Brian Kendrick: Too Small to Make It

[RoyHahn]

I have enjoyed watching The Brian Kendrick turn from a tag team jobber to a psuedo-main event wrestler as much as the next guy. I think the guy has tremendous talent and has deserved his time in the limelight. I believe, however, that there is no chance that he will ever become World Champion, and I simply would not want him to.

The guy is billed at 175 pounds, so he should look 10 pounds heavier than Rey Mysterio. Kendrick is billed at 5'8, two inches taller than Mysterio. Basically, the guy is short and light, just like Mysterio. However, Mysterio has the appearance of being somewhat stocky/muscular. He looks like a smaller version of any bigger wrestler. Kendrick is very skinny, having hardly any muscularity. The guy is simply small. How can anyone believe that he would defeat a bigger guy in a legit fight? Would he be able to beat Primo? MVP? Jeff Hardy? MYSTERIO?

The guy is incredibly talented, but his size is a huge hinderance. If he worked out extensively and gained some major muscle, then he would have a shot, but until then, he is simply too small.

 

[Y 2 Jake]

WWE have given up on Kendrick. It was abvious to me when he didn't get on Survivor Series, the second show of the year where it's pretty easy to get on. Now he's stuck in a never ending WWE Tag Team title feud.

After the initial surprise that he was added to the Scramble match, the forum bods seemed to lose intrest as well. I don't think it's his size as such. He's not dwarfed by somebody like Jeff Hardy or Edge, it's just that WWE have given no real reason for anybody to get behind him since September. As a heel he's harder to market, unlike Rey Mysterio.

He is, and I guess he was always supposed to be, just somebody to fill the Smackdown mid card.

 

[justinsayne]

The guy is simply small. How can anyone believe that he would defeat a bigger guy in a legit fight? Would he be able to beat Primo? MVP? Jeff Hardy? MYSTERIO?

You know that big black guy named Ezekial that stands at ringside during his matches?, that's how people beleive Kendrick can defeat bigger guys, that and cheating and stealing victories, the guy is a heel he uses "heel tactics" to win matches, you need to remember this is wrestling it requires you to suspend a little belief for a minute

Kendrick is basically nothing more than a vehicle to push big Zeke, from the looks of things they are basically doing something like they did with Sid and Nash when they were HBKs bodyguards, eventually Zeke with turn on Kendrick, prolly squash him like a bug and then move onto a singles career, and Kendrick will most likely just go back to jobbing in the mid-card

 

[bigdogg1991]

Kendrick is basically nothing more than a vehicle to push big Zeke, from the looks of things they are basically doing something like they did with Sid and Nash when they were HBKs bodyguards, eventually Zeke with turn on Kendrick, prolly squash him like a bug and then move onto a singles career, and Kendrick will most likely just go back to jobbing in the mid-card

Thats true, but wouldn't it be great if WWE decided to properly push this guy instead of someone like.. um.. Jeff Hardy? lol hell if Kozlov can get a title shot we can at least give Kendrick a few wins?

 

[TheGreatSPAMbino]

The Brian Kendrick isnt that good. Its not that hes small its that hes not very talented(although beign small does hold him back even more). What i hate is how they are trying to synthetically get this douche over, hes no Shawn Michaels and never will be...they should stop trying to cram that idea down our throats. Some guys just arent main eventers, some guys are simply midcarders. The brain kendrick is one of those guys, he'll do well as a midcarder and thats it.

 

[Khalifa]

I have no idea how they are going to get Kendrick into a world champion. There is no possible way of making him a world champion with out making the championship less credible. The noly reason mysterio made it was because of Eddie, it was just a great story line with him winning the title but with kendrick it jsut doesn't seem possible. he is great in the ring with his atheltic style he has a great manager/partner and he is not that abd on the mic i guess. I wouldn't mind seeing him as world champion if he builds up his muscle. but until that happens i see him as a us championship chaser.

