Former TNA Wrestler Brian Kendrick Interview. Talks TNA, His Release, Shocking Russo Allegation And More
Former TNA Wrestler Brian Kendrick spoke with Unlimited Wrestling Radio about his release from TNA, how his release came to be, what is he doing now and and much more. This week's guest host was none other than former WWE star and Ring Ka King wrestler Chavo Guerrero. Below is a quick recap of some of Kendricks comments.
On his departure from TNA. "I no longer work for TNA. Ive been for the longest time pitching ideas. One was to bring in Paul London to rejuvenate the tag team division. Another, Shelly Martinez pitched an idea to be more or less a Courtney Love to my Kurt Cobain. I would be the shy bashful guy and she would dress me up and put me on twitter and stuff. Both ideas i pitched and really liked and a lot of times i wasn't getting responses to emails."
"There's also a lot of changes going on in TNA right now. New guys coming on board, Vince Russo leaving. So it all sort of got lost in the shuffle i suppose. About a month ago i asked if i could pursue other options. I dealt with Bruce Prichard and he spoke with whoever he needed to speak to. As of Tuesday of last week I signed the papers i needed to sign. It was something i initiated but i think it was something they were all to happy to please me in that sense."
"It was my fault in signing the contract that i signed. I really had a good time there. I really like the people there. I signed a pay per appearance deal. My wife just went from working a job she really liked to a job working six days a week. She's going to school for comedy stuff so it is putting a real stress on her."
On What he does in his spare time: "On my spare time ive been doing cartoons. Thats what ive ben doing. I've had, i don't I guess the last 120 days off or so Ive been making stop motion animation. It's called Fun Time Pro Wrestling. I draw them out and paste them to a little poster board i have. I take a picture then move it over just a bit and take another picture. Anywhere between 500-800 pictures. I actually had to go out and purchase a real tripod and cannon camera to get this going."
Chavo comments on how all wrestling contracts are one sided deals, this leads to Kendrick talking about the time Vince Russo Spoke with the TNA undercard: "Yeah and they can release you at any time but i cant release them at any time. It's funny, Russo had a meeting with us about 8 months ago, maybe more. He was explaining that we have 60 guys on the roster and that certain guys have ridiculous contracts and some of you have contracts that I don't know why you signed them. You guys must really love wrestling that much to prostitute yourself out like that."
"He told us this in a meeting we are prostituting ourselves out and he is right. So i asked him, in front of everybody, are you suggesting or do you endorse starting a union, is that what you are saying? Russo answered by saying well you are going to get me in alot of hot water but yeah thats exactly what you guys need and we all know it. Its you know it would be easy for the lower card guys to start it but you would need some of the upper card guys to say yes, I am willing to lose a bit of my salary to all have retirement and treated justly."
His thoughts On Dixie Carter: "I like her. The thing is, as soon as i got my (release) paperwork sent in, i got a text right from her. It was her thanking me for my time and hoping we could work together in the future. I thanked her for the time. I think they gave me a place to work; I got to do what i love for a living and truthfully I couldn't have asked for a nicer boss. She is so nice, the company is so nice."
"I'm going to miss the crew, I loved sitting out and drinking with my red river saloon buddies. All of the guys who work behind the scenes in the stage. We would hang out at the double tree and get drunk."
On The backstage feel in TNA: "It was different from the respect i guess that not so much locker room enforcers and intimidation. If you are a young guy in the WWE, you better know who's in charge. If the undertaker tells you to do something, you better fucking do it."
"In TNA we got separate trailers where we dress in. Everybody gets along with Kurt or Bubba but there isnt so much of the passing on of knowledge as there is in the WWE. There isn't much of that locker room enforcement. The locker room its looser."
"All of the guys who came up through Nashville who had been there for a long time, your James storms Bobby Roodes, AJ Styles, Frankie Kazarian, Christopher Daniels, Abyss all great guys, would dress in their locker room. Then what we would call the X-division, the people of color, anyone who wasn't "white" under 250 pounds would dress in another locker room. It never felt cliqy but nobody bounced around from locker rooms. The main event guys would just dress in the offices."
Kendrick also spoke candidly about his drug habits and mentioned he has been clean for some time now. Brian mentioned that it was simply a health choice that he had to face and that he feels much better physically and emotionally since being clean.
