Kennedy & Kendrick: The New Hollwood Blondes

[George Michael]

The comparisons have been made. Kennedy to Steve Austin, and Kendrick to the late Brian Pillman. The original Blondes, Rogers & Brown, had arguably the most success. The last real incarnation of Austin & Pillman had the most exposure. But why confine two of the most promising up and comers in Kennedy & Kendrick to a tag team, let alone a team that has been so often reincarnated?

Ken Kennedy or Mr. Kennedy has had some moderate success since debuting in 2005. He defeated numerous world champions (mostly through DQ and count out) and added his name to the US title history book. When he won the Money in the Bank match at Wrestlemania 23 his destiny was clear. Great things were to come. Health and wellness issues however have kept the champion beneath the true main event surface. The most recent setback has had Kennedy out of action since May and persists presently.

The main event scene has been changing and moving on without him. Smackdown's main event is more stacked and crowded then it may have ever been, with many upper mid carders watching and waiting for their chance; Jeff Hardy, Kozlov, Big Show, MVP to name a few. One must also assume that whenever Edge returns, a title opportunity will be granted within a matter of months; he is the WWE's top heel. It would take a year to re-introduce an unproven main eventer like Mr. Kennedy, and in the meantime, he needs something to do.

Brian Kendrick started a push that caught many by surprise. Separated from the partner who has shared all of his success the past three years, the former Spanky finds himself in an upper mid card position as a bratty antagonist, with a man who doubles his weight watching his back. Unforgiven proved that he can work a main event match. The way he sold in the scramble match is evidence.

How could you not find a place in your heart for this little punk?

Kendrick will most likely find himself in the same position as a healthy Mr. Kennedy; talented, great potential, nothing to do. Crafting a new blondes story is not challenging. Kennedy has a movie coming out, that the WWE seems intent on promoting. Kendrick will be prevailing with help of friends for some time. Done. Hell, keep Ezekiel in the mix; movie stars need security. Kennedy's habitual setbacks, and Kendrick's high risk style are potential factors to stall this team, so having a third man ready and able to step in would be ideal. Plus having 'Zeke' in a security role leaves the door open for a 'firing' angle, should things go awry with Rycklon’s attitude.
Tag team wrestling has been stale for some time. No real scene, but plenty of teams. The belts have functioned as a way of getting gold on a couple of guys who may have other gold in their futures. DiBease & Rhodes are the best example of this. With Primo and Carlito playing childish babyfaces on Smackdown there is opportunity for a legitimate threat team, maybe even a long term feud. A Kennedy & Kendrick team may be the catalyst for this feud. Tag Team ladder matches? Yes please.

Where do we go from here? A year of keep away with the titles from the top babyface teams may be an excellent way of giving these guys the attention they need. Even exchanging the belts a few times with two main event stars that are feuding with each other (See HBK & Cena in 07, and Cena & Batista in 08) may give them some main event credibility they are desperate for. DiBease & Rhodes won their last tag titles from John Cena and Dave Batista, this generation’s two biggest main event babyfaces.

Kennedy is a perfect heel mouthpiece, and with his encouragement and example, I believe that Kendrick can be as well. If booked properly, this could be not only a great success for both men, but a great success for the WWE's undercard.

 

[golden miz]

I don't believ kenedy is a good heel mouthpiece, all he can do good is yell "Mr Kenedy, I cant hear you, M....R......K......E......N....E.....D...Y...........K............E.......N........D...Y"
Kenedy is most like an x-pac or a d-lo, a guy who had a nice run and potential but lost the chance to be great due to circumstances he can't controll. He will be a good midcarder only if he stay healthy, as for a tag team between those two, it will never work. Kendrick's character is just to loose (gay) to be teamed with a character that is obviously a bigot.

 

[George Michael]

I don't believ kenedy is a good heel mouthpiece, all he can do good is yell "Mr Kenedy, I cant hear you, M....R......K......E......N....E.....D...Y...........K............E.......N........D...Y"
Kenedy is most like an x-pac or a d-lo, a guy who had a nice run and potential but lost the chance to be great due to circumstances he can't controll. He will be a good midcarder only if he stay healthy, as for a tag team between those two, it will never work. Kendrick's character is just to loose (gay) to be teamed with a character that is obviously a bigot.

I would have to disagree. In the segments I've seen, Kennedy has demonstrated greater verbage than both X-pac or D-lo. In fact, I would argue that being unable to speak coherently, and their inability to simulate the crowd with their words is what held both of them back. Although drug problems and crippling a guy in the ring should also count as major contributers.

Kennedy's also been in a movie, albeit straight to DVD. Pac and D-lo have never experienced this kind of success. Amateur porn with Chyna doesn't count.