 

[Suneeboy]

I agree with the OP on this topic. TBK appears to be too small to be a credible main eventer. Its not so much his height as it is his overall size. He is very slim, and does not have the muscle definition in comparison to other wrestlers. He has the charisma and the in ring ability, but his size goes against him.

He will be relegated to the mid card and the tag team division for his career, unless he can get his hands on some steroids and not get caught. They appeared to be ready to give him a singles push, but now it looks like he is back to tag teaming as a feud with the Colons is starting to pick up steam. He could possibly also be in MITB at WM25 to do some spots (no way in hell will he win it).

Now for the Shawn Michaels comparisons, please stop it. HBK taught him a few things, but that's where it stops. TBK is not HBK and Eziekiel (is that how you spell it?) is not Kevin Nash or Psycho Sid.

Wrestlers like TBK make me a huge supporter of bringing back the Cruiserweight Title. Some may say we have too many titles and they lose value when you add more. That's true to a certain extent but when you have a whole division that doesn't have a title that's a different story. What if there was no women's title at all? Would you be against making one since there are already a lot of titles? A division specific title doesn't devalue other titles because they are in a different division. I wouldn't mind seeing a TBK vs Jimmy Wang Yang feud that can be the opening match after the intro Promo to Smackdown! These guys need something to do and the CW title will help wrestlers like Kendrick who are "Too small to make it".

 

[Mustang Sally]

Kendrick has some wrestling talent but he's too small to be taken seriously as a contender. Conversely, his bodyguard, Ezekiel, has the size but is pitiful as a wrestler. Put them together and you have a "team" that can win matches only by interfering on behalf of the other.

That may be good for a few wins for Kendrick, but it's hard to believe that WWE had any kind of long-term plan for him to be a force.

Cheating can be fun to watch, but it only gets you so far on the road to the title.

 

[butsecks]

to small to make it?! what year is this? 1989?!!! last time i checked SIZE NO LONGER MATTERED in the wrestling bidness...its not his height, its clearly his lack of muscle that makes him not a main event competitor....unless your a good height like some wrestlers muscle doesn't matter, but if your brian kendrick or any other short wrestler it does...

 

[Y 2 Jake]

to small to make it?! what year is this? 1989?!!! last time i checked SIZE NO LONGER MATTERED in the wrestling bidness...its not his height, its clearly his lack of muscle that makes him not a main event competitor....unless your a good height like some wrestlers muscle doesn't matter, but if your brian kendrick or any other short wrestler it does...

If size doesn't matter than why is his lack of muscle an issue? More muscle would add to his size

The size of him might be an issue, but it's just more likely that WWE never intended to do anything with him. He's somebody who get's a short push, who then surprises everyone when he get's released.

If WWE were serious about him then they wouldn't let Ezekiel Jackson wear such tight trunks. He looks like a big baby.

 

[Danmen001]

What? Brian Kendrick has no muscles? Dude, have you looked at him, actually noticed the fact that for someone his size, he has strong muscles. From the looks of it, he is solid. Literally. Just sayin'.

Anyway, as someone has happily pointed out for me - I don't particular care who - there is this giant big scary man in Kendrick's corner. Yeah, and notice the times how he has interfered allowing Brian the win? Yeah, that's how he wins.

Also care to notice his theme song, and how he (well, if they did a better job at booking) is billed as "A man with a plan". Cerebral like, 'cept he doesn't squash people. He uses his brain to win matches as well, that's how.

He entertains me anyway.

 

[Showtime]

I believe they once said that about Mysterio. Hell CM Punk may be taller, but he's just as scrawny as Kendrick.

I agree though, I'm doubtful that The Brian Kendrick will ever make it to the top, especially considering how he was left off of Survivor Series and actually appears to be sucking more than the suddenly world's greatest jobber MVP. The WWE seems to have given up on The Brian Kendrick since his inclusion in the scramble, which most likely happened because of Umaga and Kennedy's sudden injuries. The Brian Kendrick is as talented as any of the other wrestlers on Smackdown and his mic and promo skills are way better than I expected them to be, especially since you'd rarely ever hear one word out of Londrick, I figured neither of them were good on the mic.

