So, what am I doing here, and why am I not just sitting out my 90 day no-compete clause with World Wrestling Entertainment? Why am I not just waiting for day number 91, when I can make a big announcement? What's the real message behind these videos?
Good questions.
Here are my answers:
I got my start in the wrestling business out of a desire and a passion to entertain people, period. I worked hard on the independent scene for over 6 years. I put hundreds of thousands of miles on my cars (that I could barely afford) traveling from state to state, honing my skills and perfecting the art of sports entertainment. Somewhere along the way I caught the eye of a few people who eventually stuck their necks out on the line for me. These people went to bat for me and said “Hey, give this guy a shot, because I think he has something special.” One of those people is a man who I grew to admire while toiling away on the indies, and who I came to call a mentor and a friend when I finally “made it”. This man believed in me, this man gave me my shot, and he helped create the “character” of Mr. Kennedy. That man is Paul Heyman.
When I arrived at OVW, I was practically penniless, but rich in passion and a desire to succeed. I almost failed. Jim Cornette didn’t see much in me at first. I wasn’t featured on OVW programming and I basically filled random spots on the card until a week or two before Jim was headed for “Greener pastures”.
Then Paul E. came in, and pulled me into a room. He said: “I see the same qualities in you as in Dwayne Johnson and Steve Austin. You’re the next guy out of here. We’re gonna do so much stuff with you on TV over the next few weeks that WWE is going to be salivating to get their hands on you, they’ll HAVE to pull you up!” They say in the wrestling business: “believe half of what you see and none of what you hear", and I really didn’t know Paul too well at the time so I wasn’t sure if he was serious or just blowing smoke up my ass. Well it turns out that he was serious as a heart attack and five weeks after that little discussion I was debuting on Velocity against Funaki. Two weeks later I was debuting on SmackDown, and the rest is history. At first, I was told not to worry about being a “heel” or “face”. Just go out there and get the crowd to know you. I was uninhibited and on fire. Within a few weeks, as people were filing into the arenas to see the shows, fans were screaming my catchphrase along with the Wooooo’s . I was allowed to do funny dot com segments that were getting more views than anything else they were putting out at the time. My p*Ha*Ha*Ha*Has were funny and entertaining and I was matched up with some of the biggest names in the industry.
I love to wrestle. I take pride in my performances. I can even be a bit obsessive about trying to have the best match possible no matter who my opponent is. But my wrestling didn't get me noticed by Vince McMahon. The fact I had a certain entertainment factor attached to my character is what got me pulled out of developmental and onto the main roster.
And yet, it's the very thing that got me noticed that lead to the proverbial hand on the back of my neck, holding my head down. The very entertainment factor that got me hired was being thrown back in my face as the thing I needed to work on the most.
This is not a bitching session, where I complain about how WWE held me down on purpose, took away my dreams, shoved my career up my ass, or singled me out and screwed me over.
This is an explanation about the purpose of these videos, which is to show everyone what I have to offer. I'm a home run hitter being told to be satisfied with landing on first base. I love being part of a team, and if we need runners on first base, I'll lead off. But when you have a lack of entertainment in the industry of sports entertainment, and you can hit the ball out of the park, it's the worst feeling in the world being told to draw a walk.
I want to entertain people. It's what I've always wanted to do. And I think I have the ability to do it, and in more ways than just the payoff of the matches we use that entertainment factor to build towards.
These videos are my way of letting everyone know I have a lot to offer, and not just in the ring. I have a deep seeded desire to entertain the audience. The reaction to the videos has been fantastic. If I can do this on my own with a crappy little handheld camera, imagine what I can do with a staff, infrastructure and marketing plan behind me.
It doesn't matter what last name I use. It doesn't matter if I'm a Kennedy, an Anderson, a Smith, Doe, or Jones (......Jones).
What matters is that I want to put it all on the line and see how far I can go both in the ring and behind the mic.
These videos are not only my way of telling WWE that I had so much more for them to exploit, but my audition to the rest of the world at the same time.
I want to entertain. It's in my blood. It's what I live to do. It's the only thing I want to do with my life.
Just as actors in Hollywood feel a certain creative connection with certain directors, and with no ill will or criticism of other "directors" that I've worked with, I love working with Paul. We made "beautiful music" together in OVW, and we now have the opportunity to do it again with no one telling us what we can and cannot do. This is the freedom and creative outlet that I've been searching for. I've had more fun shooting these little YouTube videos over the past month than I have in the past 2 years of my career. I hope that you hop aboard this train with us.
For this trip, I'll be your loyal conductor Mr. Anderson
(......wait for it.......)
Anderson!
