The defense of Mr. Anderson

[trendkiller]

(This is a long post. TL;DR will be at the bottom of it.)

To try to nip any comments on the matter in the bud, I would just like to explicitly state that I mark the fuck out for Mr. Anderson, so my opinion is biased as hell. I also want to point out that I have mostly gathered the following information from Ken Anderson's shoot interview(s), particularly the RF one (so take it with a grain of salt if you wish). Nevertheless, I wish to mount a defense against the nay-sayers and "he's injury prone!"-club on these boards. It may be futile, but perhaps I can atleast persuade you to dislike him for his mic-work or ring-work instead of fabricated fiction.

Firstly, let us take a look at the statement that Mr. Anderson is injury-prone:

Before taking the step up from the farm leagues of the WWE, Ken worked the indies for some 5-6 years (it varies between interviews, and I have no first-hand reference apart from Ken). Prior to moving onto SmackDown, he had not had a single injury that sidelined him for more than a week or so (bruised/broken ribs, sprained ankle, etc).

Ken suffered a grand total of three injuries during his tenure in the WWE:

During the Italy-tour, a six-man tag-match was underway and Ken was supposed to be dropped from the apron by a forearm from Paul London. Therefore, he held on to the ropes loosely - but as London went to nudge him off, London decided to dropkick him instead, effectively leg-pressing him off the apron, past the mattresses and onto the concrete beyond. This is where he tore the muscle in his side. Despite this injury, he worked the dates of the Italy tour but was later taken off the show to heal.

He also suffered an injury to his shoulder in a match against Batista (when they worked that program). Batista was supposed to pantomime tossing Ken into the turnbuckle shoulder-first and Ken ran into the move, but since Batista actually threw him, he smacked his shoulder hard into the post and tore a muscle in his shoulder.

The third injury was in a match with Shelton Benjamin. The match on the house show the previous night ended with Shelton and Ken on the top rope - Shelton punches Ken down so he smacks his head on the top turnbuckle and staggers, then Shelton hits him with his finisher for the 123. As the "facesmack" on the turnbuckle got more of a pop than Shelton's finisher, they decided to change the ending to a school-boy roll-up to ride on the pop of the facesmack. However, as the planned sequence arrived, Shelton went ahead and hit his finisher anyway, grabbing hard on Ken's head to "force" him into the move (so that he wouldn't have no-sold it). Ken's arm was trapped between their bodies and he didn't land flat, so his shoulder popped out of its socket.

One of these injuries was what lead to the MITB briefcase match with Edge. The whole angle with cashing in the MITB after Batista vs Undertaker in the cage was supposed to play out with Ken in Edge's role, however due to the injury (and an MRI that a doctor interpreted as Ken being gone for at least 9 months), he dropped the briefcase. A week or so later, Ken got a second opinion on his injury, and that doctor said he would be back within a month (the injury wasn't as serious as first suspected). Sadly, in my opinion, this was too late and Edge was already WHC.

Secondly, some say he is dangerous in the ring:

Mostly, what they reference are the injuries he caused Bobby Lashley and John Cena.

Of these two, only the Cena injury was legit. The Lashley "injury" was a work. An angle. It was pre-planned. Just thought I'd get that out of the way.

The Cena injury, though, was legit. Though, how it is Ken's fault, I have no idea. How can you possibly injure someone by TAKING a freaking HIPTOSS? If youv'e seen the tape, you can see that it's Cena that bungles the delivery of the move (he trips over his own feet). But of course the golden boy couldn't be blamed for his own mistakes, so guess who got to be the scapegoat?

Thirdly, people say he was fired because he dropped Orton on his head:

Whether or not he dropped Orton on his head... who knows? Ken says there's a shadow beneath Orton's head and that Orton's back is as flat as can be, and I choose to believe him. Some don't. It's not really important. What is interesting about the situation is how Randy acted backstage afterwards (according to Ken).

Ken and Randy meets backstage and Randy goes on lecturing Ken about safety in the ring and how his neck hurts and how he got dropped on his head. They have a verbal confrontation and then go away to cool off. Later, Ken goes to Randy and apologizes - "Sorry if I dropped you on your head, I didn't mean to" - and Randy says it's all cool, it's water under the bridge as far as he's concerned and all. So, as friends do, Ken cracks a joke to ease some tension and Randy goes "See, that's what's your problem! You never take things seriously!" Later, Randy is bandaged and iced-up (this is some time after Ken talked to him) and shoots Ken some serious killing-looks.

A couple of days later, Johnny Ace calls Ken up and informs him he's out of a job.

