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Guest Editorials
EDITORIAL: Why Mr. Kennedy is the perfect solution to the announcer situation Aug 15, 2008 - 2:36:50 PM
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GUEST EDITORIAL
By Tony Teshara of Hayward, Calif.
PWTorch.com Reader
It seems like there is quite a bit volatility in the WWE announce positions lately. Ever since the draft a few months ago, we've seen announcers mixed and matched on shows in an effort to "shake things up." Long time partners J.R. and King have been broken up. Mike Adamle has become the new GM of Raw. We've seen Tazz flip between shows. Mick Foley looks like he will only have last a few short months before departing for greener pastures.
Now we have Matt Striker and Todd Grisham as the voice for ECW. There seems to be a lot going on, and it got me thinking - there has to be someone on the roster who could really step up and make a difference. And then it hit me as I was reading the boards earlier in the week. There is a man who could step up. His name is Mr. Kennedy………… umm Kennedy.
Think about it. This is Ken Kennedy's third, maybe fourth big injury. It seems like he just returned from his last hiatus. The guy is always hurt, struck down right in the middle of a push he was about to start. Granted, he was spinning his wheels on Smackdown at the time of his latest injury, but that's testimony to how the WWE views him at this point - unreliable.
Big plans like Money In The Bank get thwarted because he jacks up a shoulder and is out four months. He's never won a feud. He's been on the losing end to Batista, HBK, ‘Taker, Cena, you name it. I guess we can call Paul Burchill a victory, but something is wrong if that is the biggest feather in your cap.
It is true that a guy like MVP has pretty much lost every feud he has been in as well, but when one looks at him, you still get a sense that he could be a World Champion. Not so much with Kennedy.
At this point, it seems like he will be destined to be the next Carlito, a once hot prospect that will flounder in pointless matches on Smackdown, with the occasional feud with a low wattage start. With time, he may end up becoming the Val Venis of Friday nights, enhancing guys like Umaga or Kozlov as they step back up to money feuds.
Secondly, the guy pretty much sucks in the ring. He's not Khali bad or anything, but he lacks that killer instinct that guys like Edge or Randy Orton possess. Once he stopped doing the rolling thunder off the top rope, pretty much all his uniqueness went out the door. He's your standard punch/kick brawler with no identifiable flair. His mouth however, is a different story. While his gimmick is quite one note and played out, there is no denying the man has charisma with a great sense of timing. He also seemingly carries the intelligence needed to come off as a viable, knowledgeable source for wrestling history and information.
Finally, we need a jerk. All of the current combos are fan favorite based. It's pretty much agreed that the love/hate, (mostly hate) relationship of Michael Cole and JBL was a fan favorite. It was different and harkened back to the days of Jessie Ventura or Mr. Perfect ragging on their partners. Most don't care for Michael Cole's vanilla presence, so when a bully like JBL came along, people thought it was funny when they insulted him. (We all loved it when we thought Kane was going to choke slam him a month ago.) It was premature and ill advised to turn Kennedy face, and the results have been a completely lackluster run. Let's just let Kennedy do what Kennedy does best - be obnoxious.
In the end this could be a short term solution, or maybe it can lead to something more, a la Tazz. The small window of opportunity for Kennedy to become World Champion has closed. It will never happen.
I know there has been plenty of positive feedback on Matt Striker behind the mike, but he could be so much better utilized as a mouth piece for an up and comer, like he was for Big Daddy V. So let's figure out how to get J.R./King back together again. Let's have Tazz join Todd in the land of the extreme.
And let's let Mr. Kennedy finally find his mark in the WWE, by giving Michael Cole and his frosted tips crap on Friday nights.
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