Brian Kendrick

At 44 years old, Brian Kendrick has this physical status:

Brian David Kendrick (born May 29, 1979) is an American professional wrestler and promoter who appears on WWE's cruiserweight-exclusive 205 Live website, where he appears on the ring name The Brian Kendrick. Kendrick is also known for his appearances with New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) under his real name, as Leonardo Spanky and on the independent circuit as Spanky. Kendrick's three championships over his career include the NWA International Lightweight Tag Team Championship, TNA X Division Championship, World Tag Team Championship, WWE Tag Team Championship, WWE Tag Team Championship, WWE Tag Team Championship, WWE Tag Team Championship, WWE Cruise Team Championship, WWE Cruise Team Championship, ICW Tag Team Championship, and Zero-One United States Openweight Championship.

Kendrick's Wrestling Pro Wrestling is Kendrick's current owner and operator, and is run by him.

Early life

Kendrick was born in Fairfax, Virginia, and is the son of Barbara Kendrick and the youngest of three children—a brother named Neal and a sister named Shannon. He then moved to Lacey, Washington, where he attended North Thurston High School. During his senior year, he served as a dishwasher at Dirty Dave's Pizza Parlor while saving money to attend wrestling classes.

Ultimate Warrior, Blue Blazer, and Koko B. Ware were among Kendrick's favorites wrestlers as he grew up. Shawn Michaels, who taught him, and Chris Jericho were both a fan. He was already a great friend with his former tag team partner Paul London, as well as Lance Cade and Bryan Danielson, both of whom he trained with.

Personal life

Since August 2008, Kendrick has been married to Tough Enough finalist Taylor Matheny.

Kendrick is also a diehard baseball fan. The Los Angeles Dodgers are his favorite team.

Kendrick is a huge fan of conspiracy theories. In 2011, he told Truth is Scary that he believes the September 11 attacks were faked with holograms and that Osama bin Laden's assassination never occurred. Brian Kendrick Theories: The Kendrick Theory, a book about the murder of Jews during the Holocaust was exaggerated, not murder, as well as claiming that the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting was faked. His remarks, as well as other statements regarding his participation in other conspiracy theories, resurfaced in February 2022 and resulted in widespread outrage on social media; his planned AEW Dynamite debut, which had been announced the previous day, was postponed. "I'm sorry for all the pain and embarrass [sic] I have caused with my words," Trump said on Twitter. These are not my convictions and never were personal beliefs, and I crossed the line. I made the most derogatory remarks without worrying about the harm it would cause. For the remainder of my life, I will live with this regret. "I am truly sorry for the pain I have caused."

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Professional wrestling career

In 1999, he transferred to Texas to begin training at the NWA Southwest wrestling academy and later attended the Shawn Michaels Wrestling Academy. Kendrick took the Spanky ring name Spanky, a nirr's nickname due to his habit of remaining alert during long drives on the indy circuit. In a match against American Dragon that resulted in a 10-minute time limit draw, he made his pro wrestling debut on October 4, 1999. Kendrick competed American Dragon in the first round of the King of the Indies tournament in October 2001, but lost. After the match, the audience gave both men a standing ovation.

Kendrick signed a developmental contract with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), a year in the company's "farm territories" before the promotion ended and Kendrick was released from service. On September 22, Kendrick defeated American Dragon for his first MCW title, defeating American Dragon in the MCW Southern Light Heavyweight Championship. He went on to win the MCW Southern Tag Team Championship on December 1, becoming a double champion. Since losing the Championships to The Dupps, the tag team disbanded. The Southern Light Heavyweight title was then declared vacant after a match between Kendrick and Derrick King on December 30, however. Kendrick regained the title after defeating King on January 6, 2001 in a match for the vacant championship. It was later lost to Tyler Gates before regaining it on May 11. Spanky was stripped of the title and the contest was scrapped on June 1, but Spanky was the last MCW Southern Light Heavyweight Champion, making Spanky the last ever MCW Southern Light Heavyweight Champion. He also holds the most reigns, with three of them.

Kendrick competed on Ring of Honor (ROH) on February 23, 2002, winning the match and gaining an ROH deal. Kendrick spent time in ROH in various other tournaments, including Heartland Wrestling Association and All Pro Wrestling, before heading to Japan in June to compete in Pro Wrestling Zero-One (Zero-One). Leonardo Spanky, a gimmick suggested by Shinya Hashimoto owing to Kendrick's resemblance to Leonardo DiCaprio, he wrestled under the ring name Leonardo Spanky. He became the first International Junior Heavyweight Champion in company history on June 29. A few months later, he switched the spelling to Low Ki.