I have two things to add to this:

Number one is that the "bear-hug incident", where Ken lifted Randy from behind in a bear-hug was hugely exaggerated and Randy didn't throw a fit, but he got seriously annoyed about it. Homophobia? One can but speculate.

Number two is that when you look at the incident where Randy was allegedly dropped on his head, Randy leaps way too high and Ken has to pull him in to avoid dropping him on his head. This is why I believe that Ken did NOT drop Randy on his head.

Fourthly, there's one last point to be made:

Since Ken has come to TNA, he has upped his game to incredible new levels and I am so high on this guy. To me, he's the future of the business and will reach megastar heights if properly pushed. I love the push he's getting right now, and his performance at AAO hopefully swayed some opinions his way. He is an awesome heel and if he can do a Stone Cold face-turn, he can truly become larger than life.

TL;DR/Conclusion

1. Ken isn't injury-prone.

2. Ken didn't hurt anyone during his WWE tenure.

3. Ken wasn't fired because he dropped Orton on his head, he was fired because other workers felt threatened by him and his rise to stardom and politicked him out of the WWE.

4. Ken is tearing it up in TNA.


-- I would love to hear your opinions on Ken in general, if you have anything to add or dispute in what I've just said and I'd love to hear WHY you like or dislike him.

 

[LongHessa]

Interesting. It seems to me your in denial. If anything you just proved he has indeed hurt wrestlers and is very injury prone. So, your wrong. I Like Anderson myself, I think he is a star in the making but theres just no denying the guy is Mr. Injury. You have done your homework and I can appreciate the fact your a Anderson mark but anyone who reads your post objectivly can see there is clearly an issue with this guy in the ring. Just my opinion.

 

[hhhfan14]

Ive got to give it too you man, i love this thread, i love those threads that show people why they are wrong about believing things they hear, and its not one of those, you are wrong becuse i say you are, this is one of those, Ill give you reasons why you are wrong and the reasons are this..., but im going to put my input in

I have always been a kennedy mark as well, and i do firmly agree with you that kennedy is gong to be the future face of not just TNA, but professional wrestling period, even maybe dare i say it, a key factor in the TNA v WWE wars here in about 5 to 10 years down the road. You see wwe using superstars such as Kofi Miz, Morrison, Bourne, and the worst wrestler in WWE, Shamkissass, i hate him, and im a major hhh fan, but still, you dont just bring someone in and throw the title to them, and i would have liked it more had they brought him though like they had Batista and Orton, where you give him a rub over a long extended period of time, not just a few months, but back to this, in my honost opinion the only one even in Kennedys league right now over in wwe as far as up and comers is John Morrison, and that is WWEs fault that they let their veterans push one of wrestlings biggest potentials out the door, just becuse of personal dislikes and jealuses, but yes i love this blog

 

[Schizophrenic]

How is he injury prone. He showed that two of the time he got hurt it was because someone went against the original plan WITHOUT informing him about it even a few seconds before. You can't change plans and expect the guy to read your damn mind. How did the OP prove he's injury prone? You still need to explain that to me. He was hurt by other's stupidity.

Ive watched the matches over and it does look like Cena tripped over his own damn feet. I'm not gonna bash him for doing it, it happens all the time but you can see that Anderson did the normal hip toss and Cena botched it.

Also I would add my point I have brought up once or twice about the infamous Randy/Ken botch when Randy landed on his head. If anyone has EVER touched a basketball jersey they know how slick they are. Put one on top of another and it's even more slick. They were wearing these damn things and trying to wrestle. Of course they are not gonna be able to get a hold as easy as usual. If anyone is to blame for Randy damn near landing on his neck it's Vince McMahon for having them in jerseys and tyring to be cute and "prove a point" against The Nuggests which just proved that he is a baby about things like that. And I had tickets to that show and I hate the nuggests but it still made Vince look foolish.

 

[16mikeytot]

Well I didn't read your whole thread because through your first paragraph you seem to state who the other wrestlers are causing kennedy his injuries when in wrestling how your supposed to know how to take a fall correctly. You also state how other wrestlers found him a threat why? Theirs no truth to that did you forget he had a major storyline coming his way but then he got found positive for an illegal substance. Then lastly I'll say you could truly see orton in pain after taking that backdrop from kennedy. What if orton would had broken his neck and never been able to wrestle again? wwe would had been truly screwed if that occured. Oh and I'll say one more thing kennedy didn't even want to go to tna when he was done with the hulkamania tour he was hoping for wwe to call but they didn't thus leaving him tna bound. I like kennedy but I wont be suprised to see him get injured soon. Oh i forgot to mention tna doesn't suspend people for illegal substances.

 

[It's Damn Real!]

