7 Wrestlers Who Got Fired RIDICULOUSLY Fast
3. Brian Kendrick (1 Day)
Between 2021 and mid-2022, All Elite Wrestling felt like a delirious wish fulfilment factory for fans of a certain vintage.
It had already trended in that direction from formation in 2019, and though the global pandemic couldn't hobble its rise and growth (the restrictions appeared to bring out the best in a creatively-on-fire Tony Khan and his top talents), the opening of the world again as of the euphoric Double Or Nothing 2021 pay-per-view was confirmation that the wildest dreams era of the promotion had commenced. It toasted those that had pulled the wagon during the worst of times, and laid the foundations for some amazing things to come, including a summer that revolved around the arrivals of CM Punk, Bryan Danielson, Adam Cole, and various other favourites and darlings that were all able to share this custom-built stage.
Released by WWE at his own request on February 1st 2022, Brian Kendrick was a cool and topical name right out of a beloved Ring Of Honor mid-2000s class, and he was positioned against company ace Jon Moxley for his debut on the February 2nd edition of Dynamite. It was the perfect storm of shock and hype for the former "Spanky" making his main stage return.
90 minutes before airtime, he was out.
Comments from deeply unpleasant interviews with Kendrick in the early 2010s surfaced, along with transcripts in which he spread conspiracies about the Holocaust, 9/11, Sandy Hook Elementary, Jewish people and various other topics. AEW president Tony Khan promptly moved to replace Kendrick on the show, saying that; "We’ve been made aware of abhorrent & offensive comments made in the past by Brian Kendrick. There’s no room in AEW for the views expressed by Brian. We think it’s best for all that Brian be pulled from tonight’s card as we gather more info. We’ll announce a replacement bout ASAP".
Kendrick, for his part, wasn't backwards about coming forwards about taking responsibility for it. At the height of the story's impact and while Dynamite was on the air, he posted a full and frank apology, stating that; "I apologize for all the hurt and embarassment (sic) I have caused with my words. These are not my beliefs and never were beliefs of mine, and I crossed the line. I spread the most vile comments without thinking of the damage it would cause. I will live with this regret for the rest of my life. I am truly sorry for the pain I have caused".
The scandal wasn't the end of Brian Kendrick the wrestler. As of this writing, he's worked nearly 200 matches since the furore, but of note, none of them have been for All Elite Wrestling. The door may not be locked forever, but it was categorically closed in the moment.