Mr. Anderson Returns!

[It's Damn Real!]

It's been months and months, but welcome back to TNA/IW, Ken Anderson!

For those who didn't catch it, Anderson returned to seemingly partner with AJ Styles, joining the program against Franky Kazarian and Christopher Daniels. It was short and sweet so it's hard to tell the direction of the angle thus far, but all signs point to a tag-match at either Victory Road or Lockdown.

Frankly, as an Anderson fan, I'm just happy to have the guy back!

Even Dixie Carter is excited for the return of pro-wrestling's biggest self professed asshole!

@TNADixie:

Welcome back to #IMPACTWRESTLING , @MrKenAnderson. I have really missed the self professed A-hole

Thoughts on Anderson's return? Ideas on a direction?

 

[The Dragon Saga]

Happy to see Ken Anderson back, was a huge fan of his when he was in WWE as Mr. Kennedy, after his initial debut in TNA I thought the dude was the best thing going in professional wrestling and to an extent at the time, he could have been, but after Justice later in the year and a couple injuries, his forgettable reign as TNA World Heavyweight Champion and not to mention his nowhere heel turn to join Immortal, I am hoping TNA are going to use Mr. Anderson to the full extent of his capabilities.

The angle with AJ Styles, Daniels and Kazarian is boring me though. AJ Styles and Daniels need to be isolated from one another because at this point they've ran through the book as far as storylines go. Adding Kaz makes no difference. Hopefully Anderson can kick it back into gear and make what I imagine is going to be a VR or Lockdown match involving the four interesting to watch.

 

[OneTooManyPunts]

He is back, but the big question is now where does he fall? The TNA landscape has changed drastically since he went on hiatus.

I'll be interested to see exactly what is in store with him, with Roode, Storm, Hardy, Angle, and Bully Ray really owning the main event picture in TNA right now. His involvement with Styles feels out of place. I can't recall Styles and Anderson ever having any one real interaction in TNA. Either way, he's over and brings name recognition to TNA, and that is always a good thing.

 

[Champ1432]

I'm more than happy to see Anderson back, I'm definitely a fan, and I've been missing him in his absence.

His return could have some issues though. I don't know if they're going to attempt to give an explanation as to why he's now teaming with Styles, other than the fact that "Styles doesn't have any friends left", but that might be a tough angle to put a story behind. Also, there's not much room in the main event right now, with Roode, Storm, and Bully Ray in the midst of it and Hardy on the fringe. Even though Hardy is going to be breaking off to fight Angle, I could see him getting back to the title scene afterward. I hope so, anyway.

TNA hasn't always given Anderson the best storylines, sometimes it seems like they don't know what to do with him. Of course, you could have said that about most of the roster not too long ago. The heel turn to join Immortal really killed him, I think. Hopefully,the recent overall improvement of things at TNA will extend to and benefit Anderson as well, and he can get into a good program after this little angle with Styles, Daniels and Kaz is over.

 

[slice_of_life]

I love Mr. Anderson. I think he is one of a kind. And I think the WWE really messed up with him. Damn is he one hell of an athlete with a commanding persona. I just wish he wasn't wasting away in TNA. Not that I dont like TNA, I just dont get around to watching it much.

 

[Con T.]

Fuck. This. Guy.

Can anyone who holds a torch for this man tell me why they do so? What is there to like about this guy? As a face, he's totally unlikeable. I can't connect to him, I don't want to cheer for him, I just want him to go the fuck away. His promos are annoying, he's always doing something wacky in the ring to get himself, or his opponents hurt. Seriously, go watch an Anderson match, and tell me if you don't see him kicking his legs while he's being slammed, making life difficult for the guy he's working with, and just being the absolute dirt worst as a worker in the ring. If you like his promos, great, if you're that desperate for a Steve Austin rip off that you'll settle for a third rate rip off.

Where does this leave Kennedy? In the mid card, and thank God he's there, and I pray to God he doesn't leave it. I'm perfectly fine with him just working with Daniels, but please don't put him in the ring with Kaz. It will be an absolute black hole of charisma

 

[Zeven_Zion]

I stopped liking Anderson soon before his previous departure. Now my biggest question is not "what is he gonna do" but "is he fat or did he put on some muscle". He looked bigger.

 

[kor420]

I stopped liking Anderson soon before his previous departure. Now my biggest question is not "what is he gonna do" but "is he fat or did he put on some muscle". He looked bigger.

I noticed the same thing too.. he either put on muscle or fat, but by the way his arms looked, it looked like its muscle and not fat.

 

[Skairipa Matrix]

welcome back you a**hole anderson! im very happy to see him back i hope he doesnt flip flop again him joining up with styles could be intersting as styles needs backup to deal with kaz and daniels i see a tag match happening at victory road between these 4 and a end coming at lockdown.