What I find hilarious is so many of the TNA marks who live and die by the indie one-trick ponies like Amazing Red (among a slew of others) absolutely lambasted TNA for even considering Anderson. I won't even go into what they cried about when he actually signed (and debuted). They called him every name in the book, and whined and cried over the fact that TNA signed a "veteran" (god-for-fucking-bid that word be thrown around a company that should obviously be using no one over the age of 25 not named Kurt Angle ) instead of pushing unknowns in their own company when they're trying to establish themselves as a legitimate (operative word here) alternative to the WWE.

Legitimacy isn't only born – it's also borrowed. Don't believe me? Do a little more research on where infamous names like The Undertaker, Chris Jericho, Big Show, HHH and even Hulk Hogan began their careers. I'll give you a big hint – it wasn't in the WWE, or the WWF.

All this boils down to is one simple and solitary fact: the IWC are spoiled fucking brats with as much patience and perspective as the desert has rainfall. Anderson is walking proof of that. The very same impatient fucking assholes who chanted "overrated" at him are now legitimately booing him every week as the company's top heel. Pathetic.

By the way, there is a very discernible difference between fragile and unlucky.

 

[DiscipleofWrestling]

There's no doubt that Mr. Anderson/Kennedy has a huge upside. The man exudes charisma from the time he steps into an arena through when he's leaving. Mic skills... do I really need to go there? Bottom line: Anderson definitely has the potential to be a great.

But that's where it stops for the moment: potential. As J.R. would say, you can't make a living forever off of potential (although I could make a case for a couple WWE stars currently doing so, but I won't go there). Anderson has been injury-prone, as discussed. He's also been in the middle of some controversy. I do agree with trendkiller when he says Cena's hiptoss fiasco can't be put solely on Anderson/Kennedy. It takes two to tango in wrestling, and Cena's just as liable for his own slips or inadequacies as his dance partner. Maybe Anderson could use a little work refining his work to be less injury prone to himself and his co-workers, but then again, I could say the same thing for a lot of wrestlers.

But perhaps Anderson's most damning quality is building up so much momentum for it only to hit a brick wall. His debut in WWE was marred by an injury only a few months later. His Money in the Bank victory was marred by injury. His apparent booking to be McMahon's illegitimate son was marred by steroids. His big return to Raw last May was marred by pissing off the wrong people, legitimately or illegitimately, causing his dismissal. It seems that no matter what Anderson does to get momentum going in the speeding car that is his career, some force of nature shows up and smashes it, sending his career back to the body shop for repairs.

He's been solid since appearing in TNA as it seems he's been given a second lease on his wrestling career. I'm just waiting for that next brick wall to come in the form of an injury.

 

[Slyfox's Bitch]

I like Ken Kennedy, but he was way too overrated, and I was one of the first people to point that out while everybody was hugging his tail. Contrary to what you think, Ken is injury prone for the sole reason that he doesn't know what to do when things don't go as planned, like taking unplanned bumps correctly. That constitutes injury prone.

Ken did hurt people during his tenure in the E; people have complained about his stiffness, especially Orton, and a bunch of other rising stars. He was not released because people were threatened by his 'rising stardom'. Really? Did you really think this...? Come on, he couldn't even get a solid crowd reaction for the majority of his career. He's good on the mic, overrated, but good. His wrestling skills are just above mediocre. He could be a star if he really worked hard, but he doesn't. His work ethic is below average.

As for tearing it up in TNA; It could be too soon to say this, but I think he will excel in TNA, and for the sole reason that he's overrated. That tends to be a weakness TNA needs to overcome, pushing the wrong people and all. What you need in wrestling are well-rounded, entertaining individuals, not people who do one thing well.

 

[Kenny Powers]

Mistakes happen in the ring every day. Its not like Anderson actually injured Orton. Owen Hart damaged Austin's neck severely and I don't see any haters on Owen Hart. I love Owen and I'm just using that as an example that people make mistakes. If John Cena or Orton accidentally injured someone people would be defending them to their graves.

The fact is that wrestlers get injured and even Edge got injured because he stepped on his foot the wrong way. I didn't hear any complaints that Edge was injury prone. Kennedy was loved by all the marks in the past when he was with WWE. Now that he is in TNA he is overrated and injury prone. Double standards. The same thing would be said about Bret Hart. If Bret showed up on Impact people would say he is washed up and he is another WWE Reject.

People need to get over this blind loyalist bullshit. Anderson has had some great matches in the ring and is golden on the mic. I don't think he is the greatest thing since sliced bread, but I don't see any other mid card superstars in WWE that are as entertaining.

