(Redirected from Ken Holmes)
'Kenneth Anderson' (born
March 6,
1976) better known by the
ring name 'Mr. Kennedy', is an
American professional wrestler currently performing for
World Wrestling Entertainment on the ''
RAW''
brand.
Career
After serving in the United States Army,
[ WWE's Mr. Kennedy: From bad to evil greatness ] Anderson was trained by All-Star Championship Wrestling owners Eric Hammers & Mike Krause. He was invited to appear on ''
WWE Jakked'', ''
WWE Velocity'', and ''
WWE Sunday Night Heat'' in a try-out basis as an independent
jobber several times from 2001 to 2004. Anderson also made some appearances on ''
TNA Xplosion'' and was initially approached for a contract at
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling by
Jeff Jarrett but communications broke down.
5 Anderson also competed in the 2002 and 2003
Ted Petty Invitational tournaments (the first one then known as the Sweet Science Sixteen tournament) but didn't come past the first round in either of them.
4 In February 2005, Anderson signed a developmental contract with WWE.
5
World Wrestling Entertainment
2005
Upon signing with WWE, Anderson was sent to the
Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW) farm league. After six months he was called up to work on ''
Velocity''. Before his first ''
SmackDown!'' match, a victory over
Funaki, he showed himself to be a cocky and arrogant wrestler with not only his mannerisms but by taking a microphone and performing his own ring announcement. He referred to himself as '"Mr. Anderson"' for this match. To avoid comparisons with the more famous Anderson family, he changed his name to '"Mr. Kennedy"'.
5 This idea was initially suggested by
Paul Heyman and was chosen as his name because it is
Vince McMahon's middle name.
[ Ken Kennedy interview on injury, name, Guerrero and future ]
Kennedy made his ''SmackDown!'' debut on
August 25 2005, once again defeating Funaki.
[6] Kennedy would also create an ongoing "mini-feud" with ''SmackDown!'' ring announcer,
Tony Chimel. The feud is based on Kennedy believing that Chimel's announcing is not done well enough or with sufficient respect, and thus he must either perform his own introductions or force Chimel to introduce him again. Kennedy's self-ring introductions before the match became one of his trademarks.
[7] While working on ''Velocity'' and ''SmackDown!'', he was also still working in OVW. Kennedy made his
pay-per-view debut at ''SmackDown!'s''
No Mercy 2005, defeating
Hardcore Holly and injuring Holly's ribs during the match.
[8]
Mr. Kennedy's trademark ring announcement.
On the
November 11 edition of ''SmackDown!'', Kennedy faced
Eddie Guerrero for a spot on ''SmackDown's
Survivor Series team. He lost the match when Guerrero tossed him a steel chair and played possum, a move which Guerrero had made famous. The groggy referee turned around and saw Guerrero on the ground with Kennedy holding the chair, and consequently disqualified Kennedy, awarding the place on ''Team SmackDown!'' to Guerrero. This was Kennedy's first loss. In retaliation, Kennedy struck Guerrero over the head with the chair after the match.
[9] This ended up being Guerrero's final televised match, as he died on
November 13 in his hotel room in
Minneapolis, Minnesota, where a supershow taping of both ''
RAW'' and ''SmackDown!'' was to be held. In interviews about the incident, Kennedy has stated that he considers this an "unfortunate honor".
In December 2005, Kennedy participated in WWE's "overseas" tour. On the second day in
Italy, Kennedy suffered a serious
latissimus dorsi tear. He attempted to work through the injury, but was said to have been hurting so bad that he couldn’t even put his hand in his pocket to get his wallet at a restaurant. Seeing a doctor he was informed that he'd suffered a complete tear, compared to
Batista's partial tear from earlier in the year. He was told that he would not be able to work through it, even with a somewhat lighter schedule, but would instead need surgery. The
December 6 surgery was a success but Kennedy was still forced out of the ring for nearly six months while he rehabilitated the injury.
[10]
2006
Though he couldn't wrestle, Kennedy still returned to ''SmackDown!'' on
January 6 2006. This time, it was as a color commentator for a
Cruiserweight Title match.
[11] He continued to make appearances on ''SmackDown!'' and ''Velocity'' throughout January and February, making his ring announcement and commentating specific matches as a representative of
The Network. He even made an appearance on the
January 11 edition of ''
Byte This!'' with
Todd Grisham to maintain visibility.
[12]
At the OVW tapings on
May 10, Kennedy returned to in-ring action facing the
OVW Heavyweight Champion,
CM Punk, in a title match that Kennedy was unable to win.
