I’m not sure if WWE realizes this or not, but they have “that next guy” to help them return to the promise land. The way they have been booking Mr. Kennedy the last few weeks reminds me of Stone Cold Steve Austin just before he was about to break out. I always liked Kennedy and thought he had a big upside, but as of a few weeks ago I never thought he was the future of the company. I do now.
I was actually at Monday Night Raw a few weeks ago in East Rutherford, NJ when Kennedy made his return in a babyface/tweener role when confronting William Regal, who by the way is doing an awesome job as the new heel boss. I was at the show promoting my Fan Slam Wrestling Fan Festival 15th Anniversary Convention on June 21st at the Holiday Inn in Totowa, NJ. More on that later. Any way, fans were excited about Kennedy returning on that show. Tons of fans were screaming “Kennedy” outside the arena. When he came out to interrupt Regal, for whatever reason I said to myself “Wow, this guy is going to be the next Stone Cold!”
Coming off of his run in with Regal, WWE did an awesome job booking him the following week by having him team with Triple H against the entire ECW roster. While he might have been the one to take the pinfall in the match, he stood tall for a while battling fourteen guys with the number one babyface in the company. WWE continued to book him the right way by having him soundly defeat undercard heel Snitsky last night on Raw.
Now slow down!!!
Do not rush this. Do not push Kennedy down your audience’s throats. Let them slowly catch on that he is the future of WWE. That he is the superstar to bring WWE back to the days of the ATTITUDE era. That he’s the next Stone Cold Steve Austin.
Milk it. Milk it for as long as you can.
When the time is right, and it shouldn’t be until WrestleMania 25, you unleash Kennedy like no one has ever been unleashed before to a WWE audience. Mr. Kennedy could be the new Stone Cold, but triple the attitude. Can you imagine the Stone Cold character with the volume turned up about 75% more than the original version was? That would be sick! Fans would eat that up big time. The fans want to be entertained like they were back in the days of the Attitude era. Mr. Kennedy is the man that could do it.
The question is how do they get him there? You need to book this perfectly. There is no room for error on this one.
This is how I would do it…………………..
I would start him out really slow. I’d have him work his way all the way from the bottom. The first program I’d have him work with Paul Birchill. They could do a backstage skit where Kennedy runs into Katie Lea backstage and puts the moves on her and Birchill attacks him from behind. They can start a little program with each other that will hopefully also elevate Birchill by working with someone that has credibility. The end result is Kennedy goes over strong in the end and moves on to the next heel.
He can then start up a program with Carlito and Santino Marella, who by then should be the tag team champions. This should be around July. They can do a few weeks worth of angles leading to a tag team title match at SummerSlam with Carlito & Santino against Kennedy and a partner of his choice. They can build up speculation for a few weeks who Kennedy’s tag team partner is going to be, but in the end he has no friends and goes into the tag team title match at SummerSlam by himself. He goes on to win the tag team titles by himself.
Kennedy returns to the locker room and bumps into Stone Cold Steve Austin, who is making an unadvertised surprise appearance on the show. The two look at each other for a minute and Stone Cold introduces himself to Kennedy. Stone Cold then looks him up and down and says “That was impressive.” Kennedy looks down Austin for a minute and just walks away without saying anything. The seed has been planted!
The following night on Raw, I can see it now. Lillian Garcia announces the tag team champions. “First, this is…” Kennedy grabs the mic. He goes on to say “Mr. Kennedy…………….” Lillian then gets the mic back and announces “and his tag team partner…” and Kennedy grabs the mic back and says “Kennedy!” This will get over HUGE. With Kennedy holding the tag team titles, he gets to announce himself twice as the tag team champion, which in the end will get that catch phrase more over with the audience.
Kennedy can continue to work a little program with Carlito and Santino, where he defends his tag team titles at the following PPV in a rematch with the two. Santino says he’s hired an insurance policy to make sure they win back their tag team titles. At the PPV it turns out to be the returning Great Khali, who helps the two win back the tag team titles.
You then set up a Kennedy vs. Khali match at Survivor Series. Does it sound horrible on paper? Sure it does. However, when Kennedy beats the hell out of Khali and goes over super strong on him, it will get Kennedy that much closer to where he needs to be.
Kennedy returns backstage after the match and once again bumps into Stone Cold. Kennedy says “How rude am I? You introduced yourself to me at SummerSlam and I never introduced myself to you. I am Mr. Kennedy……………….Kennedy!” He walks away. Austin says to the announcer “Man, he reminds me of someone, I just can’t put my finger on it.” The second seed has been planted.
Next heel up, JBL.