 

[Slyfox's Bitch]

Mistakes happen in the ring every day. Its not like Anderson actually injured Orton. Owen Hart damaged Austin's neck severely and I don't see any haters on Owen Hart. I love Owen and I'm just using that as an example that people make mistakes. If John Cena or Orton accidentally injured someone people would be defending them to their graves.

The fact is that wrestlers get injured and even Edge got injured because he stepped on his foot the wrong way. I didn't hear any complaints that Edge was injury prone. Kennedy was loved by all the marks in the past when he was with WWE. Now that he is in TNA he is overrated and injury prone. Double standards. The same thing would be said about Bret Hart. If Bret showed up on Impact people would say he is washed up and he is another WWE Reject.

People need to get over this blind loyalist bullshit. Anderson has had some great matches in the ring and is golden on the mic. I don't think he is the greatest thing since sliced bread, but I don't see any other mid card superstars in WWE that are as entertaining.

You're mistaken. It's not loyalty at all. It's the fact that he's overrated by people like you. Nobody's defending anyone, we're pointing out flaws in Kennedy as an entertainer. Since the move from WWE to TNA, his character has not changed. It's the same overused, overrated garbage, WHEREVER it was. He can't wrestle as well as the top wrestlers, he isn't as entertaining as the main eventers, and his mic skills are outmatched oh so easily.

The fact that you need to attack other wrestlers in order to defend Kennedy is a sign of weakness, in that, you can't find anything to really defend him with. Welcome to Mediocrity.

 

[trendkiller]

Since, as I noted, I am an admitted Ken mark, I won't adress the guys agreeing with me (that'd be stroking my ego, and I don't do that). Instead, I will try to respond as comprehensibly as I can to those who offer some critique.

That being said, a humble thank you to the guys that find my post informative and well-construed.

Interesting. It seems to me your in denial. If anything you just proved he has indeed hurt wrestlers and is very injury prone. So, your wrong. I Like Anderson myself, I think he is a star in the making but theres just no denying the guy is Mr. Injury. You have done your homework and I can appreciate the fact your a Anderson mark but anyone who reads your post objectivly can see there is clearly an issue with this guy in the ring. Just my opinion.

Would you please clarify what exactly it is I am allegedly in denial of? I presented the circumstances surrounding the events which cause the Ken-haters so much mirth whenever they hug the "injury-prone!"-pillow, so not to go "no he din't!", but leave something more substantial to back my points up.

He was injured three times in five (four?) years with the WWE (including their farming league). How does that make him injury-prone? He got injured at extremely inopportune moments - so unlucky, yes, but prone to injury? I think not.

Also, I tried to point out that he has in fact NOT hurt wrestlers. He hasn't even hurt A wrestler. None. Zip. Zero. I stand by my opinion that Cena hurt himself and blamed it on Ken. I also stand by my opinion and belief that Randy Orton was not hurt whatsoever after the "head drop" incident.

Also, no one can read anything objectively. The only data that is possible to read objectively is purely mathematical evidence when considered by a computer. We all have opinions (they're like assholes, yes? ) and they color our response to any text we read. Therefore, it is impossible to be "objective". Objectiveness is a philosophical thought-experiment, not an actual frame of mind. We're all subjective, as it were.

Well I didn't read your whole thread because through your first paragraph you seem to state who the other wrestlers are causing kennedy his injuries when in wrestling how your supposed to know how to take a fall correctly. You also state how other wrestlers found him a threat why? Theirs no truth to that did you forget he had a major storyline coming his way but then he got found positive for an illegal substance. Then lastly I'll say you could truly see orton in pain after taking that backdrop from kennedy. What if orton would had broken his neck and never been able to wrestle again? wwe would had been truly screwed if that occured. Oh and I'll say one more thing kennedy didn't even want to go to tna when he was done with the hulkamania tour he was hoping for wwe to call but they didn't thus leaving him tna bound. I like kennedy but I wont be suprised to see him get injured soon. Oh i forgot to mention tna doesn't suspend people for illegal substances.

If you had actually read more than the first paragraph, you would have found what I was actually stating, instead of what I seemed to be stating.

Ken was a victim of circumstances and extremely unlucky, but - given the descriptions of events above - how can you possibly blame him for the injuries he sustained? Taking a bump is easy when you act according to the script and do what you are supposed to do, but, as any martial arts performer can tell you, when you get hit in a way you do not expect, you have no chance whatosever to break your fall. (Especially when you are given a certain set of circumstances that are thereafter not adhered to).

I claim that others saw him as a threat because he was forced out of the WWE on very loose grounds that pertained not one iota to reality. To keep the "stars" pleased, the leadership decided to cut one guy out instead of unsettling a number of guys.