It's interesting that you see Kendrick as 'loose' or 'gay'. If this is a sentiment shared by many, then this could be great fuel to fire this team. It's speculated that most actor's are closeted these days. Kendrick's overt flamboyance while claiming heterosexuality, and Kennedy's 'bigot' attitude as you have pointed out could be the reality needed to for this angle to be a paralell of modern Hollywood.

 

[Fizzy]

I do not think they could be the next Hollywood Blonde's. Kennedy reminds me so much of an early Stone Cold it's uncanny, but he is so injury prone, and has violated the wellness program, and I see him getting fired if another injury pops up.. The only problem I see is TBK. This guy has talent. Theres no doubt about that, but I really just can't see him making it much bigger then where he is right now. His mic skills are great, and i do somewhat enjoy his matches, but he is no Brian Pillman. Sure there are some things that the two share, but I don't see Kendrick becoming a Brian Pillman. If these two do form this tag team it will be a complete knock off and failure, much like most knock offs are, so it would be very stupid to try this also.

 

[George Michael]

I do not think they could be the next Hollywood Blonde's. Kennedy reminds me so much of an early Stone Cold it's uncanny, but he is so injury prone, and has violated the wellness program, and I see him getting fired if another injury pops up.. The only problem I see is TBK. This guy has talent. Theres no doubt about that, but I really just can't see him making it much bigger then where he is right now. His mic skills are great, and i do somewhat enjoy his matches, but he is no Brian Pillman. Sure there are some things that the two share, but I don't see Kendrick becoming a Brian Pillman. If these two do form this tag team it will be a complete knock off and failure, much like most knock offs are, so it would be very stupid to try this also.

I both agree and disagree.

TBK is no Brian Pillman; he's about 6 inches short. Not only that, but he lacks the intensity Pillman had. My hope was that in putting the Kendrick in a team with Kennedy, interaction would summon some of the Pillman intensity, and continue to develop. If Kendrick could add 'crazy' to his skill set, it may propel him as a main event threat in the future.

I agree that Kennedy's options are very limited at this point. If he didn't have a movie coming out I would hypothesize that he would be in TNA trying to make a living. Being on the roster for about three years, he's probably only been active for about half that time which is pathetic.

This teaming I proposed is practically a no lose situation given the state of the WWE's tag division and the current state of these two men's careers: Limbo. If the team fizzles, there are still two singles guys on the roster ready to make others look good. If they are a success drawing heat, and moving merchandise... who knows what could come a few years from now.

As far as being knockoffs, I would relate them to being knockoff's in the same way that Evolution was a knockoff of the Horsemen. The comparisons were there, but overall Evolution was executed in a superior fashion, as they had the benefits of learning from the mistakes NWA/WCW management made with the Horsemen. Evolution dominated RAW like the Horsemen dominated their company, but Evolution didn't overstay their welcome. Every now and again we get a Triple H and Batista embrace, and everyone gets nostalgic. Further evidence of the superior execution in this angle would be in the fact that all members of Evolution have since possessed heavyweight gold (minus Flair who has already had his share).

A unique name for the tandem would be ideal. To call the Kennedy & Kendrick team 'The New Hollywood Blondes' would be a mistake. If they were to get together however, I'm sure they would be coached/booked in a similar fashion, leaving others (like us) to compare them to the Blondes.

 

[RadioGaGa]

Great idea. THis team would be brilliant.

Kennedy before his injury, had absolutely no momentum. Obviously it was his own fault for his wellness policy violation and that fucked up what would have been a huge angle but I think he was on the brink of something good when he returned to spoil Regal's coronation on Raw. Regal was reeling in the heat and Kennedy was super in their pull apart brawl. Then Regal went and got himself suspended, so it was tough shit for Kennedy. Although he's never been a tag-team wrestler, except a brief teaming with MVP, I think he would benefit greatly from this new team. Getting him on the mic more is always a good thing. I'm sick of people calling for Kennedy to be pushed to the sky when he actually needs time until he is ready to rub shoulders with the main eventers.

Kendrick is also stuck doing nothing, save for a mini-feud with Jimmy Wang Yang, so this could be a good deal for him. Kendrick's character could benefit hugely from teaming with Kennedy and basically ruling SD's undercard for a while. I like the way the OP factored Big Zeke into this and he was absolutely right when he said that Zeke should stick around. Not only is he the man, but he has been excellent in his role as THE Brian Kendrick's bodyguard.

THis could definitely liven up Smackdown's piss poor undercard. I can visualize classic promos between the two, in the future.