I think The Brian Kendrick really opened a lot of people's eyes in his build up towards the Unforgiven Scramble match. Used solely as a filler, he wowed a few people with his Art of War promo (the actual name of the book escapes my memory at the moment) and his solid matches and natural heel turn. He was drawing good heat almost instantly. But again, I'm sure the WWE didn't have big plans with The Brian Kendrick before injuries to Kennedy and Umaga forced them to use Kendrick and since then he has been almost unseen.

He does however have an ace in the hole in the 6'8" large black figure who stands beside him everywhere he goes in Ezekiel. If they use them similarly to Micheals/Diesel, then I don't see how this team couldn't be a success. The trouble is, and I am going all over the place but I'm getting tired of posting and just want to close this post out, is that everyone compares success to being the WWE/WHC. Not everyone is destined for that and even if The Brian Kendrick doesn't make it to the top, I'm sure he'll have a wonderful career. He's a wonderful talent that I'm glad the WWE hasn't overlooked and I can't wait to see him have a successful middlecard title reign (and maybe more) in 2009.

 

[butsecks]

If size doesn't matter than why is his lack of muscle an issue? More muscle would add to his size

The size of him might be an issue, but it's just more likely that WWE never intended to do anything with him. He's somebody who get's a short push, who then surprises everyone when he get's released.

If WWE were serious about him then they wouldn't let Ezekiel Jackson wear such tight trunks. He looks like a big baby.

more muscle would be better for a wrestler, so yea it would add size...he wouldn't be frail thin...examples...look at chris benoit 2004, then look at him in 1985...u really think wwe would give him a chance if he looked like 1985? (please don't count his hair, just the body)

 

[Trance Metaphor]

The Brian Kendrick, talentless? No. Not a serious contender? No. Too small to make it to the top? Probably.

I was impressed by TBK's performance prior to the scramble match and during the scramble match. The guy has charisma, the world experience and the in-ring abilities to be a legit contender in the WWE. It doesn't matter if he'll be a mid-carder for life. It doesn't matter if he'll never hold the world title. And, it doesn't matter if the guy will always be small. He's entertaining. He can still be successful. He's the longest reigning WWE Tag Team Champion and that's a very good start. The Cruiserweight Championship needs to return so that all the naysayers can stop throwing stones at him. TBK vs Jimmy Wang Yang, TBK vs Jamie Noble, TBK vs Hurricane Helms. Oh how I want to see those matches happen. There's classic potential for future years in TBK.

 

[Y 2 Jake]

more muscle would be better for a wrestler, so yea it would add size...he wouldn't be frail thin...examples...look at chris benoit 2004, then look at him in 1985...u really think wwe would give him a chance if he looked like 1985? (please don't count his hair, just the body)

I'm not sure what you're on about to be honest. Kendrick does have more hair than Benoit did in 2004. If that's some sort of strange point you're trying to make.

Would WWE give him a change in 1985? Nope, but they also wouldn't have given a change to Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels, and any other wrestler than isn't big and orange.

I'm also not sure how somebody looks 1985. Big hair, boom box, Trans Am, Wham. I have no idea. But there should be a stable called the Class Of 1985. That would rule.

If Kendrick was in a stable then size wouldn't be an issue.

 

[Tim]

OK lets see. Brian Kendrick is around the same size as Mysterio. Mysterio has won a world title, so why can't Kendrick do it? And as has been mentioned numerous times, he's got a big scary man in his corner, that you do not want to mess with, and this man may help him win a couple of matches, but that's how some heels win matches. They get interference. But if that's the only way Kendrick's winning matches, then he can't be taken seriously as a contender for the title.

Also, that jacket doesn't fit on him, he just looks weird with it, and doesn't help him get taken seriously either. And I think that he's not as muscly as the other guys, or big, which may impede him a bit in his quet for a world title, but I don't think his size really matters that much. However, I don't see him getting a title soon.

