Battle for the present and future
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- It looks like Mr. Kennedy is as mad as hell and he's not going to take it anymore.
"It" could mean many things. But perhaps more accurately is his lack of championship opportunities and frustration over seeing established legends such as Shawn Michaels getting chances at the WWE Title -- a prize The Showstopper has held on four different occasions and something the loudmouth Green Bay, Wis., native has never held. Tonight on Raw, Kennedy exploded like a volcano and spewed his rage in a wild brawl with HBK.
Kennedy has whined incessantly about being cheated ever since he lost his Mr. Money in the Bank world championship opportunity due to injury and an opportunistic Edge several months ago. It's as if he believes he's entitled to title chances, that the WWE Championship is his divine right.
When Michaels emerged on Raw, HBK showed why he and Kennedy are so different. He didn't whine about losing his hard-fought championship match at Survivor Series against WWE Champion Randy Orton. He offered no excuses. HBK requested a rematch, but the arrogant Legend Killer bragged that his time had come and gone. Orton stressed that he was done with The Showstopper and that Michaels should step aside.
Almost on queue, Kennedy then appeared out of nowhere, literally and almost symbolically pushing him out of the spotlight. Seemingly piggybacking on Orton's comments, the former U.S. Champion told Michaels and the entire world that HBK had gotten enough chances at the WWE Championship. He believed Michaels should be best known as a "loser" -- for losing to former WWE Champion John Cena at WrestleMania 23, coming up short in his classic Ladder Match at WrestleMania X and "losing his smile" during a controversial surrender of the WWE Title several years ago.
Raw GM William Regal arranged a match between the two, but it never really got started. The tension between Kennedy and Michaels erupted into a melee that could not be contained in the ring. The self-proclaimed "future of sports-entertainment" tasted a steel chair, courtesy of HBK's Sweet Chin Music, but that didn't stop him from making a promise.
"You see Shawn Michaels, you see your career evaporating," he said. "You see young talent like myself, and you want to hold me down. But that is not going to happen. Father Time catches up with everyone. Father Time catches up with you. And I promise you that the next time we meet, you won't have to worry about Father Time. You'll have to worry about Mr. Kennedy."
If The Showstopper and Kennedy have any say in the matter, it looks like we've only seen the beginning of this rapidly escalating war pitting a legend versus a legend in his own mind.
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