TNA Announcer Suffers Wardrobe Malfunction During Impact Tapings
TNA ring announcer Christy Hemme apparently suffered a wardrobe malfunction at last nights Impact Wrestling tapings. Hemme commented on the mishap on her Twitter account shortly after last nights taping.
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Dear front row at IMPACT, I publicly apologize for my wardrobe malfunction. My battery pack was too heavy for the string that held it on!
There was high praise for CM Punk and Chris Jericho after their segment on last night's RAW Supershow. Here are some comments:
Jim Ross: "It's going to be hard for anyone to follow the pure wrestling match that @CMPunk & @IAmJericho will have at WM28 Trust me on that"
Bret Hart: "That was probably the best promo I've seen in months & I'm not saying that bc of the shoutout. Punk & Jericho were on the top of their game"
Meanwhile, Chris Jericho commented:
"And THAT is how you prove a point.... @CMPunk #raw"
After suffering a nasty gash at the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view, Kofi Kingston had staples removed from his head before yesterday's RAW in Portland.
Former TNA Stars Release Cryptic Video Regarding Their Departures
Former TNA Knockout Shelly "Salinas" Martinez has uploaded a new video on her official youtube channel. The video features a worked segment where she finds former TNA star Brian Kendrick. Kendrick begins a cryptic rant about his release.
We can report that Kendrick did indeed pitch an idea to have Salinas return as his manager. I'm assuming this was a sort of visual representation of what could have come from that angle. We will have more on the departure of Brian Kendrick from TNA soon.
WWE is advertising Randy Orton for tonight's RAW Supershow from Portland, Oregon. It will be interesting to see what happens with Orton as today is February 27th, the day when WWE says Orton is to be re-evaluated after suffering a concussion in his match against Big Show a few weeks back.
Orton has been out of action since then and was forced to be pulled from the Elimination Chamber match. WWE Dr. Michael Sampson told WWE's website that Orton was evaluated that night but would undergo more testing on February 27th to see how Orton is going to do short term vs. long term.
- Ricardo Rodriguez indicated that he was not on the road with the RAW crew in Portland, Oregon for tonight's Supershow. This could be a sign that Alberto Del Rio isn't scheduled for tonight's RAW but when Del Rio returned at the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view, Ricardo was not with him.
WWE Champion CM Punk vs. World Heavyweight Champion Daniel Bryan ended in a No Contest (PHOTOS) Kelly Kelly def. Nikki Bella (PHOTOS) John Cena def. The Miz (PHOTOS) Tag Team Triple Threat Match (PHOTOS) Sheamus & Big Show def. Mark Henry & Intercontinental Champion Cody Rhdoes (PHOTOS)
WWE Raw SuperShow results: From The Best Ones to The Great Ones By: Kevin Powers February 27, 2012 Tags: WWE Raw SuperShow: February 27, 2012
PORTLAND - With The Road to WrestleMania fully underway, The Rock returned to Raw SuperShow to address his WrestleMania opponent John Cena. Also, the tension between SmackDown General Manager Teddy Long and Interim Raw General Manager John Laurinaitis continued to intensify with rumors circulating about the state of both brands. Also, the rivalry between Chris Jericho and WWE Champion CM Punk reaches a boiling point with both Superstars ready to prove who is the best in the world.
The Rock addressed the WWE Universe (PHOTOS | WATCH) The Great One returned to WWE Raw SuperShow to remind the WWE Universe that without them, The Rock would never exist. The Brahama Bull then turned his attention to his WrestleMania XXVIII opponent John Cena. The Rock had many choice words for John Cena and whenever he hurled an insult at his WrestleMania opponent, the Portland crowd would chant in unison. The Great One explained to John Cena that he was fighting for the people and that he lived to entertain the people. As The People's Champion continued, John Cena made his way to the ring to counter The Rock's insults and fire back his own. When Cena left, The Rock said it didn't matter what Cena said, at WrestleMania, both Superstars would put everything on the line. To watch The Rock's address, play the video above. WWE Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels will return to WWE Raw SuperShow next week!