Ah, yes, the substance abuse thing... Of course everyone will claim they aren't taking steroids, doing drugs, popping pills, sinking drinks, whatever. It's human instinct to lie about these things and while it may stand out as hypocritical, basically everyone does it. It's not an excuse for him using steroids, but it's an explanation as to why he lied about it.

The rant he posted on his blog/homepage that garnered him so much mainstream media attention was written while he was drunk (he admitted as much) and posted at about 3 am. I'm sure we've all done things we regret when drunk at 3 am, but the difference is that when you are a superstar in an organization such as the WWE you have the spotlight on you and any and all rants will be picked up by the mainstream media whether you like it or not.

It was naïve of him to post what he did and then subsequently comment on drugs in the way he did, and not to think about the consequences. However, he has admitted to being at fault for doing so and has, in a way, apologized for it (just watch the RF shoot interview). But it was not grounds for his dismissal - it had nothing to do with that.

Randy Orton was in pain? He was selling it. That's what wrestlers do when they take a bump. He was pissed off because Ken dropped him high up on his back (or possibly from a greater height than he expected) but his neck was in no danger of being broken and he wasn't even iced-up until after at least an hour (estimated from the fact that Randy and Ken talked, then cooled off, then talked again, before he got his bandages on).

Then again, using your own reasoning, wouldn't it be Randy's fault if he broke his neck, for "not knowing how to take a bump"?

Apart from all this, whether or not TNA suspends people for the use of illegal substances is irrelevant.

 

[It's Damn Real!]

You're mistaken. It's not loyalty at all. It's the fact that he's overrated by people like you. Nobody's defending anyone, we're pointing out flaws in Kennedy as an entertainer. Since the move from WWE to TNA, his character has not changed. It's the same overused, overrated garbage, WHEREVER it was. He can't wrestle as well as the top wrestlers, he isn't as entertaining as the main eventers, and his mic skills are outmatched oh so easily.

The fact that you need to attack other wrestlers in order to defend Kennedy is a sign of weakness, in that, you can't find anything to really defend him with. Welcome to Mediocrity.

He can't wrestle as good as other top wrestlers? Let me guess, those "top wrestlers" are guys like Amazing Red, right? Because obviously the ability to "wrestle" in this case is simply the ability to do something no one else can do (like some triple corkscrew backflip or 450 splash), and not actually the ability to have an effective wrestling match, right?

He isn't as entertaining as the main eventers? Which top-level heels in the company is not as entertaining as, if not more entertaining than? Desmond Wolfe? AJ Styles? Daniels? Daniels can't even get over as a heel, and AJ is busy being the world champion – sorry. Wolfe is the only real suitable alternative, and Wolfe has no history in this business that anyone outside a couple of pimply-faced overweight dorks with Nigel McGuinness t-shirts would know about. I'd hardly consider the abilities of Wolfe as so far passed Anderson that Anderson isn't entertaining.

Mic skills are out-matched?! What drugs are you on right now? I almost don't want to craft a response to such an asinine and repugnant thing to say about a guy who is quite obviously the best mic-worker in the company right now. Who works a mic better than Anderson? Better yet, who draws legitimate heat better than he? If you can name me one guy and provide me with tangible evidence of the fact (not just because you say so), I'll consider helping you to remove your proverbial foot from your own mouth.

 

[trendkiller]

You're mistaken. It's not loyalty at all. It's the fact that he's overrated by people like you. Nobody's defending anyone, we're pointing out flaws in Kennedy as an entertainer. Since the move from WWE to TNA, his character has not changed. It's the same overused, overrated garbage, WHEREVER it was. He can't wrestle as well as the top wrestlers, he isn't as entertaining as the main eventers, and his mic skills are outmatched oh so easily.

The fact that you need to attack other wrestlers in order to defend Kennedy is a sign of weakness, in that, you can't find anything to really defend him with. Welcome to Mediocrity.

No, you are not pointing out flaws, you are pointing out your perception of his character and talent which is not the same thing at all. You are not the sole owner of the "facts", you just state your opinion - as do I, but at least I am not so arrogant as to herald it as the truth.

Did you even watch Against All Odds? Ken had, in my opinion, the match of the night with Kurt Angle, and then went to almost the same level with Pope. Granted, his match with Abyss was, well, abysmal, but Abyss is a one-trick pony in my mind, that is an apparent bad match to Ken's style.

WHY do you not find him as entertaining as the main event wrestlers? You simply state that it is so, but you give no reasoning - thus making your post borderline silly!

You are using the age-old debate tactic of building a straw man and then shooting it down. "You're attacking other wrestlers because you can't defend him, ergo I win", seems to be the message (paraphrased, obviously), while in face he did not attack anyone else, he drew a comparative parallel to Owen Hart who doesn't seem to draw anywhere near the same amount of heat for breaking SCSA's freaking neck, as Ken does for allegedly injuring Cena.