 

[DirtyD79]

I like it actually. Hopefully though they give him more to work with than just saying "I'm an asshole" over and over again.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

To be honest, I can't say that I've missed the guy. I was digging what he was doing for a while, but I do think Anderson was a victim of some horrible booking decisions while he was in the main event & TNA WHC picture. Plus, his promos devolved into outdated juvenile jokes & comments that I might've found funny when I was 15 or so.

Maybe TNA can get back on track with him and undo some of the damage that's been done. I just hope they don't automatically try sticking him back in or very close to the main event picture because, for me, the guy's damanged goods as a main eventer at this point. I think he needs to be built back up before I can take him seriously as a contender again.

 

[IHW]

"Some one help me, someone help me?"

"A$$HOLE!!!!!"


It was a perfect return for an upper mid-card guy. It was nicely done. I thought AJ didn't even know where he was going with his promo, but then Mr. Anderson came out. I like it. It adds something different to the AJ/Daniels/Kaz feud.

 

[hatehabsforever]

I guess it's a good thing to see Anderson finally back on television. Interesting to see him return as a face. Of course, he'll likely turn heel next week. Then return to being a face the week after that. Etc., etc.,

Truth be told, I've never been a fan of Anderson or Kennedy. Barely average in the ring with a stale and redundant schtick on the mic. I didn't miss him when he was gone, and I'm pretty apathetic about his return. If they can begin to utilize him better, it has the potential to be OK. But if they're going to flip flop him all over the place, I'd be just as happy to see him gone.

Assuming of course, a departure from TNA would not lead to a WWE return. No one wants to see that happen.

 

[New Hot Fed]

I hope the whole Kaz-Daniels-AJ storyline was not just a reason to bring Anderson back. I don't mind Anderson but to me the storyline was too intriguing to just waste on bringing a wrestler we've always known. Keep it personal and add things to it over time.

 

[Jmister]

I could not be less enthused about Andersons return. I'll be the first to admit that I've never really been a huge fan of him to begin with. His ring work is fine but not special. I've never looked at a card and been excited for an Anderson match. As far as his mic skills, meh. Talking loud doesn't equal charisma.

With all the being said I'm very disappointed with the return. The asshole schtick ran its course ages ago and it looks like we'll just be getting more of the same as far as that's concerned.

I thought TNA was keeping their stars off TV until they had a story for them. To me putting him in the AJ, Kaz, Daniels feud feels like creative said, "Hey Ken's been off TV too long". Then just through a dart at the creative board and it landed on AJ. "Okay let's throw him in there with those guys, the dart boards hasn't failed us yet". He doesn't belong in this feud at all.

 

[It's Damn Real!]

I have no idea how anyone can not be excited to see him return. Wrestling is about telling stories through larger than life personalities — Anderson is capable of doing both to a greater degree than half the guys in the locker room who can "out wrestle" him.

Fact is, pure wrestling ability is overrated, and as such any slights against Anderson in that vain are irrelevant. If pure wrestling was what fans wanted to see, ROH would be the most successful company on the planet right now.

 

[Jmister]

I have no idea how anyone can not be excited to see him return.

Simple really. One word says it all "asshole". I'm just ready for his character to evolve a little bit. He only just returned so it may not be a fair to judge just yet, however I didn't see anything to get excited about. The "asshole" thing seems like Ken trying to be edgy because he can, not because it's entertaining. It's tired. Just one man's opinion.

I know the Ken can be entertaining. I enjoyed the hell out of the videos he produced after being released. Those videos were great, they had me asking why in the hell did the WWE get rid of this guy. And then when he came in and feuded with Kurt he was fantastic. His promos again showed he can be entertaining.

I think with Ken it boils down to motivation. After his release I think he wanted to prove that the WWE made a mistake. When he came in to TNA I think he wanted to prove he belonged at the top of the card there. I just think he may not be as motivated now. His place on the roster is seemingly secure and he seems content just being that "asshole" guy.

 

[i'm a cm punk girl]

He came in hot the first year in TNA but slowly started to get unmotivated and just seemed to go with the motions. It also didn't help that he was booked horribly and started to use the horrible "asshole" gimmick. However, I am excited to see him return because when he's on he's one of the best in the business in my opinion. He's just really inconsistent for whatever reason.

 

[JJYanks121]

I have no idea how anyone can not be excited to see him return. Wrestling is about telling stories through larger than life personalities — Anderson is capable of doing both to a greater degree than half the guys in the locker room who can "out wrestle" him.

Fact is, pure wrestling ability is overrated, and as such any slights against Anderson in that vain are irrelevant. If pure wrestling was what fans wanted to see, ROH would be the most successful company on the planet right now.