The Board of Directors will have a special announcement about Raw SuperShow and SmackDown at 10 AM EST on WWE.com
Sheamus & Big Show def. Mark Henry & Intercontinental Champion Cody Rhodes (PHOTOS | WATCH) Before the contest began, Intercontinental Champion Cody Rhodes took the opportunity to mock Big Show and remind him of his loss to the 150-pound boxer Floyd Mayweather at WrestleMania XXIV (WATCH). As Rhodes and Big Show prepared to start the match, the Intercontinental Champion immediately tagged in Mark Henry. The World's Strongest Man didn't even have a chance to enter the ring before The World's Largest Athlete unleashed his fury. Mark Henry never had a chance to recover as he was run over by Big Show. However, Big Show turned his attention to Cody Rhodes who left ringside and retreated up the entrance ramp. This allowed Henry a chance to recover, but Sheamus tagged himself in and took down The World's Strongest Man with a powerful Brogue Kick for the win.
Eve addressed the WWE Universe (PHOTOS | WATCH) One week after revealing that she used Zack Ryder, Eve addressed the WWE Universe and explained that she is "a woman in a man's world." She explained that she has no problem using men to achieve her goals. She implored the WWE Universe not to blame her for her natural strengths, but to blame their weaknesses.
After she left the ring, Kelly Kelly confronted Eve and asked her what has gotten into her. Eve responded by laughing in Kelly's face and walking away.
Teddy Long and John Laurinaitis argued over rumors about the leadership of Raw and SmackDown
WWE Tag Team Champions Primo & Epico def. Kofi Kingston & R-Truth and Dolph Ziggler & Jack Swagger (PHOTOS) In perhaps their most impressive WWE Tag Team Championship defense yet, Primo & Epico managed to defeat two formidable teams in a Triple Threat Tag Team Match. Early on in the contest, Kofi Kingston's fast-paced offense seemed to be too much for his opponents to handle. However, in a contest with so many talented Superstars and strong pairings, no one could maintain momentum for too long. Each tag team seemed poised to outdo the other on their way to the tag team titles. However, Primo & Epico's teamwork was what ultimately led them to victory leaving the WWE Universe with no doubt as to why they are the WWE Tag Team Champions.
The celebration for Primo & Epico was short-lived as the entrance way exploded in a burst of fire and Kane made his return to Raw SuperShow. The Big Red Monster made his way to the ring and laid out every Superstar involved in the contest. Although Primo & Epico retained their titles, an enraged Kane spread his message of hate at their expense.
John Cena def. The Miz (PHOTOS | WATCH) Nearly a year removed from their epic clash at WrestleMania XXVII, John Cena battled The Miz on WWE Raw Supershow. Before the contest was underway, The Miz needed to get something off his chest. The Miz claimed that no one has worked harder than he has, but yet he is upset because he does not have a match at WrestleMania. The Miz was fully prepared to prove he was ready for WrestleMania by defeating the same Superstar he defeated at The Show of Shows last year.
When The Awesome One was done talking, the opening bell rang and the two Superstars immediately collided. Both Cena and The Miz has something at stake in this contest. Somewhere, The Rock was watching John Cena's every move, no doubt studying Cena's style and strategy. For The Miz, this was a great opportunity for him to prove he is ready to main event another WrestleMania. Momentum swings were fairly even in the contest, but Cena's offensive continually proved to be much more effective. Following an Attitude Adjustment, Cena locked Miz in the STF for the victory.
As Cena celebrated his victory, The Rock appeared on the TitanTron and simply waved his hand across his face, mocking his WrestleMania opponent.
Kelly Kelly def. Nikki Bella (PHOTOS | WATCH) No doubt thinking about the recent actions of her friend Eve, Kelly Kelly squared off against Nikki Bella on WWE Raw SuperShow. The lovely Divas battled back and forth and each showed off impressive displays of athleticism. As Kelly Kelly built a fair amount of momentum, Brie Bella tried to distract the blonde bombshell, perhaps attempting Twin Magic. Kelly knocked Brie off the apron, but was rolled up by Nikki. However, Kelly Kelly proved why she is one of WWE's top Divas and reversed the pin into one of her own to secure the victory.
WWE Champion CM Punk vs. World Heavyweight Champion Daniel Bryan ended in a No Contest (PHOTOS | WATCH) Not to be outdone by SmackDown General Manager Teddy Long, Executive Vice President of Talent Relations and Interim General Manager of Raw John Laurinaitis decided to kick-off the final WWE Raw of February with a rematch between WWE Champion CM Punk and World Heavyweight Champion Daniel Bryan. After Chris Jericho and CM Punk's heated exchange, Bryan made his way to the ring. A distraction from Mr. Laurinaitis before the opening bell allowed Bryan the early advantage but CM Punk quickly ran the World Champion out of the ring.