He also used the Edge-comparison which holds just as much water, and asks the legitimate question: Why does people seem to hate certain wrestlers for their perceived proneness to injury, while others get away with it? And likewise with being dangerous in the ring? Then he tried to answer his own question (which is perfectly viable in an analysis) by considering that it is about fan loyalty, not about rational thought.

Your post reeks of troll, so please try to make your potential further posts in this thread more constructive to the discussion at hand and less inflammatory and unreasonable.

 

[Kliq]

I agree with everying in the OP except for the reason he was fired. What I believe is that Orton was very uncomfortable in the match with Kennedy, and he did all he could to complain and get him fired. Being "jealous of his success" just kind of sounds childish. Everyone knows Orton has an attitude problem, and I think this was just another episode of that. When someone explains to me how Stone Cold went through a drastic change between ECW and the WWF, I'll understand why you would even make the argument that Mr. Anderson shouldn't act the same as he did in the WWE. There's nothing wrong with it, and I'd be upset if he didn't.

 

[trendkiller]

Being "jealous of his success" just kind of sounds childish. Everyone knows Orton has an attitude problem, and I think this was just another episode of that.

Ken described the WWE thusly:

There are two mountains in the WWE; On SmackDown, there's the Undertaker's mountain, where everyone's trying to help everyone else upwards, so that they can all climb up together and everyone gets rich and famous. On RAW, there's the "other" mountain, with a few select guys on top and they are shitting down the slopes, kicking at fingers, biting at each other and throwing haymakers left and right to keep everyone that is not already up there out of the spotlight.​

It's not about being "jealous", it's about being afraid that someone else will come along and take your spotlight, your fame and your money. I feel certain that even if Randy threw a tantrum he wouldn't get Ken fired on his own - I doubt anyone, save for perhaps Triple H, on the currently active roster has that kind of stroke.

Then again, who knows who Randy complained to and asked for a favor? I'm just speculating, obviously.

 

[Kenny Powers]

I like Ken Kennedy, but he was way too overrated, and I was one of the first people to point that out while everybody was hugging his tail. Contrary to what you think, Ken is injury prone for the sole reason that he doesn't know what to do when things don't go as planned, like taking unplanned bumps correctly. That constitutes injury prone.

How do you knows this? Do you scout his matches and know exactly who is injury prone and who isn't? Are you in the locker room and are one of the wrestlers that work with him? You know as much as anyone does on here. So if someone gets injured in the ring they are injury prone in your book. You try to wrestle 5 days a week up to 300 days a year and try not to get injured with that schedule.

Ken did hurt people during his tenure in the E; people have complained about his stiffness, especially Orton, and a bunch of other rising stars. He was not released because people were threatened by his 'rising stardom'. Really? Did you really think this...? Come on, he couldn't even get a solid crowd reaction for the majority of his career. He's good on the mic, overrated, but good. His wrestling skills are just above mediocre. He could be a star if he really worked hard, but he doesn't. His work ethic is below average.

Who complained? Was Orton actually hurt? Terry Funk is stiff too, you don't hear people complaining about him. None of us know for sure why he was released or why a dozen of talented wrestlers are released. I'm guessing they had nothing for him or his supposed best friend Orton made shit up. Then again that's just a guess. I guess you are deaf because as far as crowd reactions goes he has always gotten good reactions in WWE. Especially when he returned.

At least you admitted he has potential. What constitutes being mediocre in the ring? because he doesn't do a 450 splash? His work ethic is below average? I would love to know where you come up with this.

As for tearing it up in TNA; It could be too soon to say this, but I think he will excel in TNA, and for the sole reason that he's overrated. That tends to be a weakness TNA needs to overcome, pushing the wrong people and all. What you need in wrestling are well-rounded, entertaining individuals, not people who do one thing well.

TNA is pushing the wrong people and Anderson is overrated. Well Anderson is a heel who tries to win by cheating and he recently lost his match so I don't see him as a Superman or main eventer. I guess Wolfe, Joe, AJ Styles, and Pope are overrated too. Who in TNA only does one thing well that is being pushed now? Anderson has charisma and mic skills. I'm not saying he is God's gift to wrestling, but he plays a good midcard heel. At least he is getting a shot.

You're mistaken. It's not loyalty at all. It's the fact that he's overrated by people like you. Nobody's defending anyone, we're pointing out flaws in Kennedy as an entertainer. Since the move from WWE to TNA, his character has not changed. It's the same overused, overrated garbage, WHEREVER it was. He can't wrestle as well as the top wrestlers, he isn't as entertaining as the main eventers, and his mic skills are outmatched oh so easily.

