Has Anderson Lost His Mojo?

[Jack-Hammer]

When Mr. Anderson first popped up in TNA in January 2010, a lot of fans were happy. Anderson gained a lot of support from fans during his time in WWE and it carried over into TNA.

Throughout 2010, TNA built Anderson up as one of their top stars and his popularity with the fans seemed to only increase. On January 9, 2011, Anderson faces Jeff Hardy at the Genesis ppv and wins the TNA World Heavyweight Championship for the first time. After that, to me, it looks like it kind of went all downhill from there.

Anderson's time as champ, both reigns in fact, were nothing short of mediocre. He was booked as a very weak champion with 2 short reigns and I think it was the beginning of a downward spiral for Anderson. After his first run ended, he continued his feud with Jeff Hardy & Immortal but Anderson didn't seem the same. Even when he won his second World Championship from Sting around this time a year ago, Anderson seemed to have little real momentum going for him. Sure he still got cheered by fans but I never got the sense that Anderson came off as a top level talent by this time. After he lost the title a second time, he'd feud for a bit with Kurt Angle and then Bully Ray for a while before disappearing for about 5 months. He pops back up a couple of months ago and is sort of there for a bit before getting a title shot at Roode last Thursday. Anderson lost to Roode and even though he's part of the BFG Series, you have to feel that Anderson certainly won't be the one to challenge Roode at BFG and that he's part of the BFG Series just so he'll have something to do.

Personally, I think Anderson is a little overrated. He's very talented on the mic but I don't think he's the game changer as far as promos go that some have hyped him to be. He's pretty decent inside the ring, but nothing special from what I've seen. Anderson is charismatic and is loaded with personality, but I can't help but feel that he's sort of damaged goods when it comes to the thought of him being a top level talent for the company. I believe that Anderson could be built back up as someone that could be a truly major player in TNA with some proper booking.

Has Anderson already peaked in TNA and is just on a downward spiral? Is he irreperably damaged goods as far as a main eventer goes?

 

[It's Damn Real!]

Nope. Not one bit, IMO.

I actually think he's yet to hit his peak, because he's yet to be given that substantial run in the main event against the type of performers that can actually bring the best out in him.

Keep in mind here — his World Title run was focused around Jeff Hardy, who was going through one of the worst times in his career at the time. The whole purple butterfly belt, the debacle at Victory Road, etc. It was a nasty time, and there was so much negative attention on Hardy and Sting, to an extent, that Anderson ended up cast by the wayside, but the last guy on that list I blame for that is Anderson himself.

I've said it time and time again. Mr. Anderson is a superstar. He's got a tremendous repertoire and has everything a professional wrestler needs to both get over and draw money.

He's lost in the shuffle again right now with TNA being so focused on getting Roode over in a huge way, which is why he lost, but I don't imagine we've seen the last of him by a long shot.

 

[Rayne]

I think Anderson has plateaued, but I don't think it's because fans are out of interest with him. The man is a douchebag with a nasty habit of burning his backstage bridges. With the right run at the right time, he could easily still be a top-tier superstar. He's got all the tools necessary, he is just the worst backstage politician.

I suspect he's been on someone's shit list recently in TNA/IW, which is why you'd see him playing video games in back. (Save the 'limited contract date' shit- if a guy is bringing in money for you, you pay extra to have him keep doing it.) Maybe he's coming off of it now. On stage, Mr. Anderson has everything he needs to be the next "the guy". Behind the scenes, his mouth and his attitude, which are every bit as real as they are on stage, may clip his potential.

While I still think he could be that guy that a company uses as a centerpiece, I don't think he'll ever overcome his attitude issues; or at least, he won't until it's too late for anyone to want to build around him. He's 36 now; for most guys, they've already made it as a "top guy" by this point.

 

[Pera]

They had Anderson in the perfect role around Lockdown 2010 where he was the badass heel, opening Kurt Angle up with his medals and just beating the shit out of anyone. At Lockdown, I really thought they had made a star in that match, but they then turned him into a tweener and he lost all momentum. It was probably the worst move they could have made, and it didnt help when he was booked with Immortal, out of Immortal, into a brief World Title run, and then back to this 'asshole' gimmick.

People are just over it. They screaming of the name into a mic, the whiny demeanor after his lost the title, the lot. He needs a massive overhaul of his character as this 'Asshole' stuff is failing to get him anywhere. He looks in OK shape at the moment, but a face makes him just another man on the roster. He's at his best as a heel, and a ruthless one at that.

 

[Lowdown]

I don't think Anderson has peaked. Like IDR said when he won the title last year the focus was on what was going on with Hardy and the aftermath of Victory Road. You also have to account whose getting pushed at a specific time. A few former champs have been in idle while others are getting TV time; RVD comes to mind. Anderson has the charisma and can work the mic. Now, I'm not all that aware of how Anderson is backstage based on what Rayne has mentioned, but it is possible that if he is a prick, he could be stewing in his own juices for a while. He's got the talent to be a decent champ, but one thing that I wonder is that could he ever be a top draw for TNA like Hardy and Sting.

