The Next Great Heel
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The world of professional wrestling has been blessed with an abundance of heel characters, ranging from ‘The Instant Classic’ Christian Cage, ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin, ‘The Legend Killer’ Randy Orton, ‘The Rated ‘R’ Superstar’ Edge, ‘The Game’ HHH, ‘The Million Dollar Man’ Ted DiBiase, and ‘Classy’ Freddie Blassie, just to name a few. However, professional wrestling in general is lacking one main characteristic that the ‘Attitude Era’ had plenty of; fresh faces that were pushed to the top of the business. And the WWE, with its latest ratings decline, is in dire need of a true heel, one that makes fans furious and frustrated, and this WWE Superstar is capable of filling that void – Misterrr Kennedyyy…Kennedy.
To say the very least, Ken Kennedy is unique. He has something – charisma, style, attitude – call it whatever you want. This 31-year-old is seeing a push in his WWE career with the injuries to HHH, Shawn Michaels, Bobby Lashley, The Undertaker, Edge, Rey Mysterio, and so on, and will undoubtedly take advantage of this golden opportunity.
Of course, Mr. Kennedy’s performance can only be judged based on how well the WWE writers incorporate him into their storylines, his number of title shots, and just how bad they can make him.
For starters, what sets Ken Kennedy apart from the rest of the WWE talent is his in-ring promos. The fact that he announces his in-ring information is simply classic. His gum-chewing lack of respect for fans and talent alike gives viewers everywhere a sense of hate for the man. The fact that he repeats his last name when taunting is simply genius. And not to mention, using the boss’ middle name couldn’t hurt his chances of getting a good push for some WWE gold.
Mr. Kennedy possesses a cocky arrogance towards him that I have not seen very much of in the past. Looking at Kennedy, be it backstage, in the ring, or doing a promo, Kennedy is in a league of his own. His style is somewhat similar to that of Chris Jericho and possibly Stone Cold Steve Austin, but again, as far as I can remember, Ken Kennedy is a specimen of incredible talent and hard work.
Unfortunately, with a possible cursed World Heavyweight Championship (see Rey Mysterio, Batista, Edge, Ken Kennedy [he was written in to win it the same day Edge won it, so technically, it should have been him], etc.) Kennedy was forced to forfeit his title after strategically winning the Money in the Bank…Bank title shot at WrestleMania 23. In addition, his current push, combined with the recent injury bug biting just about every major Superstar in the WWE, Kennedy is in need of a Championship push. With John Cena’s lack of in-ring talent, and his feud with Bobby Lashley, Kennedy has been left out of the spotlight for the time being. Fortunately, HHH is returning, and even though that adds yet another main event status Superstar back into the injury depleted RAW roster, HHH is said to be very high on Mr. Kennedy and his ability as a headliner in the WWE.
During the month of June, I saw Mr. Kennedy forced to ‘put over’ people such as Super Crazy (numerous times), all resulting in losses that not only kept Kennedy away from the Number 1 Contender’s spot for John Cena’s WWE Championship, but also has not reaped any benefits to the Superstars he jobbed to, such as Super Crazy. I am aware that no Superstar can win every single match, and that underdog face wins over the favourite heel are good every so often, but I mean, come on – with no real future for Super Crazy, and having him beat the future of the business is ridiculous.
What also makes a heel great is their ability to turn face and heel again – the quicker, the better. Kennedy has that ability, as he is already over with fans for his “Mr. Kennedy…Kennedy” announcement, as everyone chants it with him, almost like shades of, “Finally…The Rock, HAS COME BACK, to To-ron-to…” For those of you who can remember, thing back to when Vince McMahon bought the WCW and ECW franchises, and they created their own ‘WCW vs. NOW’ with the WWE vs. The Alliance angle (Rock, Y2J, Taker, Kane, and Show vs. Austin, Angle, RVD, Booker T, and Shane). The ability to make fans think you’re a total jerk, then give them a glimpse of ethics/morals and help out the good guy, only to turn around and screw him over big time is what separates the boys from the men.
What also makes Ken Kennedy as good as it gets is the simplicity of his character in general. Take his moves for example; the Green Bay Plunge/Lambeau Leap/J.F.K. (Just Finished by Kennedy) is a rolling fireman’s carry off the top rope; the Kenton Bomb, a knockoff of Jeff Hardy’s ‘Swanton Bomb’; and lastly, the ‘Green Bay Meatpacker’, basically, a hangman’s neckbreaker. His promos, as well, are simple in technique and get the message across. One recent RAW episode (I believe it was either the 2nd or 3rd RAW after the 2007 Draft Lottery), Kennedy’s in-ring promo (before the Mr. Kennedy…Kennedy part) was along the lines of this, “Unfortunately, I had to leave my home in SmackDown! To come here and on RAW and perform in front of you a**holes in [insert-city-name-here]. (chorus of boos). I would just like to remind you that I really…really, really really really really, really, really, really…really really really…do not like you people (chorus of boos).
His shirts, slogans, and logos are also simple with the classic heel trademark; “Talk Loud, Hit Harder’; ‘Nice Guys Finish Last – Thank God I’m an A**hole”. These things, plus the backhand Italian slap he uses from time to time are great techniques to get him heat as a heel and define him as one of the greatest heels in sports entertainment in this day and age.
The best part about this, perhaps, is the training itself. Many past Superstars or Legends are training current WWE Superstars in the hopes of passing on talent, style, some moves, techniques, etc, like Shawn Michaels is doing for London and Kendrick. In Ken Kennedy’s case, his mentor is none other than ‘The Texas Rattlesnake’ Stone Cold Steve Austin. From confirmed sources around the web, Kennedy is talking to Austin and picking his brain on how to become a better heel (What?), how to continue to antagonize the fans (What?), and how to become a future WWE Champion (What?).
There are, however, a few small problems I see in Mr. Kennedy. For one, his size. I realize that small heels can work as champions because of the unfair advantages a heel creates for him/herself in the ring, but compared to the likes of Batista, Bobby Lashley, The Great Khali, The Undertaker, and Kane, Kennedy looks like a chump. One of my wrestling friends made a comment during a RAW segment a few weeks ago, saying, “How is Kennedy going to be able to give Lashley the Green Bay Plunge?” Valid question. Lashley is a tank – 6’3”, 275 lbs. Kennedy, 6’2” and 247 pounds. I guess we’ll have to wait to find out.
All in all, the WWE seems to be on the decline since the Attitude Era, and most recently, the past few months in terms of ratings. Looking at the RAW program now, you have a face in John Cena being chased by a face in Bobby Lashley. I don’t understand that logic. Finally, the writers have inserted Randy Orton into the mix, and it’s unfortunate that Randy has had to go around and start punting people in the head to keep his job. Orton is a terrific athlete, both heel and face, and can get the job done as a Champ if it wasn’t for his lack of discipline outside the ring. With the writers producing good material, a Kennedy/Orton program would go well. In fact, a Kennedy/HBK program would be terrific. Hell, Kennedy vs. anyone would be sweet. Kennedy is now the man you love to hate in the WWE, and as long as he stays away from the World Heavyweight Championship, he should have a long and prosperous career in the WWE, hopefully resulting in a Hall of Fame induction by Stone Cold Steve Austin.