Kendrick signed a deal with WWE in late 2002, but he was unable to participate until he completes his time in the independent circuit. He made his WWE debut on the issue of Velocity, which was marketed as a mascot of the town's local sports team, in which he was competing. He wore masks for weeks, each time competing under a different name. He appeared on the following week after being a telegram performer for Big Show to Undertaker and losing a Last Ride for his pain, starting a new series of events aimed at impressing the then General Manager of Smackdown! Stephanie McMahon did not sign a WWE contract, despite being unable to last five minutes in a match with Kurt Angle. He eventually earned himself a contract on the Smackdown episode of March 20, 2003. Shannon Moore was defeated by beating her in Shannon Moore. On the May 1, 2003 episode of SmackDown!, his first big storyline within WWE occurred. After he ended a John Cena promo, he reverted to his old "Spanky" ring name. Until May 22, the two rappers feuded over their common hip hop gimmicks. Spanky began working with Paul London on October 30, 2004, but Kendrick did not return to zero after Kendrick left WWE on October 30, 2004.

Kendrick wrestled in various independent promotions after leaving WWE. He resurfaced as "Spanky" on Pro Wrestling Zero1, and was quickly pushed to capture the NWA International Lightweight Tag Team Championship. This occurred with Low Ki's company on February 19, 2004, when they defeated Dick Togo and Ikuto Hidaka. A few months later, they lost the championship to Tatsuhito Takaiwa and Tomohiro Ishii. On September 19, 2004, Kendrick acquired a new tag team partner in Kaz Hayashi, and they retained the championships. They retained their titles until March 2005, when they cut them to Hidaka and Minoru Fujita. Despite losing the tag titles in March, Kendrick, as Spanky, received a singles push and went on to win the Zero-One United States Openweight Championship the same month. However, he lost the title in September 2005.

On the November 4 episode of Impact, Kendrick served as the ring name "Spanky" in a four-way match against Kaz, Matt Sydal, and Amazing Red. Spanky fought in a 20-man X-Division Gauntlet match for the X Division Cup at TNA's first monthly three-hour PPV tournament Victory Road, Spanky.

On December 17, 2004, he returned to ROH, as well as debuting on its sister company Full Impact Pro (FIP) for the first time ever Florida Rumble. Kendrick locked James Gibson, a fellow WWE sham, in a bout on February 25. The crowd yelled, "Welcome Back!" during the game.

and "SmackDown!

Sucks!

Both men received a standing ovation after the match.' Kendrick was booked as a mid-carder during his time in ROH, and he was regularly receiving matches late on the schedule. Kendrick also competed in the Trios Tournament, but he and his team members, Gibson and Nigel McGuinness, lost in the first round. He failed to qualify for several titles, including the ROH Pure Championship, ROH World Championship, and ROH World Tag Team Championship. Kendrick re-signed with World Wrestling Entertainment in July 2005 and would return to the USA after he had fulfilled his obligations on the Independent circuit. Kendrick won the FIP Tag Team Championship with Sal Rinauro on August 6, 2005, but then lost it to the Heartbreak Express less than a month later, just shy of returning to WWE.

Kendrick revealed in July 2005 that he would return to WWE after he had fulfilled his duties on the independent circuit. He made his return to action on August 22, 2005, losing in a Fatal Four-Way match for the WWE Cruiserweight Championship. On the anniversary of Velocity's September 30, he and his then-conductor Paul London reformed a tag team. On December 16, the pair remade their image by wearing theatrical masks to the ring with matching vests and shorts. They were quickly escorted into the WWE Tag Team Championship picture, where they were matched against WWE Tag Team Champions MNM on February 10, 2006, which London and Kendrick lost. They met MNM again on April 7, winning in a non-title match. Their storyline feud continued as London and Kendrick continued their winning streak over the champions, with singles victories for both Kendrick and London on MNM members Johnny Nitro and Joey Mercury, respectively. At Judgment Day, London and Kendrick won the WWE Tag Team Championship, defeating MNM six times in a row in singles and tag team matches altogether.

In early August, K. C. James and Idol Stevens defeated the champions in a non-title match, sparking a storyline feud between the two teams. During the competition, WWE Diva Ashley Massaro joined London and Kendrick in the Ring, posing as a valet to the team while still protesting James and Stevens' boss Michelle McCool's conduct.

