Why Mr. Kennedy Was Fired From WWE In 2009, Explained

Highlights

• Mr. Kennedy was well-liked and had potential to become a huge wrestler in WWE, with charisma and strong mic skills.
• Randy Orton played a role in Mr. Kennedy's firing from WWE after claiming to have been injured during a match.
• Despite multiple opportunities, Mr. Kennedy's career in WWE was hindered by injuries and a suspension for violating WWE's Wellness Policy.

Back when Mr. Kennedy first debuted in WWE in 2005, most fans thought he would become a huge wrestler. Kennedy was also well-liked behind the scenes. Paul Heyman, for one, liked him a lot. Eric Bischoff and Hulk Hogan thought he would become really successful in wrestling. Fans would compare him to other successful wrestlers like The Rock and even “Stone Cold” Steve Austin.

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It would be unfair to compare his talent to theirs, but based on fans’ perception, it was clear that Kennedy was going places with his talent and skills. Charisma oozed off him, and no one denies that. His mic skills were really good, hence the comparison with The Rock, and while he didn’t possess excellent wrestling skills, it didn’t hold him back. But as everyone knows today, Mr. Kennedy didn’t grab the brass ring. He was fired from WWE in 2009, with no explanation at that time. Why was that?

Mr. Kennedy Was Fired Four Days After His WWE Return In 2009

Randy Orton Allegedly Played A Role In Mr. Kennedy's Firing

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When Kennedy returned to WWE in May 2009, he participated in a 10-man tag team match on Monday Night Raw between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Denver Nuggets. Kennedy was part of the Los Angeles Lakers, and on the opponents’ side of things, there was Randy Orton. During a spot in the match, Kennedy did a belly-to-back suplex on Orton, but something went wrong, with The Viper claiming that he landed on his neck.

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On May 29, WWE put out a statement that they had released Mr. Kennedy from his contract. The internet wrestling community was very shocked by this news, and they wondered what could have gone wrong in four days that led WWE to release Mr. Kennedy. During an interview with Wrestling Inc. in 2016, Mr. Kennedy said that Randy Orton and John Cena were behind his WWE firing. According to Kennedy, Randy claimed that he hurt his neck during the back suplex, whereas Kennedy – after watching the tape – told him that this wasn’t true, but Orton didn’t buy it. He later went to Vince McMahon and took John Cena along with him and complained that Kennedy was too dangerous to work with and that’s how he got served his termination papers.

Mr. Kennedy Was Given Multiple Opportunities To Succeed In WWE

Mr. Kennedy Had A Reputation For Being Prone To Injury

Before he eventually got fired in 2009, there were several attempts from WWE to push Mr. Kennedy. It was easier to do since the fans already loved him. When he first came to WWE, he tore his lat during a European tour and missed half a year's worth of in-ring action. After his return, WWE pushed him again and he even won the Money in the Bank briefcase at Wrestlemania. But during a house show, he got injured and, once again, his push was canceled. WWE doctors told him that he had suffered a torn triceps. Around that time, The Undertaker was also dealing with an injury and had to take some time off to recover.

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McMahon wanted Kennedy to cash in his briefcase and become the World Champion, but due to the injury diagnosis, WWE decided to have Kennedy lose his briefcase to Edge. The Rated R Superstar successfully cashed in his briefcase on the Undertaker, but soon Kennedy found out that his injury was not that serious, and instead of missing months, he only needed a few weeks at best to recover.

The next year, in 2008, Kennedy once again was injured during a live event and returned a few months later in 2009, and that’s when he had that match on Monday Night Raw which led to his firing. Now, contrary to what fans believe, Mr. Kennedy said that he is not “injury prone.” He said that most of his injuries came from working against unsafe wrestlers. This sounds a bit ironic coming from him, because many other wrestlers have labeled him as an unsafe worker.

Mr. Kennedy Fixed His Relationship With Randy Orton

Mr. Kennedy Took Responsibility For His WWE Release

After years of blaming other people for his release, Mr. Kennedy said he was solely responsible for everything. In an interview with The A2theK Wrestling Show, he revealed that he and Randy Orton chatted a few years back and cleared the air between them. A lot of factors led to his firing, according to Kennedy. Injury issues aside, there was also one time when Kennedy publicly said that he was not involved in the steroid scandal, but then he got caught and suspended for violating WWE’s Wellness Policy, which also derailed his push. There were many chances given to him, and considering his reputation among top wrestlers, the Randy Orton incident could merely have been the final straw for him.