8 Kennedy made his return to ''SmackDown!'' on
June 9 with a victory over
Scotty 2 Hotty after using the
Kenton Bomb.
[13]
Kennedy lost by
pinfall, ending his streak of never being defeated by pin or
submission, on the
July 14 edition of ''SmackDown!'', when he was
rolled up by
Matt Hardy.
[14]
On the
July 21 edition of ''SmackDown!'',
Batista put out an open challenge to replace his opponent
Mark Henry, who had been injured, at
The Great American Bash on
July 23 for the Number 1 Contender spot.
[15] Kennedy accepted the challenge and went on to win the match by disqualification. However, he suffered a severe injury during the match after being thrown headfirst into the steel steps, resulting in an exposed cranium laceration which required 20 stitches to close.
[16] He then entered into a short feud with Batista, defeating him by count out in their second match, but losing via pinfall in the third.
8
Kennedy also helped Shane and Vince McMahon in their feud with
D-Generation X, appearing at both
SummerSlam and the
August 28 edition of ''RAW'' along with
Finlay and
William Regal from the ''SmackDown!'' and ''RAW'' rosters, to attack DX.
[17][18]
On the
September 1 edition of ''SmackDown!'', Kennedy defeated
Finlay and
Bobby Lashley in a Triple Threat match to win the
WWE United States Championship, his first title reign in WWE.
[19] On the
September 8 edition of ''SmackDown!'', Kennedy announced that he wanted to move over to ''RAW'', as SmackDown didn't interest him anymore because he had already defeated every top performer on the roster. This led to ''SmackDown!'' general manager
Theodore Long making a match between Kennedy and
The Undertaker (who Kennedy had never faced) to be held at
No Mercy 2006. Kennedy went on to win the match by disqualification.
[20][21]
On the
October 13 edition of ''SmackDown!'', Kennedy, now with a win over The Undertaker in the books, again stated his desire to move to ''RAW'', and again Long put him against an opponent who he had never faced - this time
Chris Benoit - with Kennedy's title on the line. Long said that, if Kennedy were to defeat Benoit, he would be given his release and be allowed to go to RAW. Kennedy lost the United States Championship to Benoit after a distraction from
The Undertaker, who was standing in the entrance. Kennedy tapped out to the
Crippler Crossface, marking his first submission loss.
[22]
Late in 2006, Kennedy joined forces with
Montel Vontavious Porter in matches against the
Brothers of Destruction (Undertaker and
Kane) in various combinations. On the
November 3 edition of ''SmackDown!'', Kennedy and MVP lost to the Brothers of Destruction. They first got counted out, and Theodore Long restarted the match with no countouts. Then they disqualified themselves with a low blow by Kennedy, and Long restarted the match again with no countouts and no disqualifications.
[23]
Kennedy and MVP continued to feud with the brothers, with MVP feuding with Kane while Kennedy challenged The Undertaker to a match at
Survivor Series, which was later announced as a
First blood match. Kennedy won that match after MVP turned on him and aimed for his head with a steel chair, but missed and hit The Undertaker instead, busting him open. After the match, the Undertaker viciously attacked Kennedy, forcing him to bleed.
[24] The Undertaker finally got his revenge at
Armageddon, when he defeated Kennedy in a
Last Ride match.
[25]
2007
After a brief hiatus, Kennedy returned to ''SmackDown!'' on
January 5 2007 and defeated Chris Benoit in a
"Beat the Clock" match, with the overall prize being a shot at
Batista's World Heavyweight Championship at the upcoming
Royal Rumble.
[26] After he prevented the Undertaker from beating his time, Kennedy's time of 5:07 ended up being the fastest.
[27] At the Royal Rumble, he had Batista pinned for a three count while the
referee was out of position but ended up losing the match anyway, as well as a subsequent rematch.
[28][29] From there, Kennedy began a short feud with
ECW World Champion Bobby Lashley, leading to a match at
No Way Out which Kennedy won by disqualification, preventing him from becoming champion.
[30] Kennedy challenged Lashley unsuccessfully on ''
ECW'' and ''SmackDown!'' as well.
[31][32]
Kennedy would go on to earn himself a spot in the
2007 Money in the Bank ladder match by defeating
Sabu in an Extreme Rules match .
[33] At
WrestleMania 23, Kennedy won the Money in the Bank ladder match, giving him the right to challenge any World Champion in WWE at any date up until
WrestleMania 24. During the match, Kennedy was nearly thwarted from getting the briefcase by Finlay's on-screen close friend,
Hornswoggle.
