Brian Kendrick
| Brian Kendrick | |
|---|---|
| File:SpankyWWE.jpg | |
| Born | May 29, 1979 Fairfax, Virginia |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Spanky Leonardo Spanky Brian Kendrick |
| Billed height | 5 ft 8 in (173 cm) |
| Billed weight | 175 lb (79 kg) |
| Billed from | Olympia, Washington |
| Trained by | Texas Wrestling Academy Shawn Michaels Rudy Boy Gonzalez |
| Debut | October, 1999 |
Brian David Kendrick (born May 29, 1979 in Fairfax, Virginia) is an American professional wrestler who currently works for World Wrestling Entertainment on the SmackDown! brand, where he is currently one half of the WWE Tag Team Champions with his tag team partner, Paul London.
Kendrick has previously worked for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling in its X Division, Ring of Honor, and various independent and Japanese promotions, usually under the stage name Spanky. In Japan his stage name is Leonardo Spanky, due to his resemblance to Leonardo DiCaprio.
Career
His first match, for the Texas Wrestling Alliance, against fellow Shawn Michaels graduate American Dragon, ended in a 10-min time limit draw and received a standing ovation. He proceeded to make a name for himself in UPW, Ring of Honor, and Pro Wrestling ZERO-ONE thanks to his great ringwork and the eccentric persona he crafted for himself. Spanky competed in the 2001 King Of Indies Tournament.
He was hired by then SmackDown! General Manager Stephanie McMahon after seeing his great performance in the ring. Before officially debuting as Brian "Spanky" Kendrick he wrestled on Velocity several weeks in a row, each time under a mask and using a new name that tied in with a specific cities sports team. Spanky soon played a major role in the WWE's cruiserweight division and was teamed up with Paul London.
Brian's "Spanky" gimmick turned up after he interrupted then heel John Cena proclaiming his own hip-hop style was better and more cocky than Cena's own rap lifestyle. The confrontation between Kendrick and Cena resulted in Cena delivering his finisher, the F.U., to Spanky, and started up a rivalry between the two wrestlers. However, Spanky was unfortunate on the rivalry after Cena won all the matches.
On January 13, 2004, Brian Kendrick requested to be released from his WWE contract for not getting enough money from house shows and to pursue a run with Pro Wrestling ZERO-ONE in Japan. Kendrick had previously claimed in various interviews that he wasn't happy about Tough Enough winners getting bigger pushes, despite Kendrick working hard for his spot. He went on to wrestle for ZERO-ONE, Ring of Honor, and Pro Wrestling Guerrilla for a short time.
In August 2004, he signed a contract with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling. He did not remain with the company long, only making two appearances. From January 2005 to August 2005, Kendrick competed for Ring of Honor and Zero One.
Return to WWE
On June 28th, 2005, it was confirmed that Brian Kendrick had signed a new contract with World Wrestling Entertainment. Spanky appeared on numerous Velocity tapings and live shows before his first re-appearance on SmackDown! on the November 18, 2005 special edition Eddie Guerrero tribute show. He participated in a Cruiserweight Battle Royal but lost to Juventud.
During this time, Kendrick would re-team with his former partner Paul London. The team would make their first reappearence on SmackDown! during the December 2, 2005 edition.
London and Kendrick continued to wrestle both as a tag team and singularly on Velocity for several weeks before being involved in a short feud with the debuting Gymini team.
Kendrick along with London returned to Velocity before participating in a non-title match against the Tag Team Champions, MNM on the February 10th edition of SmackDown!, which London and Kendrick were unable to win. On April 7th edition of SmackDown! London and Kendrick would once again face MNM, this time picking up a win over the reigning WWE Tag Team champions in this non-title match. London and Kendrick would continue their winning streak on the champions, including singles victories for both Kendrick and London on MNM members Johnny Nitro and Joey Mercury respectively. The pair defeated MNM during WWE Judgment Day 2006 to win the WWE Tag Team Titles a few weeks later.
