Brian Kendrick

Brian Kendrick

From Texas to Japan and from Ring of Honor to TNA to WWE, Brian "Spanky" Kendrick has indeed been all over the world in his six-year-plus career, and while he may not be a World Champion, he has indeed proven that sometimes it's not the size of the dog in the fight, it's the size of the fight in the dog.

Brian adapted the nickname Spanky while being trained by Shawn Michaels at Michaels' wrestling school. As with most, if not all, of Michaels' graduates, Kendrick made his wrestling debut for the Texas Wrestling Alliance in 1999. Championship gold came quickly to the newcomer, as Kendrick defeated Rudy Boy Gonzales on November 9, 1999 to capture the TWA Television Championship, and on March 21, 2000, teamed with the American Dragon to win the TWA Tag Team titles.

Brian Kendrick
Brian Kendrick
Brian KendrickKendrick's talents did not escape the WWE's notice, and he was signed to a developmental contract and assigned to Memphis Championship Wrestling. In gaining his first championship, the MCW Light Heavyweight title, Kendrick had to go through his former tag partner, "The American Dragon" Bryan Danielson, defeating him on September 22, 2000 for the first of three reigns as champion. A second reign would come when Kendrick defeated Derrick King on January 6, 2001, for the title which had been held up, while a third began with a May 11th victory over Tyler Gates.
Brian Kendrick
Brian Kendrick
Brian KendrickDespite their battles over the Light Heavyweight Championship and in several tournaments (including the 2001 ECWA Super 8 and he APW King of the Indies, both of which saw Kendrick lose in the first round), Kendrick and the American Dragon mended fences well enough to enjoy a reign as Tag Team Champions.

No matter how many titles he won in MCW, Brian "Spanky" Kendrick couldn't convince WWE officials that he belonged on the Raw or Smackdown rosters, and he was released. Kendrick returned to the indy circuit, where he tangled with American Dragon again, on shows in Las Vegas and Alaska.

On February 23, 2002, Kendrick teamed with Ikaika Lao and defeated Michael Shane and Oz in a Shawn Michaels' Wrestling Academy Challenge match at Ring of Honor's Era of Honor Begins show. Because of the win, Kendrick won a ROH contract.