On October 14, London and Kendrick became the longest reigning WWE Tag Team Champions until 2016, beating MNM's previous record of 145 days. Despite this, they were still listed as the underdogs in their feuds, as shown by their losing streaks to William Regal and Dave Taylor's team. Regal defeated both in singles matches and on the episode of SmackDown! on December 8th, Kendrick and London lost a non-title tag team match to the duo. At Armageddon, London and Kendrick had a scheduled championship defense against Regal and Taylor. The match converted into a Fatal Four Way tag team ladder match against Regal and Taylor, MNM, and The Hardys prior to the pay-per-view. Both London and Kendrick were successful in the game and retained their titles.

Deuce 'n Domino, London and Kendrick's rookie team lost on February 2, 2007, a non-title loss. London and Kendrick retained the title in a championship match at No Way Out. On the occasion of April 20 of SmackDown!, London and Kendrick lost the championship to them, effectively ending their reign at 331 days. (SmackDown!) On April 17, 1998, a new record was established. London skipped a moonsault from the ring apron to the floor during the championship match, injuring his ribs, causing Kendrick to face Deuce 'n Domino alone. On June 1, London and Kendrick failed to qualify for the title in a triple threat tag team competition involving Regal and Taylor, and they lost a match on June 15 in a standard tag team match.

During the Supplemental Draft, Kendrick and London were drafted to the Raw brand on June 17, 2007. On June 18, they defeated the World's Best Tag Team in their debut match on Raw against The World's Greatest Tag Team. They were quickly established as a threat to tag titles, and they defeated Lance Cade and Trevor Murdoch's World Tag Team Championship on September 3rd. Kendrick and London then feuded with Cade and Murdoch, and at a house show on September 5, they defeated Cade and Murdoch to win the awards but then lost it to Cade and Murdoch three days later. During Unforgiven, London and Kendrick continued to feud with Cade and Murdoch, losing to the Tag Team champions. For the remainder of 2007, London and Kendrick mainly competed on Heat or in tag championship matches until London was wounded in late 2007. As a result, Kendrick was mostly employed on Raw until London returned in February 2008, although Kendrick had also won occasionally on Heat.

Kendrick left London after a handicap match with Umaga in his next storyline. Umaga's Samoan Spike on London culminated in Umaga's victory over the duo, with Umaga winning the match over the duo. With no apparent dissatisfaction between the former tag team champions in London and Kendrick, there was no apparent dissatisfaction with them. London and Kendrick were determined to win the World Tag Team Championship after defeating Charlie Haas and Robbie McAllister on Heat. In a non-title match, London and Kendrick defeated the champions Hardcore Holly and Cody Rhodes. On Raw, they did not win the World Tag Team Championships after Holly pinned London.

Kendrick was drafted back to the SmackDown brand as part of the 2008 WWE Supplemental Draft, but London stayed on Raw, effectively ending the team. He appeared on SmackDown's airing on July 18, 2008 as a heel, defeating Jimmy Wang Yang with the help of his bodyguard, Ezekiel, who was later named Ezekiel Jackson. Kendrick was later referred to as "The Brian Kendrick." Kendrick defeated Kendrick in a 10-man battle royal on August 22nd of SmackDown to qualify for the WWE Championship Scramble match at Unforgiven. Kendrick claimed the interim WWE Championship at the tournament, although he did lose minutes after being the longest reigning as the "interim" champion. Kendrick was not the ultimate interim champion, but he never officially held the position. He later collaborated with Jackson on several occasions, becoming the top contenders to the WWE Tag Team Championship hosted by Carlito and Primo, but they never managed to win the championship.

Kendrick was fired from Jackson as he was drafted back to the Raw brand as part of the 2009 Supplemental Draft, although Jackson was recruited to the ECW brand. On the 19th episode of Raw, he fought Kofi Kingston in his return match on Raw. After defeating Carlito on May 11 episode and announcing his intention to win the Unified WWE Tag Team Championship, Kendrick continued his quest for a match on Raw; in the ensuing weeks, he tried several unsuccessful pairings; He was defeated by Kofi Kingston in his last match after announcing a promo on Jerry Lawler. Kendrick's turn around into Trouble In Paradise brought the game to an end. Kendrick was fired from his employment on July 30, 2009, according to WWE.

