Outspoken newcomer Ken Kennedy took WWE by storm, beating the likes of Booker T and bullying “inferior” announcer Tony Chimel. Few Superstars caught on so quickly or were so immediately entertaining. His propensity for repeating himself … Kennedy … became an infectious catch phrase in a matter of weeks. All that was left for Mr. Kennedy was to make his mark in championship matches and star on the pay-per-view stage. But Kennedy’s fierce momentum came to a grinding halt during WWE’s overseas tour, as Kennedy tore the tendon clean off a bone in his back. With surgery imminent, WWE.com caught up with an unusually somber Kennedy to get his take on the situation.
WWE.com: Can you give us the details on your injury?
Mr. Kennedy: I separated the tendon from the bone in my lat.
WWE.com: Did they give you an idea of how long you’ll be out?
Mr. Kennedy: The doctor estimated that it will be three months before I can even start strengthening it or rehabbing it, and then an additional three months before I can set foot in the ring. So, six months.
WWE.com: When did the injury originally happen?
Mr. Kennedy: It happened the second night we were in Italy. I tore it and it just felt like a bruise. I thought I was just dinged up a little bit. I did things to try to protect the injury, but I kept wrestling. Then, the swelling started going down and the bruising went away. When I had my match against Matt Hardy in the UK, afterward I felt really sore and was bruised up again and swelled up again. I had a couple days off and didn’t do anything, and then I went home and put heat on it, stretched it out and massaged it.
I wrestled Kid Kash last week in Cincinnati in a non-televised match, and afterward, I felt fine. But I went out to eat later on that night, and I couldn’t even put my hand into my pocket to take my wallet out to pay for my meal. It started to swell up and really starting hurting, and I knew something more than just a bruise had happened.
I had already had an MRI, but it hadn’t been read yet. And the next day when I called Dr. Rios to tell him that I felt like something was wrong, he said, “Yeah, we just got the results back from your MRI, and you’ve got a tear.” So, he advised me to find a specialist here in Minneapolis and get an opinion from him. So, I did that. I went to get some X-rays, and when I came back, there were four doctors in the room, and I knew something was up. They had me do a bunch of stretches to figure out what kind of range of motion I had. They then said that I had torn the lat off the bone. It’s kind of similar to what Triple H did to his quad. I had torn it completely off the bone and the doctors said I needed surgery – that it couldn’t be rehabbed.
WWE.com: Are you confident in the care you’re receiving?
Mr. Kennedy: I’m in good hands. I’m being taken care of by one of the top doctors in the country. The University of Minnesota is a renowned medical facility, and I’m being taken care of by the doctor who works on players from the Minnesota Vikings.
WWE.com: When will you have the surgery?
Mr. Kennedy: I go into surgery tomorrow. They told me I could stay overnight, but I opted to be miserable at home where I can play video games and stuff like that.
WWE.com: So, are you just going to take it easy after the surgery and keep a low profile?
Mr. Kennedy: No. I’m going to stay in the gym. I’m going to make sure I make it to the gym every day – once I can actually start going. It might be a week or two before I can go to the gym. You know, I can do cardio, and I can do legs and I can work on the other side of my body. I just can’t do anything with my right side. But I’m going to try to get back as soon as I can. I don’t want to lose what I’ve gained.
WWE.com: Is this frustrating for you, considering how much momentum you had before the injury?
Mr. Kennedy: It is. I’m so bummed out right now. A lot of the guys have been calling me, though.
WWE.com: Are you already thinking at all about what you might do upon your return to try to regain that momentum? Do you have any goals set?
Mr. Kennedy: Well, I don’t want to wait six months before I come back. I think there are other things I can do to contribute to the show without actually being in the ring wrestling. But, hopefully now there will be some time to think about things. I want to make an impact when I come back. I don’t want to just take a little run to first base; I want to knock one out of the park and round the bases.
WWE.com: On another note, what has it been like becoming more known and getting a lot of press in the local papers? Has that been fun for you?
Mr. Kennedy: Yeah. To me, I never wanted all that, though. It hasn’t been about fame. I just really, really enjoy entertaining people. I always have, ever since I was a little kid when I would do impersonations of people. I’d watch movies and know them word for word after watching them one time, and I’d emulate what I saw in movies. As I got into high school, I started doing impersonations of all my teachers, which got me into a little bit of trouble sometimes. So, I’ve always liked entertaining people. So, I guess the best thing about receiving press and seeing those stories is that I then know that people are being entertained by what I’m doing. So, that’s I guess the best part about it.