[34] Kennedy announced on the
April 30 edition of ''Raw'' that he would be cashing in his Money in the Bank championship opportunity at
WrestleMania 24.
[35] However, on the
May 7 edition of ''Raw'', Mr. Kennedy lost his Money in the Bank opportunity to
Edge, losing mere moments after a blow to the head from a monitor before the match began.
[36] Mr. Kennedy never got the chance to win the briefcase back, however, as Edge cashed the briefcase in to win the World Heavyweight Championship from the Undertaker on ''SmackDown!'' the next day.
Because of the injury Kennedy sustained at the hands of Edge, it was believed that his right triceps muscle tore off of the bone and would be out for a minimum of 5-7 months. WWE.com reported that Mr. Kennedy was so distraught over another injury combined with losing his Money in the Bank shot that he would never wrestle again. WWE.com then reported that the injury was not as serious as once predicted; the triceps tendon did not tear off the bone but was, in fact, a massive
hematoma.
[37][38].
On the
June 11 edition of ''Raw'', Mr. Kennedy was drafted from ''SmackDown!'' to ''Raw'' as part of the
WWE Draft. On the July 30 edition of Raw, Kennedy not only defeated Bobby Lashley, but seemingly injured him (Kayfabe) in the process. On
August 20 Carlito hosted his interviewing segment, Carlito's Cabana, when
Carlito challenged his special guest,
Umaga for his Intercontinental Championship at
Summerslam 2007. However, Mr.Kennedy came out and said he deserved a match with Umaga because he did what Umaga couldn't do, defeat
Bobby Lashley and put him out of action. After that
William Regal, RAW's General Manager, came out and and booked Kennedy vs. Carlito for later in the night, in which the winner faces Umaga at Summerslam. After the match ended in a draw, Regal ordered that there would be a
triple threat match at
Summerslam 2007 between the three men for the Intercontinental Championship, though Umaga retained the title.
In wrestling
★ 'Finishing moves'
Kennedy about to perform his '''Kenton Bomb''' finisher to
Matt Hardy
Kennedy about to perform his '''Green Bay Plunge''' finisher to
Hornswoggle★
★ '''
Green Bay Plunge '''/ ''Lambeau Leap''/''J.F.K.- Just Finished by Kennedy'' (
Elevated rolling fireman's carry slam)
★
★ '''Kenton Bomb''' (
Senton Bomb)
★
★ '''
★
★ '
Inverted Superplex'
★
★ '''
Green Bay Meatpacker''' (
Elevated Hangman's neckbreaker)
★ 'Signature moves'
★
★
Rolling fireman's carry slam
★
★
Facewash
★
★
Dropkick to the knee
★
★
Bicycle kick
★
★
Indian deathlock
★
★
Missile dropkick
★
★
Shoulderbreaker
★
★
Snap DDT to a kneeling opponent
★
★
Reverse figure four leglock
★
★
Feint enzuigiri spun into a
corkscrew roundhouse kick
★
★
Swinging side slam
★
★
Side slam backbreaker
★
★
Knee lift
★ 'Signature taunts'
★
★ Methodically raises arm to receive microphone for speech.
★
★ Moving his hand to suggest an upcoming backhand slap.
Championships and accomplishments
★ 'All-Star Championship Wrestling'
★
★ ACW Heavyweight Championship (3 times)
★
★ ACW Tag Team Championship (3 times) - with Mike Mercury
★
★ ACW Television Championship (1 time)
[39]
★ 'Mid American Wrestling'
★
★ MAW Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
★ '
NWA Midwest'
★
★
NWA Midwest Heavyweight Championship (
1 time)
★ '
World Wrestling Entertainment'
★
★
WWE United States Championship (
1 time)
★
★
Mr. Money in the Bank (
2007)
★ 'Xtreme Intense Championship Wrestling'
★
★ XICW Tag Team Championship (1 time)- with Joey Padgett
★ '
Wrestling Observer Newsletter'
★
★ Best Gimmick award in 2005
★ 'Other titles'
★
★ UPCW Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Big Daddy Loker
Other Media
He appeared in a feature film ''Fighting The Still Life'', directed by Matt Burns, who wrestled under the name
Sick Nick Mondo.
3
On
July 24 2007, Mr. Kennedy appeared on
Tom Green Live in character.
[ WWE Raw Superstar Mr. Kennedy Dropping In ]
In mid-August 2007, Anderson taped an episode of ''The
Family Feud'' with
Batista,
John Cena,
Candice Michelle,
King Booker,
Layla,
Maria,
Michelle McCool,
Montel Vontavious Porter, and
Queen Sharmell. It is scheduled to air in November.
