Ken Anderson had one of the strangest wrestling careers in recent history when looking at all the twists and turns. The start in WWE saw him getting over quickly under the name of Mr. Kennedy by cutting impressive promos and having good matches against top names. Various issues caused him to never follow through on multiple pushes planned for him until WWE released him.
TNA signed him as Mr. Anderson with the hopes of him reaching a top spot. Anderson continued to struggle in different ways despite having the support of multiple major names backstage. The story of his career is essentially someone who failed to reach his potential. Find out what went down behind the scenes with some surprising stories about Anderson backstage.
10 Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff thought he was a future top star after Australia tour
One of the first major moments for Ken Anderson after leaving WWE was getting a spot on the Hulkamania tour in Australia. Hulk Hogan ran his own tour facing Ric Flair every night while needing other talents for the card.
Anderson worked with Umaga on most shows and impressed both Hogan and Eric Bischoff. The timing saw them getting ready to take over TNA shortly after and they signed Anderson with the expectations of him being a huge star for them.
9 Jim Cornette thought he was an enhancement talent
Ken Anderson started his WWE career in Ohio Valley Wrestling trying to build momentum in developmental. Various interviews have seen Anderson reveal that Jim Cornette saw nothing special in him.
Cornette would book Anderson in matches putting over others with minimal character traits and no real identity. The skill set of Anderson was more old school than most, making it strange that Cornette wasn’t fond of him.
8 Paul Heyman was his first supporter in developmental
Paul Heyman gaining more power in WWE’s developmental system saw him falling in love with a few prospects. CM Punk was the name everyone remembers Heyman loving, but he also saw something special in Ken Anderson.
The change saw Anderson finally getting a chance to get over and prove his worth. Heyman was pivotal in helping many WWE prospects showcasing their strongest assets as a performer. Anderson credits Heyman with giving him the confidence to take more risks on the microphone.
7 TNA fired him for allegedly showing up under the influence
The end of Ken Anderson’s time in TNA featured a lot of controversy. TNA was already starting to change things up after the rebuild started under new management teams with Dixie Carter no longer in the picture.
Anderson was allegedly under the influence at a show that caused TNA to drug test him. Upon the test results proving he had used drugs, TNA released him to cut bait for good. Anderson took shots at TNA on indie shows and claimed their stories were not accurate.
6 Was suspended for PEDs 12 days after saying he doesn't use them
The WWE run as Mr. Kennedy saw him having a few huge roadblocks coming up every time things were going well. Kennedy made public comments claiming he wasn't using any steroids or performance-enhancing drugs when WWE was under the microscope following the Chris Benoit tragedy.
Unfortunately for Kennedy, he was part of a huge list of leaked names who received illegal PEDs from a doctor along with the likes of Booker T, Edge, and Randy Orton. WWE was most upset with Kennedy being so vocal about not using, which made their testing look bad.
5 Was supposed to be Vince's long lost son
WWE’s huge storyline of Vince McMahon having a child he did not know about on the WWE roster featured weeks of build. Mr. Kennedy was the rumored name scheduled to get the push, especially with his last name having the inspiration of Vince’s middle name.
The suspension for violating the wellness policy and upsetting WWE led to the plans changing. Hornswoggle was instead named as Vince’s son with a comedic payoff. Kennedy missed out on the push of his career.
4 WWE planned to have him face Triple H at WM
The plans for Mr. Kennedy as Vince’s son was reportedly leading to a match with Triple H at WrestleMania 24. Kennedy was going to get elevated into a top position and Triple H’s ties to the McMahon family made him the perfect opponent.
WWE removed that idea completely with Kennedy losing their trust. The Vince storyline instead saw JBL vs Finlay with Hornswoggle getting involved, and Triple H ended up having a triple threat match with John Cena and Randy Orton.
3 Bubba Ray helped him get ROH opportunity that fizzled out
Ring of Honor surprisingly booked Ken Anderson for one match against Marty Scurll. The friendship between Anderson and Bubba Ray Dudley saw Bubba reaching out to ROH management to suggest the match.
Anderson hoped the villain vs villain story against a top name would create some momentum, but the match was viewed as a disappointment. ROH never brought Anderson back due to viewing him as a bad fit.
2 Randy Orton and John Cena complained about his in-ring safety
The end of Ken Anderson’s time in WWE as Mr. Kennedy came following a big tag match with many of the top names in the company. Kennedy was at the point of no return when two of WWE’s top five stars grew angry at him.
Both John Cena and Randy Orton felt Kennedy was reckless and unsafe in the ring. WWE was already upset about past issues ruining plans, and this was the final straw. Kennedy was released by WWE to the shock of most fans.
1 WWE incorrectly calculated injury time when having him drop MITB
The biggest win of Ken Anderson’s career came at WrestleMania 23 when winning the Money in the Bank ladder match. Mr. Kennedy’s win was even more impressive in a true star-studded field against Edge, Randy Orton, Booker T, Matt Hardy, Jeff Hardy, CM Punk, and Finlay.
WWE planned to have Kennedy cash in on The Undertaker to win the World Championship until he suffered an injury. The doctors believed Kennedy would miss five-to-seven months, so WWE had him drop the briefcase to Edge. It was extra heartbreaking when Kennedy returned after just three months since the timetable was inaccurate and he could have easily still cashed in.