On August 6, 2009, Kendrick signed with Dragon Gate USA. On pay-per-view edited down to only the highlights of the match, his company's first match against Cima at Untouchable. He made his Pro Wrestling Guerrilla debut at Speed of Sound on August 28, defeating Bryan Danielson by a small margin. In the intervening years, he formed a PWG World Tag Team Champions The Young Bucks' Mark of PWG World Tag Team Champions started a feud with El Generico, Colt Cabana, and PWG World Champion Kenny Omega. Kendrick will be returning to the company on February 13, 2010 at the 8th Anniversary Exhibition, according to Ring of Honor on December 19th. Roderick Strong defeated Kendrick in the event.

Kendrick did not fit in with them and turned on him, only for him to be saved by his old tag team buddy Paul London on January 30, 2010. Kendrick and London defeated the Young Bucks, who have since been renamed Generation Me, in a non-title match later in the night. Kendrick was defeated by Jimmy Jacobs in a Loser Leaves Company tag team match against Jacobs and Jack Evans on March 27, 2010, and as a result, he was forced to leave the company for good.

Kendrick made his Family Wrestling Entertainment debut in March 2012, defeating Mike Benett. Kendrick competed in the Absolute Intense Wrestling Tournament in mid-May and advanced to the semi finals before losing to B. J. Whitmer. He wrestled against FWE Champion Tommy Lethal, Tommy Dreamer, and Carlito for the title on July 28, but Dreamer took the tournament. Three months later, London, Kendrick, and Lethal defeated Petey Williams and The Young Bucks. He was also in the first event of House of Hardcore, where Londron & Kendrick defeated The Young Bucks.

Kendrick was a member of DGUSA on January 26, 2013, winning an Eight Way Fray. Kendrick was defeated by Johnny Gargano for the Open the Freedom Gate title on Monday. Kendrick spent February in Preston City Wrestling, losing to Noam Dar in the Road To Glory Tournament. Kendrick lost a number one contendership match for the FWE Tri-Borough Championship to Paul London at FWE No Limits. Kendrick made his Combat Zone Wrestling debut on April 5, 2013, defeating Sami Callihan. On EVOLVE 19, Kendrick and Garando defeated The Gentlemen's Club the same day. Rich Swann defeated the Ultimate Gate on DGUSA Open on April 6 and 7. The Young Bucks defeated London and Kendrick on June 22, 2013 at House of Hardcore 2.

Kendrick made his ICW debut in a match against Joe Coffey at ICW 'Now Smokin' in Glasgow, Scotland, where he was barely defeated. Kendrick would again team up with Paul London on September 8, 2014, as part of the Insane Championship Wrestling Tag-Team Championships in Newcastle, England. Both men earned their titles and lost them on November 2, 2014, and they both lost them on November 2, 2014.

Kendrick met Will Ferrara in a non-televised match on February 2, 2016, defeating him in Ring of Honor.

Kendrick, the TNA X Division Championship's pay-per-view Genesis, Kendrick's return to action in a match for the TNA X Division Championship under a similar heel gimmick used in WWE, on January 17, 2010. Kendrick had signed a new multi-year contract with the company, according to Dixie Carter, who revealed it on her Twitter account on April 7, 2010. Kendrick appeared in TNA Impact!'s May 3, 2010 edition, but then Samoa Joe came out and assaulted both of them. Kendrick won his first singles match since returning to TNA by defeating Williams after a distraction from Kazarian. Kendrick was given a chance to compete in Williams' X Division Championship at Slammiversary VIII, but he was unable to win the title as a result of his victory.

Kendrick returned to Victory Road the following month, but Williams defeated him again, this time in an Ultimate X submission match. Kendrick appeared on Impact! on September 2nd, a stable made up of former Extreme Championship Wrestling champions. Glory Kendrick was involved in a Lethal Lockdown match involving EV 2.0 and Fortune, which helped his team win the match between the two teams. In a ten-man tag team match at Turning Point, each member of EV 2.0 put their TNA careers on hold. After being tackled by Douglas Williams, Kendrick was forced to leave the game straight away. EV 2.0 lost the game, and Sabu was suspended from TNA.

Kendrick spent months wrestling mostly house show matches before returning to PPV on April 17, 2011, where he defeated six other men in an eight-man X Division number one contender's Xscape match, where he lost to Max Buck after dissolving EV 2.0. Kendrick, along with Amazing Red and Generation Me, battle for the X Division's future after the legitimate firing of Jay Lethal. Kendrick failed in his bid to capture the X Division Championship from Abyss in a three-way match with Kazarian on June 12 at Slammiversary IX. Kendrick defeated Abyss to win the TNA X Division Championship for the first time on July 10 at Destination X. Kendrick defeated Alex Shelley in his first successful defense of the X Division Championship on July 21 by outside interference from Austin Aries. Kendrick defended the title against Abyss in an Ultimate X match the following week, putting an end to the feud.