 

[butsecks]

I'm not sure what you're on about to be honest. Kendrick does have more hair than Benoit did in 2004. If that's some sort of strange point you're trying to make.

Would WWE give him a change in 1985? Nope, but they also wouldn't have given a change to Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels, and any other wrestler than isn't big and orange.

I'm also not sure how somebody looks 1985. Big hair, boom box, Trans Am, Wham. I have no idea. But there should be a stable called the Class Of 1985. That would rule.

If Kendrick was in a stable then size wouldn't be an issue.

WOW...u seriously have no clue what i was talking about...its like you read what i said upside down....which you probably must have...any way what i meant was chris benoit, when he first started was frail thin, matter fact ,i'll just say dynamite kid when he first started was frail thin...the point is, is that muscle body matters if youre a short guy in wrestling...in wrestling it doesn't matter whether you're short or average...thats been over with years ago...your blind if you can't see that.

 

[George Michael]

The size barrier for champions is consistently being broken.

Bret Hart was considered 'the small champion', before Shawn Michaels stole the moniker. Then Jericho became unidisputed chamipon and took it from Shawn. A few years later Eddie Guerrero would earn the mantle, before it landed on Rey.

Size doesn't matter, all a performer really needs to be a champion is prescence. The crowd needs to feel them, and react to them; this is all that is really required to be a world champion. If it can be marketed and manufactured then it can be sold.

That being said, I think Kendrick could be polished and sold as a champion some day.

 

[The Mark of Zur-En-Arrh]

Did nobody read the report on this very site about Kendrick constantly being fined for smoking weed? That instead of stopping, he's just content to pay the fines and carry on, so they've decided to stop pushing him as a means of punishment.

This is a guy who after Unforgiven, was still kept in the title race for about 3 weeks or so, and they continued to have him in matches with Hardy, making him look like a credible contender. Sure he lost more often than not, but he still put on a good showing. He fought Jeff off for 12 minutes, and then none of the other guys managed to beat that time. Previous to that, he was given some mic time, and cut quite a few decent promos. He at least gave the impression that he could hang in a proper fued.

Since that very match, he's been in this tag fued with the Colons, and nothing else. Maybe he'll put on a good showing in the RR, but if he doesnt get in the RR match then i'll have to agree that he's not likely to make it anywhere in WWE at this rate.

 

[Rusty]

A great topic here that I should have thought of earlier. The thing that cracks me up the most, is that when Kendrick was in a tag team with Paul London as a babyface, he was getting little to no appreciation despite being magnificant in that awesome tag team. But when he turns heel, he's suddenly a smark darling. And this is why I dislike when people praise the guy for that reason. However, I myself have always been a fan of Brian Kendrick due to his in ring ability and his overall wrestling style. Yes, he has become more interesting as a heel with his new and cockier character, but he wasn't total shit before he moved to Smackdown in 2008.

But I can't see The Brian Kendrick ever holding a World Title for many reasons. He isn't big enough. It wouldn't matter so much as a face, but as a heel, it just doesn't work. Why would anyone believe Kendrick could cleanly defeat a babyface like Triple H or even The Undertaker if they are over double the size of Kendrick? The heel shouldn't be the underdog, therefore it just doesn't work. Also, I am well aware that Ezekiel Jackson is a main reason why Brian wins many matches on Smackdown, but a main eventer cannot be made if the superstar has to rely on his manager to win every single match.

Not only that though, but Brian Kendrick hasn't proven to me why he deserves to be a main eventer. His mic skills aren't great and his gimmick can only get him so far. He is a great mid-carder on Smackdown though and could be a good United States Champion in the near future, but I just can't see him progressing further than that. Size doesn't matter too much for babyfaces, but for heels it does.

