Mr. Kennedy: A top star in waiting
As a native Minnesotan and Minnesota Viking fan, it only took four words to get Mr. Kennedy over with me as a heel. The first night he appeared on SmackDown and was introduced, the ring announcer included these four words: “…from Green Bay, Wisconsin…”
Nothing gets the blood of a Viking fan boiling more quickly. And Ken Anderson, whose ring persona is “Mr. Kennedy,” didn’t disappoint, playing the classic heel while stealing a bit of his gimmick from classic boxing announcer Michael Buffer, grabbing the mic from Harvey Finkleman and re-announcing himself to the crowd in Michael Buffer style.
It helps that Mr. Kennedy is a good talker on the mic, cutting sharp heel promos and enjoying the boos, taking his heel sensibility from classic Minnesota wrestler, Jesse “The Body” Ventura, who always liked to say he was just “telling it like it is.”
It also helps that Kennedy can wrestle a solid match. He does this while delivering solid basics in the ring, showing a decent understanding of ring psychology, which was prominently on display in his now-classic SmackDown feud with Undertaker. He doesn’t require a special outfit or ring entrance to demand attention; it’s all pretty straight-forward with Mr. Kennedy, because it works without the extras. His only gimmick is to get in front of the camera and “be an ass.” Which is how the best heels get over.
What I like about Mr. Kennedy’s potential is that he’s more of the cocky ass than the cowardly type. I’ve never been a fan of in-ring heels like Triple-H, who go around talking like they’re completely unbeatable, but whine like little girls when someone builds a match that stacks the deck against them. I’ve always thought true cocky heels were easier to hate; they never back down, quake in their boots or complain because they’re just too overconfident to ever worry that things might not turn out in their favor.
That’s the kind of heel Mr. Kennedy tends toward, and it’s a lot more appealing. Wise up, WWE: Make Mr. Kennedy the new WWE champ in Cena’s absence. He’s the kind of heel who can not only earn boos, but sell WWE product, from Mr. Kennedy t-shirts to personalized pens.