Brian Kendrick is no stranger to anyone out there, or at least he shouldn’t be. He has been wrestling since 1999 and of course is a former student of the legendary “Heartbreak Kid,” Shawn Michaels. He has had a lot of ups and downs in his career, but his in-ring savvy is second to none perhaps; albeit he often didn’t get his due respect or a chance to show his skills on the WWE platform, as is sadly the case for many who pass through the speedy revolving doors of WWE.
Most recently, he had a position as producer on NXT and was even showcased on a recent few episodes…his appearances were to supposedly be leading to a match with NXT up and comer, Harland. Kendrick was thrown down a flight of stairs by Harland, and after being medically cleared in the story line, Kendrick even cut a great promo, challenging the younger star to a match.
Well, like so many other angles in WWE right now, the plan was nixed and Kendrick never appeared on the show again, and now this…
Fightful Select confirms that he is no longer contracted with the company.
He quietly asked for his release from the company and he was granted that release, as cultaholic.com also reports. What’s a tad more surprising is that he will now be facing Jon Moxley on Dynamite tonight.
It all happened so fast, and despite the fact that many other released wrestlers have been constrained by no-compete clauses, it would seem that this does not apply to Kendrick, who is a free-agent, thus his mentioned appearance, which has been confirmed by AEW…they have announced the match officially.
This is great news for Kendrick fans, and like so many other underutilized talents in WWE/NXT, he will be given a proper platform to showcase his skills.
His resume reads like any other legend of the ring’s resume, but perhaps a tad more prolific. He wrestled all over. After his WWE debut back in 2000…most of which he spent in developmental at the time with Memphis Championship Wrestling.
It was in 2002 that he would go to Ring of Honor, have a brief return to WWE shortly thereafter and have a run that would last just under two years. What would follow was some time on the independent circuit and a small run in TNA. He would find his way back to WWE for a run that would last a tad longer…this opportunity though would be short-lived as well, and he ended up back on the indie circuit…for a longer stint this time, as well as a more significant run at TNA and with NJPW.
via WWE /YouTube
In 2013 he would open Brian Kendrick’s Wrestling Pro Wrestling, situated in Bell Gardens, California.
He would return to WWE in 2014 where he would have many responsibilities from in the ring to behind the scenes, and he remained there until this latest development.
It is unclear as to if this will lead to an official signing with AEW as of this writing, but his Wikipedia page states that he made the deal for the match with AEW on the very same day that he was granted his WWE release.
Having him in AEW is promising indeed and we can only look forward to what this legend can contribute on that platform.
Domenic Marinelli is an author and freelance writer/journalist. His work has appeared in The Sportster, E-Wrestling News, Pro Wrestling News Hub, CFL News Hub, XFL News Hub, Ringside News, Daily DDT, USFL News Hub, Slam Wrestling, as well as other print and internet publications. He is the author of Generic V, Summer of the Great White Wolf, His Old Tapes (stories & poetry), Across a Dark River in Palermo and so many others. He lives in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. https://linktr.ee/AuthorDomenicMarinelli