You could say that with a ton of wrestlers in mind who have had the same character for years like Undertaker, HBK, Triple H, Cena, Orton, etc. I really don't know what wrestler has better mic skills in TNA then Anderson, maybe The Pope. All I'm saying the guy has charisma and is a good mid card heel, I don't think he should be champion of the world or anything. As far as his past the old saying guys believe half of what you see and none of what you read.

The fact that you need to attack other wrestlers in order to defend Kennedy is a sign of weakness, in that, you can't find anything to really defend him with. Welcome to Mediocrity.

I'm not attacking any wrestler. I'm just saying wrestlers injure other wrestlers and themselves all the time whether they mean to or not. Especially with a hectic schedule. You blindly hating on a wrestler for something you know nothing about personally is a sign of weakness. Welcome to IWC Ignorance.

 

[ch46745]

I agree with everying in the OP except for the reason he was fired. What I believe is that Orton was very uncomfortable in the match with Kennedy, and he did all he could to complain and get him fired. Being "jealous of his success" just kind of sounds childish. Everyone knows Orton has an attitude problem, and I think this was just another episode of that. When someone explains to me how Stone Cold went through a drastic change between ECW and the WWF, I'll understand why you would even make the argument that Mr. Anderson shouldn't act the same as he did in the WWE. There's nothing wrong with it, and I'd be upset if he didn't.

I agree, because Orton is known to be a real hot head. Case in point the Kofi botched finish a couple of weeks ago and to me he way over reacted so I could only imagined how bad it was with the incident with Kennedy. When it comes to Kennedy being injury prone well he will just have to prove whether he can stay healthy or not in the near future. Kennedy using the same gimmick from his WWE days is fine with me but I kind of think that their overdoing the mic thing because why did he have to have one lowered in his locker room during impact and last night at the AAO ppv why did have to talk on it and took so long doing so in the middle of the last match cause it made him look so stupid istead of just going for his finisher and maid pope look weak by doing so.

 

[trendkiller]

(...) why did he have to have one lowered in his locker room during impact and last night at the AAO ppv why did have to talk on it and took so long doing so in the middle of the last match cause it made him look so stupid istead of just going for his finisher and maid pope look weak by doing so.

They lowered the mic in his locker room because it was an absurd thing, and the Mr. Anderson character is pretty absurd(ly arrogant).

Talking on the mic in the middle of the match is just another way to show how cocky and arrogant he is, to the point that it cost him the match (subsequently). He's supposed to be too arrogant for his own good and it didn't make Pope look weak in my opinion - quite the opposite! He's the first guy to kick out of a cleanly delivered Mike Check!

(Comparatively, Ken kicked out of the DDE only when he had his face towards Pope, so he could "block" the move with his hands and thus "not get the full impact").

Keep in mind that the commentators have been putting his trash-talking over and doing it on the mic is just "taking trash-talk to another level", I believe.

 

[Schizophrenic]

What people need to remember is this....Ken Anderson began doin the mic/introduction gimmick in OVW before he was EVER known as Mr. Kennedy. I believe he and Cornette cmae up with the idea. He was renamed Mr. Kennedy by McMahon and the gimmick stuck when he came to the WWE. I don't think anyone in this thread has said it, but I have seen people say that he is ripping off a WWE gimmick is ridiculous when the WWE just used a gimmick he was already using to begin with. It's his schtik and he is allowed o use it anywhere. I do think some of the mic bits were funny. Last night at AAO and the mic dropped and he said he was about to the number one contender only to say, "Hold that thought" and continue the match was hillarious. Int he locker room, odd, yet funny.

 

[Joshwa52]

Ahhh Mr. Anderson. Charismatic, Athletic, Cocky, Gold on the stick.


You can bash me anyway you want but When I first started noticing Kennedy the first thing I thought was Stone Cold Steve Austin. The one big thing I see different is there work ethics. This was Austins life. He had so much depending on him being successful. He loved this business he worked hard on being the very best and he was. I see so much in Kennedy(Anderson) but to me he comes across as above the rest and too cocky for what he has done. Honestly he hasn't done anything yet. He has what he needs to be the Next big star, but I don't think he is willing to earn it. I hope I can eat my words, because I am high on this guy. In the "E" he had some unfortunate situations, buts it's life and shit happens. He has had a great start in TNA. I hope he can seize opportunities given to him here and make the most out of them. His crazy heat right now is a great step in the right direction, but like I said he has to stay focused.
lease Note these are personal opinions:

 

[trendkiller]

(...) I believe he and Cornette cmae up with the idea.