With the match officially underway, the WWE Universe was treated to another competitive match-up between WWE's best. The action spilled in and out of the ring under the close observation of both General Managers. However, both Punk and Jericho seemed to know each others style of competition very well. With both champions reeling from a collision inside the ring, chaos ensued on the outside. Santino Marella and David Otunga found themselves in a minor skirmish that was broken up by Mr. Laurinaitis. As Teddy Long, Laurinaitis and the official argued on the outside, Daniel Bryan tried to make an escape.
As the World Heavyweight Champion walked up the entrance ramp, Sheamus attacked, tossing Bryan back in the ring. This assist from The Celtic Warrior allowed the WWE Champion to execute the GTS on Daniel Bryan. However, before the official could make the count, Mr. Laurinaitis ran in the ring and prevented Punk's victory. This resulted in a confrontation between Laurinaitis and Long. With the match seemingly called off, CM Punk walked away from the ring. As he proudly displayed his title, the WWE Champion was brutally attacked by Chris Jericho.
Chris Jericho confronted WWE Champion CM Punk (PHOTOS | WATCH) Ready for his Champion vs. Champion rematch against World Heavyweight Champion Daniel Bryan, WWE Champion CM Punk was faced with his WrestleMania XXVIII opponent Chris Jericho. WWE's first-ever Undisputed Champion had one message for CM Punk: Chris Jericho is "the best in the world at what he does." However, as Jericho ranted, pleading his case, CM Punk remained unfazed and went on the attack. Claiming that Jericho has a "Napoleon complex," The Voice of the Voiceless questioned if Jericho wasn't trying to prove to the WWE Universe that he was the best in the world, but trying to prove it to himself.
Jericho continued to claim that even while he was away on "Dancing With the Stars," he would watch Punk rip him off. Yet Punk countered that all Jericho ever had to do was challenge him at WrestleMania rather than attack him on Raw. Punk ended the confrontation promising that he would remain WWE Champion and the two Superstars could put on the "greatest wrestling match in WrestleMania history."
EXCLUSIVE: More On The Departure Of Brian Kendrick
We have exclusively learned more regarding the departure of now former TNA Star Brian Kendrick. Kendrick was removed from television simply because creative has no other ideas for him. During this time, Kendrick did pitch some ideas to TNA creative but heard no feedback on them. Kendrick, who was on a per-appearance contract with TNA asked and was granted his release. It is being said that the departure was mutual, friendly and professional with no burned bridges so to speak.
Philadelphia radio station Mix 106.1 along with Beneath The Mat conducted a fan interaction interview with WWE Star CM Punk. Punk was asked who his least favorite wrestler was to work with. Punk responded by mentioning TNA star The Pope D'Angelo Dinero, real name Elija Burke.
"Does anyone even remember Elija Burke? Oh he was terrible, he is absolutely the worst. Talk about a diva. Sorry if you liked him"
You can watch the portion of the interview at the 4:19 mark of the following video:
According to PWInsider, Brian Kendrick is officially gone from TNA. A TNA source cited that Kendrick was released. Kendrick, who had been a pretty pushed X-Division talent last year, disappeared off TNA TV a few months back. There was word going around last month that he was leaving the company, but company sources stated at the time that it was not true. Kendrick is already taking some independent dates and is set for a March FWE event in New York City.
Over the weekend, we received your emails and tweets regarding comments made by Austin Aries via Twitter (@AustinAries). Here are the facts - Mr. Aries posted a tweet shortly after Impact this past Thursday Night (see image 1, below) and then removed it a short time later. Thank you to the fan who emailed us a screen capture of it. The next day, he posted this next tweet. (see image 2, below). We at ImpactWrestling.com are as interested as you are to what Mr. Aries was referring to. Over the weekend, our staff reached out to Mr. Aries who simply responded "No Comment". We've also reached out to officials from Impact Wrestling and are awaiting a response.
Christopher Daniels Interview: Talks His Character, Injuries, More
The Daily Progress interview with Christopher Daniels Full interview available at dailyprogress.com
On his character:
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When I started out in 1993, I was just Christopher Daniels. About two years in, I decided to take a ride on the dark side, and the name Fallen Angel got across the idea that I once was good, but now Im bad. Yeah, Im the baddest of guys, and Im having a blast. I have a great time getting under the skin of the fans and sort of bait them to see how far theyll go to watch me get beat up. Its interesting, because the kids are always going to want the good guy to come out on top in the end. But when they become teenagers or get into their 20s, they sort of gravitate toward the evil guy. I guess its that anti-authority figure, the guy getting away with it, that they then want to cheer for.
