Ken Anderson isn’t hiding behind excuses when it comes to how his WWE run fell apart. In a new interview with the Heel Sh!t Podcast, the man once known as Mr. Kennedy opened up about what went wrong—and owned the fact that he wasn’t fully prepared to handle success when it came his way.
Anderson burst onto the WWE scene with a unique mic-drop gimmick and charisma that made him a fast fan favorite. From his Velocity debut to early momentum on SmackDown, it looked like he was on a straight path to the top. But that push eventually disappeared. Now, years later, he’s offering his take on why.
“A bunch of different things sort of converged. It was a little of this, a little of that, a couple too many injuries… but I played a huge hand in that too myself. And I take credit for—you know—there’s things that I could have and should have and would have done if I could sit down and talk to my younger self.”
One of the hosts told Anderson they always believed he had the talent to be a multiple-time world champion and even stick around backstage as a producer. Anderson didn’t disagree—but he didn’t shift the blame entirely to WWE either.
“Yeah, I think WWE kind of… fumbled that ball with me. But again, I was part of it. I stopped learning, I stopped evolving, I stopped working on myself. I just thought, ‘Well, this will always happen.’”
Anderson’s self-awareness stood out. He didn’t point fingers. He didn’t lash out. Instead, he reflected on the mentality that cost him longevity at the top—and how he’s used that experience to grow outside the ring.
Today, Anderson runs a wrestling school in Minnesota, training the next generation and passing on lessons he wishes he had understood sooner. The passion is still there—it’s just directed in a new way.
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Do you think WWE should’ve done more with Ken Anderson? Or was he right to say it was a shared downfall? Please share your thoughts and feedback in the comment section below.