Minor detail, but it was actually Paul Heyman and Ken that collaborated. Cornette absolutely hated Ken (according to Ken and several others active in OVW at the time) and Cornette got himself fired for slapping someone around (was it Ken, even?). When Heyman came in as head booker, Heyman was really high on Ken and wanted to give him a solid push (a promise he delivered upon).

Ken quoted Heyman saying something to the effect of: "We're going to get you so over they will HAVE to pick you up to the majors."

I do think some of the mic bits were funny. Last night at AAO and the mic dropped and he said he was about to the number one contender only to say, "Hold that thought" and continue the match was hillarious. Int he locker room, odd, yet funny.

I legitimately LOL'ed when he went "shut up" in that sing-song voice in the middle of his first introduction. Then "No, shut up!" again, before firing off his catchphrase. Loved it. He is definitely in the same league promo-wise as The Rock and Thugonomic Cena in my view.

 

[Schizophrenic]

Minor detail, but it was actually Paul Heyman and Ken that collaborated. Cornette absolutely hated Ken (according to Ken and several others active in OVW at the time) and Cornette got himself fired for slapping someone around (was it Ken, even?). When Heyman came in as head booker, Heyman was really high on Ken and wanted to give him a solid push (a promise he delivered upon).

Ken quoted Heyman saying something to the effect of: "We're going to get you so over they will HAVE to pick you up to the majors."

Ah my bad. I was trying to remember if it was Heyman or Cornette and you have jogged my memory it was Heyman not Cornette. And no it wasn't Ken it was WWE's resident King of Comedy Santino Marella Cornette smacked because he didn't act frightened at The Boogeyman, a story that is hillarious to listen to Cornette give. It's on youtube, hillarious.

Anyway to stay on topic Anderson is golden on the mic and last night he proved it multiple times. And reverting back to the mic drops randomly, it's funnier than hell because they come from nowhere and you think t yourself "Who is dropping that damn thing?!" Like someon states above it's completley over the top, but so is Ken.

 

[JenksIX]

My take on the situation:

Is Kennedy/Anderson injury prone? I don't know.
Is he unlucky? Yes (well it depends on who you ask. I personally like that he was realeased so that he could go to TNA, because I want to see TNA do well and they need him.)
I do not like Vince (his own son quit the company), HHH, HBK, Orton. They're all snakes with ego and attitude problems.

But if you wanna blame this on luck, look at the situation Anderson was put in.
He comes back after 10 months away and is put in the main event match on Raw. What people have not mentioned ( I don't think ) was that McMahon was livid at the time b/c he had booked RAW in whatever arena the Denver Nuggets play in and the owner said they couldn't have the show there b/c the Nuggets had to play a playoff game (really stupid on arena's part.)
If you remember the match, the good guys wore lakers jerseys and the bad guys wore nuggets jerseys and I think the owner of the lakers told WWE they could use their arena instead(not sure if they did or not?)

So it was a weird set of circumstances. It was one of those situations where you go "someone is going to get fired over this" and by Randy going too Vince and saying Kennedy was dangerous and that he would not work with him ne more ... kind of sealed Kennedy's fate. If you remember the Raw it happened, Kennedy returned by walking out on stage confronting Orton so it looked probable Kennedy was going to feud with Orton at the time.

But yeah, Kennedy was gone for 10 months so he really had no credibility when he came back. Vince McMahon is so busy and deals with so many people he probably didn't even know who Kennedy was when he returned.

Eh, I could go on and on about this.

I also have not seen anyone mention that Randy Orton has broken his collar bone .... twice.
Randy first broke his collar bone, or had it broken, when Triple H threw him over the top rope. For anyone who wants to blame Kennedy for "nearly" injuring Orton's neck .. check out the video where Triple H chucks Orton over the top rope. Then Randy broke it again in a motorcycle accident. So is it Kennedy who is reckless or Orton(or a bit of both?)
Point being ... Orton has a sensitive neck to begin with which I'm sure he's conscious of.

Have you ever seen the commercial where the WWE says "Don't try this at home" and the wrestlers like Cena and Mysterio name all the injuries they've had. I don't know for sure, but aren't Cena and Edge apparently out a lot for injuries?

The whole situation is very weird and I find myself siding with Mr Kennedy in the long run. To me it just seems like Orton is spoiled and WWE is investing a lot in him b/c he's the only one of the major stars who will not be 40+ or retired in the next 5 yrs.
In the next 5 yrs all of these guys will be 40+ yrs old and/or retired(Mysterio, Batista, Jericho, Undertaker, Michaels, Triple H, Edge)
Orton will only be 34 yrs old in 5 yrs.