 

[jared96]

you cant lose it when you never had it.
mr anderson has did decent in tna but recent months anderson is just lost in the mix. i think he needs a x divison title run so he can increase as mid card level and not main eventing

 

[thesquaredcircle]

I don't think he's done yet. When this whole storm roode thing blows over then we will have
aries or ray get the title then I'd say anderson might have a shot with the title. But, the only way I think he can have the title would be him being a heel. He is at his best when he is a heel.

 

[Trance Metaphor]

I feel differently about Anderson than most on here. For me, Anderson fell off the train a long time ago when he was injury prone in WWE. After he lost his MitB briefcase to Edge and never won the World title, he eventually made it over to TNA with very little previous success. Yes, he's got all the potential in the world and is excellent on the mic, but I can't help but to feel that he's just bad aftertaste. He had some good showings against Kurt Angle and certainly looked unbelievably strong in his title match against Jeff Hardy where nothing would keep him down. Then what do they do? Butcher his title reign by making him lose it easily. What kind of bullshit is that? Just when you think Anderson can do something interesting, he's not able to capitalize. His entire career is a tantalizing seesaw. It's not that he's lost his mojo. It's that his mojo is far too limited.

 

[WWEIsLife2]

Id say the bloom came off Anderson's rose before he left WWE. Anytime he was on the verge of getting a major push like winning the World Title or being revealed as Vince's son he would get injured/suspended. His two Title reigns in TNA were pointless and didn't get him anywhere. Plus the constant face/heel turns last year were just flat out stupid and made no sense at all. He was just fodder for Jeff Hardy's Heel run and for Sting feuding with Hogan/Bischoff. He's a talented guy but as a World Champion caliber guy I just don't see it.

 

[akathelaw]

I remember the night when Mr. Kennedy returned to Raw after his last injury, and he'd been on WWE TV a lot promoting his WWE film. When they did that basketball jersey match where Kennedy dropped Orton wrong, I remember scrutinizing the guy and wondering waht was so good about him. His mic schtick is like Dane Cook toned down, only sort of funny and generally obnoxious. His body looked pretty unimpressive too, and anyone who was actually watching can see how poorly Kennedy handled Orton in that match. He wasn't strong enough to do that move on Orton, but he did it anyway and hurt him. I really lost interest in Kennedy at that point and was actually glad he got released right afterwards.

Now, right before he came to TNA, "Ken Anderson" took to Youtube and made some great comedy videos to hype his next project, whatever it may be. I started to get behind him again and looked forward to seeing what he could do in TNA. At the time it seemed like he was a big catch for the company, because Anderson hadn't achieved world title status in WWE even though it seemed the fans were behind him. Sometimes WWE holds back the wrong guy and they go elsewhere and do a whole lot better with more freedom. Looking at what Anderson's accomplished in TNA in his time there, it's really not much. Any former WWE star is eligible for TNA main event status out the gate. Anderson's "asshole" persona ultimately flopped because who really wants to consider themselves assholes besides the TNA "Crucial Crew?"

Anderson's just not as funny as he thinks he is, he's not as strong as he thinks he is, and he's not as big of a star as he could have been.

 

[R.K.O]

There was a time where I thought "this guy could be the next Stone Cold" and WWE had dropped the ball big time by releasing him. But now, I find him largely uninteresting. His asshole persona, his self announcing and his mic skills just does not stand out in anyway. Wrestlers like James Storm had stepped up his game big time and Anderson does not seem to be much different when he debuted. Ultimately TNA has their own fault by making Anderson carry Jeff's purple belt during his reign, constant turns between face and heel, then leaving him off TV for an extended period of time. But in my opinion he wasn't that good from the beginning after looking back. TNA did misuse him but he wasn't going to be big from the beginning.

 

[MB1025]

What they need to do is turn him heel ( I know about all the turns ) and keep him there. Stop him from trying to be a smart ass on the mic and just let him be a heel. He is so much better when he is giving intense heel promos. The baby face and tweener shit just doesn't work because he is so over the top with it on the mic.

 

[Alex]

Anderson is an interesting case. He's got all the tools to be a main event player but things stop him such as getting injured and backstage politics.

Personally I think the guy could be a bonafide main eventer if he changed his gimmick. The asshole thing is old and has run its course. There are some people who can have the same gimmck for years and it still be good, Anderson is not one of those.

Simply put, tweak his current gimmck and he'd be golden. The guy is a good mic worker and is good in the ring, he just needs a gimmick overhaul in my opinion.

 

[three count bout]

I think Anderson can still be useful but I think its best he stay out of the title picture for now. Here's a guy who had great potential from his promo ability, who's been reduced to portraying a potty mouth, at times whiny, directionless character who merely shows up to force the catchphrase "asshole" down our throats. I will concede when Anderson is giving direction and an actual feud the results can be positive as seen in his matches with Angle, and the "Classic Sting" angle from last year.