 

[klunderbunker]

Rusty gets it as always. Kendrick simply isn't likely to ever be a permanent main eventer. There's nothing at all wrong with taking over the mid card and staying there your entire career. Look at a guy like Scott Hall if you don't believe me. Sure Kendrick is small. But look next to him. There's a fucking beast called Ezekiel Jackson. Perfect example of what comess out of this. A few weeks back, he was getting hassled by the Colons, and then out walks Jackson. Kendrick wins the argument, because he controls Jackson, and they look great together. Leave him with Jackson until he gets the credibility built up on his own. Eventually the gimmick will be what people see, not the size.

 

[Shocky]

It depends on what your level of "making it is". Is making it winning a WWE championship, only to fizzle out and be irrelevant two years later, or is making it being a main stay guy that has had several runs in the mid card with the occasional burst into the main event scene over a decade or two. As said, what's the definition of making it.

Will The Brian Kendrick ever be The man, no. Size is still an issue in the WWE. The Brian Kendrick is a tremendous heel, but he's not a Rey Mysterio face. He doesn't have a colorful mask or colorful paint to hide behind, hit's just a skinny white kid with long hair. That's pretty much it. Is he more enjoyable to watch in the ring then say, Hardy or Mysterio, you bet, but he lacks that gimmick that makes you want to root for him.

However, as a cocky little shit heel, the guy is perfect. People want to see this guy get hit in th emouth, and with big Zeke standing at ringside being his bodyguard, he comes across as a very believable heel that can beat anyone at anytime. Kendrick was teamed with Jackson for the obvious mouth piece reasons, but in the end, both have benefitted greatly from this. People seem to forget, for a slow time, in a weird world, Spanky was WWE champion for all of five minutes at Unforgiven this year. Sure it's not recognized, but that surreal feeling of that night was only a mere four months ago.

 

[My$terio_Fan]

Yes and No. While there is no doubt if the guy had a better look and was a bigger size he probably could go further. Guys like snitsky, Cade, Knox, ect are all pushed because of their size but all lack the sheer charisma and ability that someone like Kendrick has. It shows that size is still an issue with the WWE.

And while Mysterio was able to break the mold(and also former cruiserweights like Jericho & Eddie)it still doesn't mean size is an issue. The WWE wants their brand and champion to have a certain look and big is in. It's harder to make the brand seem real if a little 170 pound guy is able to overtake a 300 pound man no matter how fast or how much heart a guy has, it's that simple.

Kendrick's size it a huge disadvantage but in reality I think if the fans get behind him enough(heel or face)and if Kendrick countinues to let his personality, charisma, in ring work and mic skills shine then there is still a slight possibility he could become a maineventer, but I'm not holding my breath.

 

[TheOneBigWill]

I think the underlining question truly needs to be.. how would you define "Make It"? His size is likely going to be the major reason he'll never be a World Heavyweight Champion, but his abilities, mic skills, and other attributes will help him succeed as a mid-card (United States) Champion someday.

Furthermore, as Justin pointed out, as long as he has his Bodyguard.. he'll always be capable of defeating anyone, regardless of his (or their) size. Shawn Michaels did it with Diesel, Kendrick can do it with Jackson.

The only difference is, I don't honestly believe Kendrick can grow anymore in muscle or size. (obviously not in height) Whereas at least H.B.K. did something to improve the way he looked.

In the end, Kendrick is being forgotten as I type this. They (W.W.E.) have given up on him, and as Jake pointed out that much is being obviously shown because he isn't being used on Pay per view anymore, and his most meaningful storyline on Smackdown is apparently chasing after the Twins. (from what I've heard, as I don't get SD anymore)

 

[Jane]

I really like Kendrick, and even though he would realistically have no chance of beating the bigger guys, if they gave him the right movies and made his fighting style just right, he would fit. For example, he could do lots of jumps and dodges, and clever roll ups. But the roll ups wouldn't make him look weak. Not the distraction roll up from behind, but cool ones where he just did a move and turned it into some sort of great pin. They just need to make him look good and show that he is so fast he doesn't need strength. I don't want him to start beating guys like Khali, but he might have a chance against guys like Shelton or even Umaga.