As WWE Tag Team Champions, Kendrick and London would go on to successfully defend their titles against various tag teams on the SmackDown! brand; including The Mexicools and The Pit Bulls.
In wrestling
- WWE masked personas
- Each one was a representation of a hometown's sports team, depending on where he wrestled.
- Pittsburgh Penguin
- Diamondback
- River Rat
- The Jet
- The Titan
- Finishing and signature moves
- Sliced Bread #2 (Springboard backflip three quarter facelock diving reverse DDT)
- Electric Mayhem (Knee smash off an elevated position)
- Cyclone DDT (Swinging DDT)
- Dr. Smoothe’s Secret Recipe (Corner backflip dropkick)
- Left Turn At Albuquerque (Turning frog splash)
- Whirling Twirlixer (Somersault corkscrew plancha)
- Superkick
- Hurricanrana
- Leg lariat
Championships and accomplishments
-
- Won from Jimmy Rave and Fast Eddie on August 6 2005 in Bushnell, Florida, USA
- Lost to The Heartbreak Express (Sean and Phil Davis) on September 2 2005 in Arcadia, Florida, USA
- MCW Southern Light Heavyweight Championship
- Won from American Dragon on September 22 2000 in Vicksburg, Mississippi, USA
- Title held up after a match against Derrick King on December 30 2000 in Memphis, Tennessee, USA
- MCW Southern Tag Team Championship – with American Dragon
- Won from The Triad (Seven and Thrash) on December 1 2000 in Manila, Arkansas, USA
- Lost to The Dupps (Bo and Jack Dupp) on January 13 2001 in Corinth, Mississippi, USA (Shooter Schultz subbed for American Dragon)
- MCW Southern Light Heavyweight Championship (2)
- Defeated Derrick King in a rematch to win the held up title on January 6 2001 in Bogota, Tennessee, USA
- Lost to Tyler Gates on April 7 2001
- MCW Southern Light Heavyweight Championship (3)
- Awarded after the title was stripped from Gates on May 11 2001 in Coldwater, Mississippi, USA
- Final champion; title abandoned on June 1 2001 in Marmaduke, Arkansas, USA
- NWA/UPW/ZERO-ONE International Junior Heavyweight Championship
- NWA International Lightweight Tag Team Championship – with Low Ki
- Won from Dick Togo and Ikuto Hidaka on February 19 2004 in Tokyo, Japan
- Lost to Tatsuhito Takaiwa and Tomohiro Ishii on June 4 2004 in Hachinohe, Japan
- NWA International Lightweight Tag Team Championship (2) – with Kaz Hayashi
- Won from Tatsuhito Takaiwa and Tomohiro Ishii on September 19 2004 in Tokyo, Japan
- Titles vacated on February 28 2005
- ZERO1-MAX United States Openweight Championship
- Defeated Ryouji Sai to win the vacant title on March 23 2005 in Hakodate, Japan
- Vacated in August 2005 after Kendrick re-signed with WWE
- TWA Television Championship
- Won from Rudy Boy Gonzalez on November 9 1999 in San Antonio, Texas, USA
- Lost to Rudy Boy Gonzalez on January 11 2000 in San Antonio, Texas, USA
- TWA Tag Team Championship – with American Dragon
-
- Won from MNM (Joey Mercury and Johnny Nitro) on May 21 2006 in Phoenix, Arizona, USA
- Current champions
Trivia
- Kendrick's previous entrance song was "Hey You", it has also been in used by TV companies for non-WWE commercials.
- His theme song in Japan (as Leonardo Spanky) is a techno remix of "My Heart Will Go On" by Celine Dion.
- He has had two theme songs in ROH. First using "Quality Control" by Jurassic 5, then "Danger! High Voltage!" by Electric Six.
- Has been currently dating Tough Enough 1 contestant Taylor Matheny since July 2002.
- Kendrick is real-life friends with professional wrestlers CM Punk, Samoa Joe, and Alex Shelley.