 

[DirtyD79]

People are just over it. They screaming of the name into a mic, the whiny demeanor after his lost the title, the lot. He needs a massive overhaul of his character as this 'Asshole' stuff is failing to get him anywhere. He looks in OK shape at the moment, but a face makes him just another man on the roster. He's at his best as a heel, and a ruthless one at that.

Yeah he really needs an overhaul or at least some kind of growth as a character. Outside of calling himself Mr. Anderson (instead of Mr. Kennedy) and calling people assholes, he really is pretty much the same as he was when he started in WWE and that was like 7 years ago. You can only play the same act for so long before the fans are completely tired of it.

 

[ヒュー　G.　レックション]

To be honest I don't like Anderson nor do I buy him as a main event player. I think of him as a "jack of all trades, master of none". He can talk, he can wrestle, but he's not truly exceptional in either. A bit like Jeff Jarrett, although JJ plays a much better heel than Anderson.

I think he can be kept around as a solid midcarder though, he should never touch the world title again IMO.

 

[snoopy]

Anderson has really improved in ring and has always had terrific mic skills. He's less obnoxious and getting straight to the point when he has the mic! The guy just like Ms Tessmacher are not getting the credit they deserve, Or when they do get some it's done begrudgiingly, Oh they only looked good because of who they were in the ring with.

These two deserve credit for improving. I wish people will start giving to them!

 

[MINISTRYrising]

mr anderson could be one of the biggest stars in tna but he needs to be repackaged and quickly. sure he did well when he started in tna but then things went down hill after that. tna seem to not know what to do with him. maybe giving him the tv title and some better compatition would help.

 

[IT Factor]

I personally, think that Mr. Anderson was and still is a victim to bad booking. They had him join "Immortal" only to have him win the title[then lose it] and then have the group disband. Usually, that doesn't bode well for a group when the leader isn't taken seriously and pushed as a legit leader. He never got to assume the leadership role that Jeff Hardy had previously as the leader of the group and that's why that storyline epicly failed.

And the time before that, TNA randomly made Anderson World Champ. Good move. However, they didn't make it consistent nor did they intend on making it long term. Both very detrimental to a champion's success. They have to be consistently good and long enough to make an impact. Anderson never had a shot at either.

As with anything in pro wrestling, it can be recovered with time and consistent booking. TNA needs to have Anderson in a high profile match and turn him heel. He's much better that way and needs to be booked consistently from that point on. He's just as capable now as he ever was on becoming a great World Champ for Impact Wrestling.......

 

[Kokken Tor]

Yes. Mr. Anderson has already peaked. Even though I never been a fan of Mr. Kennedy/Mr. Anderson myself, I can see why some hold the guy in high regard. He undoubtedly have charisma, he can talk and he's not bad looking. Sometimes that's not enough though.

Mr. Anderson has the tools, he's been given numerous chances to shine, he just seems to get the short end of the stick every time. Call it lack of the "it"-factor.

 

[HBsam31]

I think he has done well, but has not reached his full potential yet. I think now is the time where we will see if he will rise to the top again. he has been given more time. Wrestling and talking a lot more. Putting on good matches. I think between now and the beginning of the new year will be telling if Anderson will be a mainstay in the main event or will ultimately fizzle out.

 

[Hollywood Naitch]

As much I as do not like him, Anderson is still capable of being one of the top guys in TNA.

When he first burst onto the scene in WWE, I really did think that he was going to be a megastar, he looked to have the full package. However, the more I watched him, the more I lost interest. Now, I couldn't give a shiny shite about the "Asshole".

But, he has charisma to burn, and that is always going to capture the attention of most fans. If TNA can give Anderson something interesting to do, put him in the right feud and focus enough attention on him, then he could quite easily be back in the main event scene as a credible championship contender. He just isn't the priority right now. Look at how well TNA have done with Roode and Storm. The dedicated the time to thee guys and now they are the faces of the company. Anderson has never been THE guy in TNA for them to push.

People still react to him, they still enjoy his character, so sadly I think he will be back in the main event picture in the future. He has the name value, and can still shout his name loudly enough to get noticed. That is, if he doesn't get himself fired by being the real- life asshole he is well known for being.

 

[midgensa]

There is something weird about Mr. Anderson to me.

I really did not love him in the E. I thought he was overrated and kind of boring. I kind of hate his stupid "assholes" gimmick. I don't find him that spectacular in the ring ... I thought his run with the strap was practically useless. And I find his lack of being a heel or a face kind of boring.

BUT ... for some reason I still want to see him come out and get involved. I think it is because there is just something about him. For some reason I think he is one really well written feud away from being something really special.

I definitely could be wrong ... and I don't know why I think it. He kind of annoys the shit out of me. But he doesn't seem that far off from really elevating.