The business of professional wrestling as some may know, can be a very cut-throat game. They’re are wrestlers that gain a certain amount of backstage pull, where they seemingly can do no wrong, while others suffer the fate(s) of suspensions or even termination of their contracts. Still, others seem to have even bigger odds stacked against them all the time and can never seem to catch that one big break.
At the tale end of last week, the WWE parted ways with one Mr. Ken Kennedy. I don’t know about you, but this came as a complete shock to me and I began to wonder what the true reason or reasons were behind his sudden release. Once you look at it however, you can see the pros and cons of this move from both Ken’s side, and the WWE’s side from a business standpoint. That’s the key to remember when all is said and done is that professional wrestling is a business and at the end of the day, it all comes down to that bottom dollar.
The cons of releasing Kennedy (who’s real name is Ken Anderson) from the business standpoint are simple, Kennedy is a young talent with a lot of charisma and a lot of potential. In a time when many of the current main event stars are on the brink of retiring, it is now that future big names must be created. Kennedy is right there in that category. When he first began to rise, fans considered Kennedy to be one of the few solid stars in the making; along with MVP who was always bunched in with him. Now, with his release, the WWE is down one more young talent that was already over with the fans as a face and heel, and knew how to work a WWE-style match.
Cons from Kennedy’s view is the fact that the WWE is the premeire wrestling showcase, there is no bigger company to show your talent. Now that he has gone, TNA is really the only viable option for Kennedy if he still wants to be exposed to the public; although I wonder how he’d fit in with RoH? Going to TNA however may be a con in and of itself because it would seem as though he’s just another ex-WWE guy who couldn’t cut it, and TNA just signed him because he’s a name everyone knows. Plus the inevitable and rushed feud with Kurt Angle would happen instantly.
There are indeed some pros to this move however. From Kennedy’s standpoint, he is still young, he has the charisma, and he has the recognition now to do whatever he pleases. Like I mentioned, seeing him in RoH instead of TNA would be something amzing to see and he could be a guy to bring RoH to that next level. In addition to this Kennedy has now been with, AND been fired from the WWE so he now knows both ends of the spectrum. Which of course always leaves the door open for a return in the future. This is wresting and we all know it happens all the time.
Business wise, I can see how it was an effective move to release Kennedy. Now i didn’t say it was a good thing, or the best move, but I can see why it would be effective. For one, Kennedy is injury-prone. The poor guy has spent more time on the sidelines than in the ring because of his constant case of luck with injuries. In addition, based on the reports of the match this past Monday, he inadvertently nearly caused an injury to Randy Orton.
Here in lies that issue. For one, Orton is their WWE Champion. For the time being, its not Cena, its not Batista, its Orton. To lose him right now while he’s on the role he is would be a viscious blow. Plus, with HHH coming back it would prove costly to their planned big SummerSlam match. Secondly, Orton is a proven main event guy where as Kennedy is still working on rising there. This just shows how much pull one may have when they’re in a position like Orton.
Another reason why it may have been the right call to make is simply, Kennedy wasn’t improving fast enough to reach their accepted standards. He was already suspeneded once for violating a policy, and for a time seemed to just constantly stick his foot in his mouth. It is possible that these facts, along with nearly injuring Orton (and possibly close to reinjuring himself) the WWE just found Ken Anderson too much of a liability to keep any longer. At least for this point in time.
Like I said, I was just as shocked as everyone else, but in the wrestling business, we all know nothing lasts and I wouldn’t be surprised to see Kennedy back sometie in the future. Until then, let’s hope this guy can catch a break soon because in my opinion, he does have the skill to become a main event guy. And we’ll all remember the name.. MRRRRRRRRR. Kennedddyyyyyy!
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