[ Diva Dish: FHM goes Extreme ]
On
August 15 2007, Mr. Kennedy appeared on
Slime Across the UK & Ireland in character.
[ Mr Kennedy on Nickelodeon (YouTube video) ]
On
August 18 2007, Kennedy gave an interview to The Sun UK where he admits to using steroids when he was on the independent wrestling scene, saying he quit the steroids because of the WWE Wellness Policy and that his job in WWE was worth more than an extra ten pounds of muscle mass.
[ 'WWE stopped my steroid use' ]
On
August 30,
2007, Kennedy was named in an ''
Sports Illustrated'' article, along with nine other superstars, to be given illegal steroids not in compliance with the WWE Talent Wellness Program. Kennedy received
anastrozole,
somatropin and
testosterone between
October 2006 and
February 2007.
Chris Benoit,
Eddie Guerrero and
Brian Adams were also discovered to have been given steroids prior to their death during this investigation, as well as former superstar
Sylvain Grenier.
[40][41]
Personal life
Anderson is the son of James Alan Holmes and Sheryl Anderson and has one sister, Jennifer Holmes. His father died at home on
April 13 2006, after a two-year battle with cancer.
[42]
Anderson is a graduate of
Washington High School in
Two Rivers, Wisconsin. During his time there, Anderson excelled at swimming and track & field.
4 He also announced school basketball games and did a radio assignment in his Mass Media class. When doing this, a friend suggested to Anderson to repeat the surnames again to make it funnier. That element would eventually be used again in his wrestling character when encouraged to by
Paul Heyman.
Kennedy has a girlfriend named Shawn.
[43]
Before starting a wrestling career, Anderson worked at a nuclear plant as a security officer.
4
Anderson has also worked as personal trainer.
7
In his time off, Anderson enjoys playing video games and watching the show ''
24''.
3 Anderson is also trained in
Taekwondo and
Eskrima.
4 --
It was noted during an appearance on
WWE Byte This! that Kennedy came up with his Green Bay Plunge finisher when
Ian Rotten told him to do something other than the Kenton Bomb (High angle senton bomb), because someone else was using it on the same show. He was working against
Austin Aries who agreed to let Kennedy try the move on him.
12
In the same show, he mentioned that his dream match would be to face
Stone Cold Steve Austin, who was his inspiration to become re-interested in wrestling. His admiration for Austin extends to his
wire-haired fox terrier, which he named Austin.
3.
References
1. The Sun Online - Wrestling Podcast
2. Mr. Kennedy profile
3. Ken Kennedy facts
4. Mr. Kennedy profile
5. Ken Kennedy interview
6. SmackDown! results - August 25, 2005
7. Introducing WrestleMania's Mr. Kennedy . . . Ken-a-deeeeeeee
8. Ken Kennedy profile
9. SmackDown! results - November 11, 2005
10. Kennedy sidelined six months
11. SmackDown! results - January 6, 2006
12. Byte This - Ken Kennedy
13. SmackDown! results - June 9, 2006
14. SmackDown! results - July 14, 2006
15. SmackDown! results - July 21, 2006
16. The Great American Bash results - Batista/Kennedy match
17. RAW results -August 28, 2005
18. SummerSlam results - DX/McMahons match
19. SmackDown! results - September 1, 2006
20. SmackDown! results - September 8, 2006
21. No Mercy results - Kennedy/Undertaker match
22. SmackDown! results - October 13, 2006
23. SmackDown! results - November 3, 2006
24. Survivor Series results - Kennedy/Undertaker match
25. Armageddon results - Kennedy/Undertaker match
26. SmackDown! results - January 5, 2007
27. SmackDown! results - January 12, 2007
28. Royal Rumble results - Batista/Kennedy match
29. SmackDown! results - February 9, 2007
30. No Way Out results - Kennedy/Lashley match
31. ECW results - February 20, 2007
32. SmackDown! results - March 2, 2007
33. ECW results - February 27, 2007
34. WrestleMania 23 results - Money in the Bank match
35. The Kennedy countdown is on
36. RAW results - May 7, 2007
37. Kennedy: Sidelined and silenced Lennie DiFino
38. Speedy recovery for Kennedy? Zack Zeigler
39. Kennedy's Title History
40. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/more/08/30/wrestlers/
41. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/08/31/AR2007083101961.html?hpid=moreheadlines
42. Obituary for James Alan Holmes
43. Picture of Ken & His Beautiful Girlfriend Shawn
External links
★
Ken-Kennedy.com (Official Website)
★
WWE Profile
★
★
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