 

[Shocky]

This move would do nothing for Kennedy, even though he still needs to prove that he is worthy of the push that his fans seem to think he is deserving of. Kennedy has done nothign at this point in his career to warrant anything more then a possible run with the US title.

The Kendrick would be the talent of this team, and if these two were teamed together, it would expose Kennedy as a fraud in the ring. Kendrick would be the work horse, while Kennedy would probably get the spotlight shined on him. Kendrick is miles and miles ahead of Kennedy in development at this point. His character is more interesting, his mic skills are more polished, and his in ring ability is leaps and bounds ahead of Kennedy.

So Kennedy wouldn't need this, because he would look like the weak one of the team in my opinion. Plus Kendrick has something that Kennedy doesn't, and that's momentum at this point. Ezekial and Kendrick work well with one another, and by putting Kennedy with them would drag them down.

 

[George Michael]

This move would do nothing for Kennedy, even though he still needs to prove that he is worthy of the push that his fans seem to think he is deserving of. Kennedy has done nothign at this point in his career to warrant anything more then a possible run with the US title.

The Kendrick would be the talent of this team, and if these two were teamed together, it would expose Kennedy as a fraud in the ring. Kendrick would be the work horse, while Kennedy would probably get the spotlight shined on him. Kendrick is miles and miles ahead of Kennedy in development at this point. His character is more interesting, his mic skills are more polished, and his in ring ability is leaps and bounds ahead of Kennedy.

So Kennedy wouldn't need this, because he would look like the weak one of the team in my opinion. Plus Kendrick has something that Kennedy doesn't, and that's momentum at this point. Ezekial and Kendrick work well with one another, and by putting Kennedy with them would drag them down.

Again I would have to disagree.

One thing that both men could potentially get out of this pairing is a coveted match at Wrestlemania. Maybe two matches, one as a tag team this year, and one against eachother the following year.

Up until this point Kennedy has been lumped into the Money in the Bank ladder match that has become an annual event. Kendrick to my knowledge has never been involved in a Wrestlemania match (DVD battle royales don't count). Instead of lumping these two in again this year, it would be of benefit to both to be involved in a match where the focus is on them, not just a few big spots.

The biggest travesty of the 90's Blondes was how poorly managed their breakup was handled. Instead of having it as a big match on numerous PPV undercard's, it quickly deteriorated into comedic nothingness. This is the WWE's chance to right another one of WCW/NWA's numerous wrongs.

If a Kennedy/Kendrick team was formed by January, and this angle is booked properly they may be able to lock up a fatal-fourway tag match at WM25, and a singles match against eachother the following year. These would be two huge opportunities for these guys, and a spotlight big enough for two.

I'll give you this, Kendrick's character is interesting, but how long is this interest going to last? Coming to the ring in a funky blazer and talking about your backup will be momentum for MAYBE another three or four months given the way he's being booked. There's maybe one or two main event jobs in his future.

As far as Kendrick being ahead of Kennedy in mic ability, I would whole heartedly disagree. He was handed a mic a couple of months ago, and now I am to believe that he's Roddy Piper? Kendrick is better on the mic than at least half of the WWE roster, but there is still plenty of room for improvement in his mic ability. Again, working with Kennedy may inspire and give opportunity to add/improvise on what Kennedy puts out there. TWO good talkers make a good team great.

As far as in ring ability, I would have to put them on equal standing. Kendrick is the best 'little man' in the WWE today (Mysterio is getting by on his name at this point), and Kennedy's stand up, smash mouth style is unique in itself right now. If for whatever reason Kennedy was the one holding down this team as you suggested, it would be no issue to send him packing, and for Kendrick and Zeke to continue terrorizing the undercard.

This angle is insured.

 

[Slyfox696]

I have to admit, the thread starter has come up with a good idea. There's only one problem.


Kennedy doesn't have 1/4 of the talent that Steve Austin had and Kendrick doesn't have 1/2 the ability Brian Pillman has. Together, they don't even come closing to comparing to the quality of The Hollywood Blondes. Thus, teaming them together would make a terrible team, not to mention that Kendrick just got out of a tag team so throwing him back in another one would be stupid.

Actually, on second thought, the thread starter's idea wasn't a good idea. It was completely stupid.

 

[George Michael]

I have to admit, the thread starter has come up with a good idea. There's only one problem.


Kennedy doesn't have 1/4 of the talent that Steve Austin had and Kendrick doesn't have 1/2 the ability Brian Pillman has. Together, they don't even come closing to comparing to the quality of The Hollywood Blondes. Thus, teaming them together would make a terrible team, not to mention that Kendrick just got out of a tag team so throwing him back in another one would be stupid.

Actually, on second thought, the thread starter's idea wasn't a good idea. It was completely stupid.

