Brian Kendrick was once at the top of the heap in the world of professional wrestling.
He was best known for his tenure in the early 2000s with the World Wrestling Federation, which later became World Wrestling Entertainment. During his time there, he was part of a duo that won the world tag team championship.
He would leave WWE in 2009, but he went on to also be involved with Ring of Honor, Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, New Japan Pro-Wrestling and Pro Wrestling Zero1, and he now comes to Morden Saturday, Aug. 30 under the banner of Canadian Wrestling’s Elite.
Now still just 46 years of age, Kendrick has already had quite a career and has wrestled all over the world, so one might wonder what keeps him going
“One is that you dig yourself into such a hole that you have no resume for anything else … so there is the necessity of it,” he said.
“But two, it’s the only place I find a purpose. When I’m doing these wrestling shows or helping out young wrestlers, interacting with the audience after a show, I feel joy. I can feel the joy off of them. We’re all having a good time, and it’s the only place I feel that when I’m wrestling or around wrestling.”
Kendrick is making his CWE debut as part of the its annual Cruel Summer Tour. In addition to Kendrick, the lineup includes CWE champion ‘Chizzled’ Chad Daniels, CWE central Canadian champion ‘The Crazy MoFo’ CAMikaze, seven-time CWE champion ‘Hotshot’ Danny Duggan, ‘Lion Warrior’ Bobby Sharp, Ronnie Attitude, ‘The Headline’ Shaun Martens, ‘The Rebel’ Bobby Collins, ‘Red Hot’ Sammy Peppers and a special eight-man tag team elimination match.
What drew Kendrick to wrestling was how there is a level of athleticism involved, but it is also entertainment. He vividly recalls the moment as a kid when he realized this was what he wanted to do with his life.
“So about 36 years ago or so, I saw the Ultimate Warrior run down to the ring to face Hulk Hogan, and this was Wrestlemania 6 in Toronto,” he said. “The Ultimate Warrior looked like Conan the Barbarian but with face paint and tassels … and I thought that’s what I wanted to do.”
“I’m a smaller guy, but as a little boy, I wanted to be that super hero, and he was tangible, something real, not just a cartoon, and I was hooked ever since.”
Kendrick absolutely doesn’t mind being involved with a smaller circuit like the CWE.
“This is what I do now,” he said, noting how he was recently in St. John’s, Newfoundland as well as places like Rochester, New York and New Orleans and then Australia.
“It’s not glamorous, and there’s not big money in it,” he said. “I get to see the world, and I get to smaller cities and towns, and I get to be with so many people everywhere.”
On this tour, he will be going to some bigger cities like Winnipeg and Edmonton but then many smaller centres as well like Morden.
“It’s getting to see the real world, and I like it because it’s interesting … I get a taste and then I go back home,” he said, noting Venice, California is home for him now.
Retirement isn’t on his radar anytime soon.
“I don’t have plans for anything else, but I don’t have plans to do this forever either,” he said. “I’m just trying to enjoy it and see where it takes me … we’ll see what’s next for me, but I don’t know what it will be.”
The evening in Morden begins at the Access Event Centre with VIP doors opening at 6 p.m. and then for the general public at 6:30 p.m. The wrestling action starts at 7 p.m.
Tickets for VIP first access are $30 in advance or $35 at the door, and general admission is $25 in advance or $30 at the door. Advance tickets are available at Giant Tiger or online at cwetickets.com.
Kendrick encourages people to come out for a lively, action-packed evening of entertainment.
“The great thing about pro wrestling is that it’s interactive. You can yell and scream at the wrestlers, and the wrestlers will yell and scream right back at you,” he said. “It makes it even more interactive.”