Kendrick successfully defended the title against Alex Shelley and Austin Aries in a three-way match on August 7, 2011. Kendrick was disqualified from the X Division Championship on September 11 at No Surrender. Kendrick won a five-man ladder match on September 29th, gaining a rematch with Aries. Kendrick was branded by Kid Kash for disrespecting Kash on the tenth episode of Impact Wrestling. Kendrick failed in his bid to regain the X Division Championship from Austin Aries on October 16 at Bound for Glory. Kendrick appeared on Impact Wrestling's episode on November 17 to help defeat Austin Aries and Kid Kash in a tag team match. Kendrick was released from his TNA service on February 27, 2012, after three months of inactivity.

Kendrick made a surprise debut for New Japan Pro-Wrestling in Osaka on June 18, 2011, teaming with Gedo and Jado in a six-man tag team match, where they defeated Jushin Thunder Liger, Kushida, and Tiger Mask when Kendrick pinned Kushida with the Sliced Bread #2. The J Sports Crown Openweight 6 Man Tag Tournament's first round participants, Kendrick, Gedo, and Jado were disqualified from the competition three days later by IWGP Heavyweight Champion Hiroshi Tanahashi, Kushida, and Máscara Dorada's team. On June 23, Kendrick and Kushida competed in a singles match, where Kushida triumphed. Kendrick became a member of Chaos and competes for Chaos when he has visited New Japan during his time in Japan.

Kendrick will return to the sport in 2012 Best of the Super Juniors tournament as Davey Richards' replacement, and will participate in the 2012 Best of the Super Juniors tournament. Kendrick won five out of his eight matches, but losing to Ryusuke Taguchi in his final round-robin match kept him just out of the tournament's semifinals. Kendrick and Low Ki, nicknamed "Chaos World Wrestling Warriors" in New Japan, returned to Japan on October 21. However, the team was disqualified from the tournament in the first round by Apollo 55 (Prince Devitt and Ryusuke Taguchi).

Kendrick won four out of his eight matches in May 2013 and is back to compete in the 2013 Best of the Super Juniors, although he did not qualify for the semifinals. Kendrick retired from NJPW on October 25 to compete in the 2013 Super Jr. Tag Tournament, where he teamed with Beretta. Following a pre-match attack by Bullet Club, they were unable to participate in their first round match by The Young Bucks. Kendrick competed in midcard six-man and eight-man tag team matches for the remainder of the tour, which lasted until November 6.

Kendrick's Wrestling Pro Wrestling Pro Wrestling, based in Bell Gardens, California, in 2013. Pro Wrestling is now available on Twitch TV monthly. The program ran shows on a regular basis until 2018, when they only had two shows. Both shows took place in Los Angeles rather than Bell Gardens and South Gate, where his previous performances had been held in Bell Gardens and South Gate.

Kendrick appeared on NXT Takeover: R Evolution as he was apparently competing for a trainer position at the WWE Performance Center on December 11, 2014. On the February 25, 2015 episode of NXT, Kendrick made his televised return to Finn Bálor. Kendrick began working as a WWE coach and was tasked with training Eva Marie and Tough Enough Season 6 contestants Daria Berenato and Mada Abdelhamid. Kendrick appeared on Total Divas' Season 4 as a recurring character.

Kendrick was confirmed as a participant in WWE's upcoming Cruiserweight Classic tournament on June 13, 2016. Kendrick defeated Raul Mendoza in the first round match on June 23, and the tournament began on June 23 with Kendrick defeating Raul Mendoza. In the second round match, Kendrick defeated Tony Nese on July 14, who was defeated in the second round. Kendrick was kicked out of the tournament by Kota Ibushi in the quarterfinals on August 26, bringing color commentator Daniel Bryan to tears and receiving an ovation from the audience.

Kendrick was announced on the upcoming cruiserweight division in an episode on August 22. Kendrick made his official main roster return on September 19th, defeating Cedric Alexander, Gran Metalik, and Rich Swann in the WWE Cruiserweight Championship finals. Kendrick failed to gain the title from TJ Perkins at Battle of Champions. Kendrick embraced Perkins after the match but then struck him with a headbutt later in the game, re-establishing himself as a heel in the process. Kendrick, who is on Raw, takes on Perkins in another match next night. After suffering an injury, Kendrick defeated Perkins to win the Cruiserweight Championship on October 30, at Hell in a Cell. Kendrick retained the title against SmackDown's Kalisto, winning by disqualification at Survivor Series in an interpromotional match. On the premiere episode of 205 Live on November 29, Kendrick lost the title to Rich Swann, bringing an end to his reign at 30 days. Kendrick lost in a rematch for the title on 205 Live last week. Kendrick lost his title in a triple threat match involving TJ Perkins that ended at Roadblock: End of the Line.

