Profile of Brian Kendrick on Famous Like Me

Brian David Kendrick (born 1979) is an American professional wrestler who has worked for World Wrestling Entertainment, Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, 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 slight resemblance to Leonardo DiCaprio.

Career

Spanky competed in the 2001 King Of Indies Tournament, where his first match, 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.

He was hired by then SmackDown! General Manager Stephanie McMahon after seeing his great performance in the ring. Spanky 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. 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, but did not remain with the company long. On June 28th, 2005, it was confirmed that Brian Kendrick had signed a new contract with World Wrestling Entertainment.

In wrestling

WWE masked personas

Each one was a representation of a hometown's American football team, depending on where he wrestled.

• Pittsburgh Penguin
• Diamondback
• River Rat
• The Jet
• The Titan

Finishing and signature moves

• Sliced Bread #2
• Electric Mayhem (Knee Smash off Top Rope)
• Swinging DDT
• Dr. Smoothe’s Secret Recipe (Corner Backflip Dropkick)
• Left Turn At Albuquerque (Turning Frog Splash)
• Whirling Twirlixer
• Hurricanrana
• Leg Lariat

with Paul London

• Get Well Soon (Reverse STO and Enziguri combo)

Championships and accomplishments

Pro Wrestling ZERO-ONE, National Wrestling Alliance and UPW

• 1-Time NWA (Zero-One) Junior Heavyweight Champion
• 1-Time NWA (Zero-One) International Lightweight Tag-Team Champion (with Low Ki)
• 1-time NWA (Zero-One) United States Champion

Memphis Championship Wrestling

• 1-Time MCW Southern Tag-Team Champion (with American Dragon)
• 3-Time MCW Southern Light Heavyweight Champion

Texas Wrestling Alliance

• 1-Time TWA Tag-Team Champion (with American Dragon)
• 1-Time TWA Television Champion

Trivia

• Kendrick's entrance song is "Hey You," by Cyclone 2K, which can be download from Kendrick's site.

This content from Wikipedia is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article Brian Kendrick