Brian Kendrick confirms retirement

John Powell

1st April, 2021

Brian Kendrick has retired from in-ring action for a role backstage with the WWE.

In a Life After Wrestling video posted to the WWE’s YouTube channel, Kendrick confimed the news in an interview.

“Initially, the idea of producing seemed like it was just a good retirement plan, the next best thing to wrestling, but it turns out it is just as rewarding in different ways. I love every bit of it. It’s a whole new way of looking at wrestling for me,” says Kendrick as current NXT stars praised him in the video for all he has taught them thus far as a trainer and a producer behind the scenes.

“Getting this opportunity to help train a little bit and do some producing, it was something that I figured I’d fall back on when my days were done wrestling. I was lucky enough to get that opportunity and I figured to be the next best thing besides wrestling but I didn’t realize how much I would enjoy it,” he continued saying he hopes he can continue to produce segments, matches and train WWE talent for years to come.

**Brian Kendrick and his tag team partner Paul London. Courtesy: WWE.**

Kendrick began his career in 1999 when he attended the Shawn Michaels Wrestling Academy in Texas. Michaels was one of Kendrick’s idols growing up.

A journeyman’s workhorse, Kendrick wrestled not only in WWE but Impact, NJPW, Ring of Honor and the independent circuit. In Impact (TNA at the time) he won the TNA X Division Championship from Abyss and held the title for 63 days before losing it to Austin Aries.

Kendrick and his tag team partner Paul London were tag team champions twice in WWE. During their first reign, they defeated MnM for the WWE Tag Team Championships and held them for an astounding 334 days. They also beat Lance Cade and Trevor Murdoch for the WWE World Tag Team Championships at a house show in South Africa only to lose them back three days later at another house show there.

In recent years Kendrick has been a fixture of 205 Live. Kendrick was the second ever WWE Cruiserweight Champion defeating T.J. Perkins at the Hell in a Cell pay-per-view in 2016. He would lose it 60 days later to Rich Swann.

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