He created a gimmick by offering to teach lessons to the new Akira Tozawa, who has since dropped. On the May 23, 2017 episode of 205 Live, Tozawa defeated Kendrick, resulting in a street fight. After Kendrick's matches, Kendrick began a feud with Jack Gallagher, with Kendrick impersonating and insulting Gallagher. Kendrick lost by referee stoppage in a no-qualification match on August 29 of 205 Live, resulting in Gallagher's turning heel and the two teams regularly competing as a tag team on 205 Live, with notable matches against Kalisto and Gran Metalik.

After Itami's appearance in a GTS on Kendrick, Kendrick sustained an injury during a match against Hideo Itami on Dec. 25, 2017. Kendrick sustained a fractured skull bone and nasal bridge while visiting a local hospital, and he will be out of action for two months. Kendrick featured on 205 Live on April 17, 2018, defeating two local rivals. On one of Gulak's PowerPoint talks, Kendrick was assaulted by his allies Gallagher and Gulak, with Gulak calling Kendrick the "weakest link" in the company, turning Kendrick's face back to the organization. On October 17, Kendrick saved his former adversary Akira Tozawa from a post-match assault by Gulak and Gallagher. Kendrick defeated Gallagher after Tozawa prevented the interference of Gulak on the October 30 episode of 205 Live. Over the next two weeks, the two teams traded victories. Kendrick returned to his old clean shaven look and blonde hair when he and Tozawa defeated Gulak and Gallagher in a Street Fight match on December 19, 2018 to put an end to the feud. Kendrick was defeated by Drew Gulak in the first round of the tournament on February 26 to determine the number one contender for the Cruiserweight Championship at WrestleMania 35.

Following this, Kendrick will work with Akira Tozawa in a regular manner while also assisting him in his Cruiserweight Championship hunt. Kendrick and Tozawa began a feud with Jack Gallagher in August after Kendrick mistakenly knocked Gallagher's foot off the rope during a match against Tozawa, costing him the game. Kendrick and Tozawa met Gallagher and his mystery partner Kushida in a losing effort on the September 10 episode of 205 Live. Kendrick will face Gallagher next week, where he lost by disqualification after hitting Gallagher with a kendo stick. Kendrick would assault him with the kendo stick after Tozawa had him confronted him, thus turning heel again. Kendrick revealed on Twitter on November 15 that he will be taking an indefinite absence from 205 Live. Danny Burch's match against Ariya Daivari was replayed on 205 Live on January 3, where he charged him later. Kendrick defeated Danny Burch with the help of Daivari on January 21 of 205 Live.

Kendrick appeared in two televised matches for NXT UK between January and February 2020, losing to Travis Banks in his first match and then losing to A-Kid in his second. Kendrick returned to 205 Live on August 28 after a short break due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He shook hands with Miles during the match, thus turning face in the game. Kendrick will continue wrestling on 205 Live in the coming months after losing to Ashante "Thee" Adonis (Tahuti Miles), Isaiah "Swerve" Scott, and Mansoor. Kendrick will team up with Mansoor on October 30 to defeat Ever-Rise.

Kendrick revealed on March 31, 2021, in a video posted on the WWE Performance Center's YouTube channel titled "Brian Kendrick: Life After Wrestling," Kendrick revealed that his match on October 30, 2020 would be his semi-retirement match as he transitions to a backstage producer role and that he will only wrestle part-time. Kendrick was featured in an angle on NXT 2.0's December 14 episode where he was thrown down a flight of stairs by Harland after attempting to escort him out of the arena. Kendrick resigned as a coach and will return to Harland as a coach on December 21 of NXT 2.0. However, the match never happened as planned, and it was announced that Kendrick had pleaded for his freedom from the company on January 25, 2022, which was granted six days later on February 1.

Kendrick would make his All Elite Wrestling debut on AEW Dynamite's February 2 episode, where he will meet Jon Moxley on the same day he was granted his WWE debut. However, the match was cancelled due to Tony Khan's admission of controversial remarks made by Kendrick in the past.

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