Could THE Brian Kendrick still be somebody?

[Mr. Nerfect]

When he broke off from Paul London in the WWE, and he debuted this character:



I genuinely thought the sky was the limit for him. I actually had this nervous feeling as I was watching him perform, because I feared that it could end at any minute (and it did -- but because it was his own fault), but I just didn't want it to. I just loved the character so much. As far as wrestling characters go, I think it was absolutely brilliant, to the point where I think he could be considered a great character in any sort of fictional genre.

There's just so much depth there. It actually seems fuelled by who Brian Kendrick is. Not on a superficial level, but as far as his deepest feelings about himself as a performer go. THE Brian Kendrick knew he was brilliant, and thought he had every right to the spotlight. Brian Kendrick strikes me in much the same way. But every single element of the character just came together for me.

Brian Kendrick can wrestle, and has more pure talent than most guys do. The only thing holding Kendrick back, in a kayfabe-sense, is his size. This was cancelled out by Ezekiel Jackson, who provided the muscle Kendrick needed to be the "perfect wrestler." It was all part of his plan, and this was reflected in his theme song.

A lot of people noticed similarites to Shawn Michaels and Brian Pillman in the character, but one that I have thought about recently is one I have not seen mentioned before (although maybe it was). There is something about THE Brian Kendrick that reminds me of The Joker from "The Dark Knight." Kendrick didn't wear make-up or a purple suit, but he did have his ring jackets and an attitude which gave off an extroverted appearance. The true similarities I see between the characters, though, is in how they seem to mask themselves in who they are, while embracing it at the same time. I couldn't imagine The Brian Kendrick going home and cooking himself a meal; nor could I imagine The Joker doing the same thing. It's something Brian Kendrick would do, and it's something Heath Ledger would do; but not their characters -- even though they would have to.

What I also liked about the character was that he was almost a heel underdog. It's rare to find those. Brian Kendrick was a guy who had some success, but knew that he should be having more. THE Brian Kendrick was on a mission to break the glass ceiling over him using his cunning and pure talent -- and he succeeded to some degrees. I liked his early undefeated streak in the character, because it gave off a sense that he was overachieving. While THE Brian Kendrick should be thinking of wrestling all the time, it actually seemed that it was often the last thing on his mind. Guys waste their lives trying to find a niche in the business, and this Kendrick guy emerges talking about literature and history while dancing around. The underdog became the overachiever.

The character eventually lost some of its tone when Kendrick became more of a "dancing fool" and a "coward" who hid behind his bodyguard. This was obviously done to simply the concept and make to give people more of a superficial reason to boo him. But at its very core, THE Brian Kendrick is one of my favourite wrestling characters of all-time. A cultured, intelligent guy who knows how it is, and knows how it should be -- with a little man complex, but getting results.

I'm not sure how many will read that, and will agree with me, but whatever. It does not bother me to talk about one aspect of professional wrestling that I really loved. The Brian Kendrick joins Muhammad Hassan and Goldust as one of the deepest wrestling characters of all-time, in my books.

Now:

Am I wrong in assuming that there is a bright future for a character such as this? I haven't watched too much of what he has done in TNA, but he seems to be playing a toned down version of the character. An X-Division guy with a cocky attitude and some sweet jackets, really. My question is: Do you think that there is enough potential in the Brian Kendrick character to warrant TNA picking up where the WWE left off?