and was chosen as his name because it is Vince McMahon's middle name
Kennedy made his SmackDown! debut on August 25, 2005, once again defeating FunakiKennedy would also create an ongoing "mini-feud" with SmackDown! ring announcer, Tony Chimel. The feud is based on Kennedy believing that Chimel's announcing is not done well enough or with sufficient respect, and thus he must either perform his own introductions or force Chimel to introduce him again. Kennedy's self-ring introductions before the match became one of his trademarks While working on Velocity and SmackDown!, he was also still working in OVW. Kennedy made his pay-per-view debut at SmackDown!'s No Mercy 2005, defeating Hardcore Holly, injuring Holly's ribs during the match
On the November 11 edition of SmackDown!, Kennedy faced Eddie Guerrero for a spot on SmackDown's Survivor Series team. He lost the match when Guerrero tossed him a steel chair and played possum, a move which Guerrero had made famous. The groggy referee turned around and saw Guerrero on the ground with Kennedy holding the chair, and consequently disqualified Kennedy, awarding the place on Team SmackDown! to Guerrero. This was Kennedy's first loss. In retaliation, Kennedy struck Guerrero over the head with the chair after the match. This ended up being Guerrero's final televised match, as he passed away on November 13 in his hotel room in Minneapolis, Minnesota, where a supershow taping of both RAW and SmackDown! was to be held. In interviews about the incident, Kennedy has stated that he considers this an "unfortunate honor
In December 2005 Kennedy participated in WWE's "overseas" tour. On the second day in Italy, Kennedy suffered a serious latissimus dorsi tear. He attempted to work through the injury, but was said to have been hurting so bad that he couldn’t even put his hand in his pocket to get his wallet at a restaurant. Seeing a doctor he was informed that he'd suffered a complete tear, compared to Batista's partial tear from earlier in the year, and that he would not be able to work through it, even with a somewhat lighter schedule, but would instead need surgery. The December 6 surgery was a success but Kennedy was still forced out of the ring for nearly six months while he rehabbed the injury.
2006
Though he couldn't wrestle, Kennedy still returned to SmackDown! on January 6, 2006. This time, it was as a color commentator for a Cruiserweight Title match. He continued to make appearances on SmackDown! and Velocity throughout January and February, making his ring announcement and commentating specific matches as a representative of The Network. He even made an appearance on the January 11 edition of Byte This! with Todd Grisham to maintain visibility.
At the OVW tapings on May 10, Kennedy returned to in-ring action facing the OVW Heavyweight Champion, CM Punk in a title match that Kennedy was unable to win. Kennedy made his return to SmackDown! on June 9 with a victory over Scotty 2 Hotty after using the Kenton Bomb.
Kennedy lost by pinfall, ending his streak of never being defeated by pin or submission, on the July 14 edition of SmackDown!, when he was rolled up by Matt Hardy.
On the July 21 edition of SmackDown!, Batista put out an open challenge to replace his opponent Mark Henry, who had been injured, at The Great American Bash on July 23 for the Number 1 Contender spot. Kennedy accepted the challenge and went on to win the match by disqualification. However, he suffered a severe injury during the match after being thrown headfirst into the steel steps, resulting in an exposed cranium laceration which required 20 stitches to close He then entered into a short feud with Batista, defeating him by count out in their second match, but losing via pinfall in the third.
Kennedy also helped Shane and Vince McMahon in their feud with D-Generation X, appearing at both SummerSlam and the August 28 edition of RAW along with Finlay and William Regal from the SmackDown! and RAW rosters, to attack DX.
On the September 1 edition of SmackDown!, Kennedy defeated Finlay and Bobby Lashley in a Triple Threat match to win the WWE United States Championship, his first title reign in WWE.