He can work with JBL in December and January, getting him ready for the Royal Rumble. JBL is a great heel and will help get Kennedy to the next level. The two could have a Texas Bullrope Match at the Rumble, where the winner of the match advances to the Rumble match. The two have a brutal back and forth battle. In the end, Kennedy goes over in a blood bath.
Stone Cold Steve Austin makes a guest appearance at Royal Rumble. Randy Orton runs into Austin backstage. Orton asks Austin if he came to watch him win the Royal Rumble and go on to take on Triple H at WrestleMania. Austin laughs and says Orton isn’t going to win the Rumble. Orton asks him who is then. Austin tells him Mr. Kennedy. Orton laughs and says he just got done having a brutal match with JBL and is a bloody mess. Austin says “There is something about this kid that is different, that is special. He’s going to win the Rumble tonight, no matter what. He has it. He’s on the verge of becoming a mega star. Tonight is his night.” Orton warns Austin to be careful what he says or one day he will show him why he is the Legend Killer.
The Royal Rumble comes down to Kennedy and Orton. Kennedy is a bloody mess, he can barely stand. Some how though he manages to overcome the odds and eliminate Orton to win the 2009 Royal Rumble.
The next night on Raw, Kennedy comes out to open the show. He starts off by saying how he’s going to challenge Triple H for the title at WrestleMania 25. Kennedy says he can feel the momentum building for him and how at WM25… Steve Austin comes out! Austin gets in the ring and is looking Kennedy up and down. Steve Austin says ever since Survivor Series, Kennedy has reminded him of someone but he just couldn’t figure out who it was. He says after last night’s Rumble he’s realized who he reminded him of. He says himself. Austin says that he sees a lot of Stone Cold in Kennedy and tells him he thinks he can be the next big breakout star in WWE.
Kennedy goes on to tell Austin that he was actually a big fan of his well before he ever came to the WWE and he use to watch him wrestle all of the time. He tells Austin that he’s flattered that he thinks so highly of him but when all is said and done and the history books have been written, Austin 3:16 will just be a time in the day compared to Mr. Kennedy. He says he will be Kennedy 24:7.
Wham!!! Much like how Austin said “Austin 3:16” and the wrestling world went with it, if Kennedy says “Kennedy 24:7” to Austin who just got done putting him over so strongly, you just created the next huge marketing machine. Kennedy 24:7.
They can do a storyline where Austin is training Kennedy for his match against Triple H at WrestleMania. The two form a strong bond. Austin tells Kennedy he’s fought many wars with Triple H in the past and he knows what it takes to beat him. It’s pretty much the Rocky 5 story, with Stone Cold as Rocky and Kennedy as Tommy “The Machine” Gunn. Triple H however, doesn’t like the fact that Austin is helping train Kennedy, which causes a problem between HHH/Austin. The plot thickens.
WWE then announces that Steve Austin will get inducted into the 2009 WWE Hall of Fame, since it’s in Texas next year. They have Mr. Kennedy be the man to induct him. It’s the perfect story. Here you have Austin training Kennedy for the biggest match of his life and Kennedy gets to induct his trainer into the Hall of Fame the night before it. Kennedy could say how much it means to him that Austin thinks so highly of him and is helping train him and promises to win the title out of respect to him at WrestleMania.
Triple H, who is not happy that Stone Cold is going to be in Kennedy’s corner for the title match at Mania, announces that someone is going to be in his corner as well. He says it’s going to be the man that hasn’t appeared in the WWE since last year’s WrestleMania, “Nature Boy” Ric Flair.
Think about that for a second. Wow, that’s money!
Here you have Mr. Kennedy, who is right at the point of breaking out huge, with the biggest star in company history in his corner against the current top babyface with a man that hasn’t appeared on camera in over a year in his corner. Kennedy (w/Stone Cold) vs. Triple H (w/Ric Flair) for the WWE Championship at the biggest event of all times.
Kennedy goes over to win the title!
After the match, Flair presents him with the title and shakes his hand. Kennedy then gives Flair the stunner. Kennedy and Austin celebrate and are drinking beers together for about five minutes and then out of no where Kennedy gives Austin the stunner as well! Kennedy says that Kennedy 24:7 has arrived and how the Green Bay Barracuda is now on the top of the WWE.
Kennedy 24:7. The Green Bay Barracuda.
As Cryme Tyme would say…That money, money……
I would love to read your feedback to my debut column here on Wrestlezone.com. I hope you enjoyed it. I look forward to continue to entertain you with my thoughts and storyline ides right here in the weeks and months to come. Who knows, maybe someone up in Stamford will read these columns and realize that there are people out there that are far more creative then some of the people currently on their creative team. You can reach me at: tommyfierro@optonline.net
Thanks!
Tommy Fierro
