How long was soon-to-be AEW star Brian Kendrick with WWE?
Brian Kendrick will be making his AEW debut on Dynamite in just a few hours. The recently-released WWE star will face former AEW World Champion Jon Moxley.
Kendrick's match against Moxley was confirmed just hours after it was first reported that WWE had granted him his release. During his time with WWE, Kendrick found notable success and even won the WWE Cruiserweight Championship.
In his #AEW debut, @mrbriankendrick will face the toughest of tests tomorrow night on #AEWDynamite
LIVE @ 8pm ET/7pm CT on @TBSNetwork when he goes one-on-one with former AEW World Champion @JonMoxley!
Jon Moxley vs Brian Kendrick tomorrow night LIVE on Wednesday Night Dynamite! https://t.co/0qZsAj2lPA
That being said, the question at the moment is: how long was soon-to-be AEW star Brian Kendrick with WWE? The answer is a little tricky.
Brian Kendrick was associated with WWE for a total of almost 15 years. He first signed a developmental deal with WWF in 2000. Shortly after, Kendrick spent time with Memphis Championship Wrestling. But before the promotion closed, he was released from his contract.
Fast forward to 2002. Kendrick signed with WWE, but made his debut in 2003. It was during this initial run that Kendrick first started teaming with Paul London. However, in January of 2004, Kendrick left WWE to return to Pro Wrestling Zero-One, a Japanese promotion he'd wrestled for in years prior.
In 2005, Kendrick made his second return to WWE, and it was during this run that he and Paul London won the WWE and World Tag Team Championships. The duo captured the WWE Tag Team Championships first at Judgment Day 2006. Their reign lasted for a total of 334 days.
Kendrick and London then won the World Tag Team Championships at a WWE House Show in South Africa in 2007. However, their reign only lasted for three days.
In 2009, Kendrick was released from his WWE contract. Thereafter he began competing for promotions such as TNA and New Japan Pro Wrestling.
Brian Kendrick's latest run with WWE and singles title
In 2014, Kendrick made his third return to WWE, which also turned out to be his latest run with the company. He entered the 2016 Cruiserweight Classic, losing in the quarterfinals to former DDT phenom Kota Ibushi. Later that very year, the former two-time tag champion finally won his first singles title in WWE.
At Hell in a Cell 2016, Kendrick defeated the newly established Cruiserweight Title holder TJ Perkins. Kendrick's run with the title only lasted for 30 days, but the WWE Universe rejoiced to see the beloved veteran star capture a singles championship.
For TONIGHT's #AEWDynamite doors at @WintrustArena will open 15 minutes early at 4:45pm local time. We encourage AEW fans to arrive by @CTA mass transit via the Red Line (Cermak-Chinatown stop) or Green Line (Cermak-McCormick Place stop). https://t.co/SWJnuCJMU5
In 2021, Kendrick transitioned into the role of a backstage producer. The former Cruiserweight Champion was also involved in a segment with NXT 2.0 star Harland, after which it was announced that Kendrick would make his in-ring return.
Sadly, the match between Brian Kendrick and Harland never occurred, and Kendrick was eventually granted his release. Now the WWE veteran will soon find himself crossing paths with Jon Moxley on AEW Dynamite.