On September 8 edition of SmackDown!, Kennedy announced that he wanted to move over to RAW, as SmackDown didn't interest him anymore because he had already defeated every top performer on the roster. This led to SmackDown! general manager Theodore Long making a match between Kennedy and The Undertaker (who Kennedy had never faced) to be held at No Mercy 2006, which Kennedy went on to win by disqualification
On the October 13 edition of SmackDown!, Kennedy, now with a win over The Undertaker in the books, again stated his desire to move to RAW, and again Long put him against an opponent who he had never faced - this time Chris Benoit - with Kennedy's title on the line. Long said that, if Kennedy were to defeat Benoit, he would be given his release and be allowed to go to RAW. Kennedy lost the United States Championship to Benoit after a distraction from The Undertaker, who was standing in the entrance. Kennedy tapped out to the Crippler Crossface, marking his first submission loss. Late in 2006, Kennedy joined forces with Montel Vontavious Porter in matches against the Brothers of Destruction (Undertaker and Kane) in various combinations. On the November 3 edition of SmackDown!, Kennedy and MVP lost to the Brothers of Destruction. They first got counted out, and Theodore Long restarted the match with no countouts. Then they disqualified themselves with a low blow by Kennedy, and Long restarted the match again with no countouts and no disqualifications.[
Kennedy and MVP continued to feud with the brothers, with MVP feuding with Kane while Kennedy challenged The Undertaker to a match at Survivor Series, which was later announced as a First blood match. Kennedy won that match after MVP turned on him and aimed for his head with a steel chair, but missed and hit The Undertaker instead, busting him open. After the match, the Undertaker viciously attacked Kennedy, forcing him to bleed. The Undertaker finally got his revenge at Armageddon, when he defeated Kennedy in a Last Ride match
2007
Mr. Kennedy grabs the briefcase to win the 2007 Money in the Bank ladder match
After a brief hiatus, Kennedy returned to SmackDown! on January 5, 2007 and defeated Chris Benoit in a "Beat the Clock" match, with the overall prize being a shot at Batista's World Heavyweight Championship at the upcoming Royal Rumble Kennedy's time of 5:07 ended up being the fastest. At the Royal Rumble, he had Batista pinned for a three count while the referee was out of position but ended up losing the match anyway, as well as a subsequent rematch. ] From there, Kennedy began a short feud with ECW World Champion Bobby Lashley, leading to a match at No Way Out which Kennedy won by disqualification, preventing him from becoming champion.[31] Kennedy challenged Lashley unsuccessfully on ECW and SmackDown! as well.
Kennedy would go on to earn himself a spot in the 2007 Money in the Bank ladder match by defeating Sabu in an Extreme Rules match . At WrestleMania 23, Kennedy won the Money in the Bank ladder match, giving him the right to challenge any World Champion in WWE at any date up until WrestleMania 24. During the match, Kennedy was nearly thwarted from getting the briefcase by Finlay's on-screen close friend, Hornswoggle. Kennedy hit the Green Bay Plunge on him off the ladder to save his shot at the briefcase.[35] Kennedy announced on the April 30 edition of Raw that he would be cashing in his Money in the Bank championship opportunity at WrestleMania 24 On the May 7 edition of Raw, Mr. Kennedy lost his Money in the Bank opportunity to Edge, losing mere moments after a blow to the head from a monitor before the match began/ Mr. Kennedy never got the chance to win the briefcase back, however, as Edge cashed the briefcase in to win the World Heavyweight Championship from the Undertaker on SmackDown! the next day.
Kennedy is currently sidelined from in-ring competition because of injury; it was believed that his right triceps muscle tore off of the bone and would be out for a minimum of 5-7 months. WWE.com reported that Mr. Kennedy was so distraught over another injury combined with losing his Money in the Bank shot that he may never wrestle again. WWE.com then reported that the injury was not as serious as once predicted; the triceps tendon did not tear off the bone but due to a massive hematoma, he will still be out of action for 6-8 weeks from a medical standpoint. On the June 11 edition of Raw, Mr. Kennedy was drafted from SmackDown! to Raw as part of the WWE Draft.
In wrestling
* Finishing moves
o Green Bay Plunge (Second rope Rolling fireman's carry slam)
o Kenton Bomb (Senton bomb)
o Spike DDT
o Green Bay Meatpacker (Hangman's neckbreaker) - 2006
o Standing Green Bay Plunge (Rolling fireman's carry slam)
* Signature moves
o Facewash
o Dropkick to the knee
o Bicycle kick
o Indian deathlock
o Missile dropkick
o Shoulderbreaker
o Snap DDT to a kneeling opponent
o Reverse figure four leglock
o Feint enzuigiri spun into a corkscrew roundhouse kick - 2005
o Swinging side slam
o Side slam backbreaker
* Nicknames
o "The Brash, Cocky Loudmouth"
o "The Future of Sports Entertainment"
o "The Future of Professional Wrestling"
o "The Fastest Rising Superstar on SmackDown!"
o "The Green Bay Slammer"
o "The Man from Green Bay, Wisconsin"
o "Mister Money in the Bank"