What if we dislike him because his inability to string together words into sentences is annoying? What if we don't think him stuttering through every promo because he probably can't remember what he's supposed to say is cute? What if we just find him to be a waste of a wrestler who's always been overrated due to yelling one or two words as a catchphrase?

In my mind, Mr. Anderson is NOT the next Steve Austin. He's a lot closer to being a midcard Attitude Era guy in having a "sing-a-long" catchphrase and not much else. He's the Godfather without the charisma. He's Val Venis without the body, wrestling ability, and charisma.

I'm just going off to prove a point. You can't make a bold statement like "how can anyone not be excited for his return" as if he's The Rock coming back in 2011. He's Ken Anderson and he's not exactly universally liked. He never has been and never will be. Many of us think he sucks and I don't see that changing anytime soon. He's an awful professional wrestler in my opinion and I don't have any interest in seeing him back. I was quite enjoying not having him on my TV and I'm entitled to that opinion.

 

[New Hot Fed]

It would be interesting if TNA use the old Four Horsemen method. Remember when they looked like they would feud with one another just to lure someone into the dance and like the fish in the fishnet, they would turn on that person? AJ feuding with Kaz and Daniels would be just a way for the three friends to draw attention to themselves until something good would come their way. Then at Lockdown you could have a match for the number one contendership and AJ would turn on Anderson with his friends Kaz and Daniels.

 

[Con T.]

I think you've managed to mix the terms "loud" and "larger than life" personality together. Kennedy is loud; by absolutely no stretch of the means is this guy a larger than life personality. he just comes off as really loud, and extremely grating. I get what he's trying to do; he wants to be that sound bite kind of interview, where you say very little really loudly, a la his idol Steve Austin. The problem is, Stone Cold had a charm to him, a personality that really endeared you to the guy. This fucker isn't endearing; he has no positive qualities that make me want to chew for the guy. And you would think that makes him a great heel, but it doesn't, because he has nothing of substance to say.

You know who is really loud and annoying? The Miz. He's a grating character that no one likes, and you want off your tv, ASAP. Actually, that's giving Anderson way too much credit to compare him to Miz, because every now and then Miz says something good, and the Awesome thing actually did get over. You know who was really loud, and extremely grating, and made me turn the channel so fucking fast?

[YOUTUBE]k9uDK-h97rM[/youtube]

 

[IT Factor]

I'm glad to see TNA decided to use Mr. Anderson again. Hopefully TNA will cut out the Russo-esque storylines and focus on the in-ring stuff and making their divisions meaningful. I wonder how long it'll be before RVD gets back on TV??

 

[Zeven_Zion]

I'm glad to see TNA decided to use Mr. Anderson again. Hopefully TNA will cut out the Russo-esque storylines and focus on the in-ring stuff and making their divisions meaningful. I wonder how long it'll be before RVD gets back on TV??

Uh hopefully they won't focus on the in-ring stuff. They better focus on the character development and storyline progression stuff. The in-ring stuff will come naturally. Have a 5 star match every damn night, if people don't care about why this match is important then you failed. Miserably. And if the match sucked but the build was good and important it'll be bearable. (Compare Rock/Hogan with any AJ Styles match and you'll get my point).

As far as Anderson goes, I'm willing to give him another chance. But if I see the same douche who over-acts, slacks in the ring and looks like a bum then just pack your shit and go home. You're not doing anything Bully Ray or Roode can't do.

 

[IT Factor]

Uh hopefully they won't focus on the in-ring stuff. They better focus on the character development and storyline progression stuff. The in-ring stuff will come naturally. Have a 5 star match every damn night, if people don't care about why this match is important then you failed. Miserably. And if the match sucked but the build was good and important it'll be bearable. (Compare Rock/Hogan with any AJ Styles match and you'll get my point).

As far as Anderson goes, I'm willing to give him another chance. But if I see the same douche who over-acts, slacks in the ring and looks like a bum then just pack your shit and go home. You're not doing anything Bully Ray or Roode can't do.

I think you somewhat misunderstood my meaning. I'm not saying don't focus on character developement. They absolutely should do that too. But TNA was making a name for themselves in the beginning because they had great matches that were innovative. I do agree that TNA needs to improve on building a great story to make the match meaningful.

As for Anderson being a "douche who over-acts, slacks in the ring, and looks like a bum", that can be said of half of TNA's roster aside from their original talents. TNA could only benefit from using someone WWE was too moronic to use before. He's actually one of the former WWE stars that could make a name for himself in TNA and make a difference if used right. However, we all know TNA's track record in using people to their potential. Which is why they are paying alot of people for nothing. RVD, anyone?

 

[Lowdown]

Glad to see Anderson back in a storyline. The backstage vignettes really didn't make much sense, like playing video games and such. It was cool having AJ introduce him as his backup in his feud with Daniels and Kaz. Once this settles, hopefully he could get in the mix to push for a title, even its the TV or tag.