They aren't anywhere near as talented as Austin/Pillman, but you're missing the point.

This teaming would be a homage, not an effort to compete with the Blondes of the past. The suggested purpose of this angle would be to propel both stars in the future; a kind of investment. Their own Wrestlemania matches/moments in years to come is great exposure, and a great way to gain some focus, rather than get lost in the Money in the Bank clusterf*ck.

And if you haven't been paying attention, Kendrick is back in a team.

 

[Slyfox696]

They aren't anywhere near as talented as Austin/Pillman, but you're missing the point.

This teaming would be a homage, not an effort to compete with the Blondes of the past. The suggested purpose of this angle would be to propel both stars in the future; a kind of investment. Their own Wrestlemania matches/moments in years to come is great exposure, and a great way to gain some focus, rather than get lost in the Money in the Bank clusterf*ck.

So, you pay homage to an old tag team of two guys randomly thrown together by putting two guys with not even half the talent together and call them the same?

That's not exactly homage. I'd call that a disgrace. Then again, with Kennedy, anything is going to be a disgrace.

Kennedy sucks. It's time people just get that through their head. Kendrick is all right, it's just going to take years to get him over on a main-event level.

But, still...terrible idea.

And if you haven't been paying attention, Kendrick is back in a team.

Then it would be even more stupid to put them together. I rest my case.

 

[Papa Shango]

This is not a good pairing. Brian Kendrick and Mr. Kennedy do not need to be in a tag team.

Kennedy has always been a singles wrestler, he wouldn't work as a tag partner. He's loud, brash, and in your face. He rubs everyone the wrong way. That's just the way his character has always been. He's essentially an anti-face. I don't think there's a single person Kennedy's character has ever shown any genuine liking for. He's a loner.

THE Brian Kendrick is getting a nice little mini-push right now, complete with bodyguard. Relegating him to tag team duty again after being in the tag division for so long will pretty much destroy any chance Kendrick has of becoming a singles star. I'd much rather see him compete for the US title, really come into his own, and occasionally tag with Zeke Jackson.

 

[George Michael]

So, you pay homage to an old tag team of two guys randomly thrown together by putting two guys with not even half the talent together and call them the same?

That's an equivocation, and if you've proven anything in your last two posts, it's that you are a master of fallacy.

Earlier in the thread I had said that this new teaming would be the same to the Blondes that Evolution was to the Horsemen. So no, not the same, never the same. The weight of this pairing would be on the angle itself, not the talent or ability of these two. If Kennedy would was added to Kendrick and Zeke, would that not be a faction?

The vagueness of 'Kennedy sucks' needs some explaining and backing up. Clearly the WWE does not agree, as they have tried numerous times to catapult him into the main event scene. There must be some marketabilty or money to be made with him for the WWE to have made so many attempts at putting him over.

Kendrick is all right, it's just going to take years to get him over on a main-event level.

More reason to throw him into a long term angle with Wrestlemania payoffs.

 

[George Michael]

Kennedy has always been a singles wrestler, he wouldn't work as a tag partner. He's loud, brash, and in your face. He rubs everyone the wrong way. That's just the way his character has always been. He's essentially an anti-face. I don't think there's a single person Kennedy's character has ever shown any genuine liking for. He's a loner.

Wrestling characters are always succeptable to change, and reformation.

The night after Wrestlemania 17 (or X-7) we saw Austin tapping out in The Rock's sharpshooter like a child, whereas four years prior he chose not to give Bret Hart the satisfaction and passed out. Triple H did a lot of 'running scared' earlier in his career, but now he confronts all challengers head on.

I believe Kennedy could still have a loud, brash in your face ring presence while functioning as part of a team/faction. Rumours about him being McMahon's son would have seen him conform to this character.

THE Brian Kendrick is getting a nice little mini-push right now, complete with bodyguard. Relegating him to tag team duty again after being in the tag division for so long will pretty much destroy any chance Kendrick has of becoming a singles star. I'd much rather see him compete for the US title, really come into his own, and occasionally tag with Zeke Jackson.

Many have left teams to join other teams with it being of great benefit. Most recently we've seen Cody Rhodes do this by joining Team Priceless. He was on a do nothing, say nothing bayface team and made the successful transition to an in-your-face, obnoxious heel faction. He's much better off, and will probably get a lot more PPV time.

Kendrick was also a part of a face team, that ran to the ring and quite literally said nothing in their near year reign as tag champs. The proposed team/faction would be a very different experience, allowing for more mic time, more segments, and all around more exposure/opportunity to grow as a performer.

Kendrick is twenty nine years old with a lot of gas left in the tank. US title runs, and heavyweight title reigns can still be a big part of his near future if this angle was used.