On almost breaking his neck in 2001:
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In 2001, I landed on my head really badly. It turned out to be a badly pinched nerve, but I actually fractured a bone in my neck sometime early in my career and didnt find out about it until I saw a chiropractor who took some X-rays. What usually gets you is the wear and tear. Its very rare that youre going to get hurt in one specific match or move. But the truth of the matter is, almost every time we take a fall, our necks whiplash. Our lower backs take such a beating, as well as our knees. Part of my job is to hit the gym every day and make sure Im in the best shape I can be.
On TNA's House shows:
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Impact Wrestling has tried to be a very fan-friendly event. We set it up so that during the course of the night the fans get the opportunity to meet at least one or two of the wrestlers. There will be autograph signings at the beginning, during the intermission and at the end of the night. And there will be one or two of the superstars in the ring so fans can get photographs taken with them. After a certain amount of time you realize youre only as popular as the people who are willing to follow you, and pay that dollar to come see what you do, live. Im very appreciative of that. In the world of social media, you can get feedback instantaneously. So Im very aware of the fans who are following my career, and I know, if not for them, Id just be some anonymous slob.
On the difference between a TV show and a House show:
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The attention span of television viewers has shortened. So we have sort of trained them to know that anything can happen within a span of a minute or two. Thats to keep them involved and glued to the television. So theres a mentality now that the people who have paid to see us at a live event get a longer show, because theyve paid to see it. They want to see longer matches, and they want to see bell-to-bell action. That means our physical capabilities are pushed to the limit, because you are often wrestling for 20 minutes during a live event. The East Coast is a great hotbed for wrestling, and it has always been a place where wrestling has thrived and survived. Were going to give the fans their moneys worth and make sure they have the opportunity to press the flesh with the guys working that evening.
For those that missed today's Ring Ka King episode, TNA paid respects to departed Indian wrestler Dharam Prakash Bhojwani named Chotu in Ring Ka King. called "Babu" by his peers and family, His dream was to follow in the footsteps of Indian wrestler The Great Kali. Dharam Prakash Bhojwani who's height was a staggering 7 feet 2 inches (Billed as 7' 6") suffered cardiac arrest and passed away on January 7 2012. He was just 29 years old.
webindia123.com has a brief bio on his life and aspirations to become a professional wrestler written back in 2009.
Iftekhar Ayub interviewed Chotu back in November of 2011 (Hindi only)
While Kharma is expected to be ready to perform by WrestleMania 28 in a potential match against Divas Champion Beth Phoenix, the original plan for April 1st had been Natalya vs. Phoenix but the way they have booked Natalya lately seems to indicate those plans have changed. As noted earlier this week, it has been suggested that the Divas work the WrestleMania dark match.
Chris Jericho received praise for his heel promo at the RAW live event in Los Angeles at the Staples Center this weekend. Jericho spoke in Spanish some during the promo and got the fans so upset that they threw toilet paper at him. Jericho worked the toilet paper into the promo and really worked the crowd. Jericho wrote the following on Twitter:
"Let me be clear on this. I don't wanna see any more toilet paper thrown at me in the ring again! It's disrespectful!!"
Ik ben Boon Kenneth, en gebruik soms ook wel de schuilnaam Sting.
Ik ben een man en woon in Dworp (Belgie) en mijn beroep is .
Ik ben geboren op 05/06/1989 en ben nu dus 34 jaar jong.
Mijn hobby's zijn: Worstelen en films.
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WWE is advertising Randy Orton for tonight's RAW Supershow from Portland, Oregon. It will be interesting to see what happens with Orton as today is February 27th, the day when WWE says Orton is to be re-evaluated after suffering a concussion in his match against Big Show a few weeks back. 
Chris Jericho received praise for his heel promo at the RAW live event in Los Angeles at the Staples Center this weekend. Jericho spoke in Spanish some during the promo and got the fans so upset that they threw toilet paper at him. Jericho worked the toilet paper into the promo and really worked the crowd. Jericho wrote the following on Twitter: 
