Brian Kendrick Talks About Training Eva Marie For WWE, Possibly Returning To NXT, His School, More
Ring Rust Radio recently interviewed one-time interim WWE Champion Bryan Kendrick about training Eva Marie, his time in NXT, and much more. You can check out some highlights below, and the full interview above.
One of your main focuses right now is the Brian Kendrick School of Pro Wrestling. While your school gained mainstream notoriety thanks to your training of WWE Diva Eva Marie, what separates your school from many others around the country?
"I think for me, I look at wrestling a little bit different and almost in obscure way. I look it as music and rhythm, more of tugging emotions than the physical side of it. I try to bring a fresh perspective on what wrestling is and what we are trying to get out of the fans and give back to the fans. What I have to offer is my unique perspective."
You've been training Eva Marie after seeing it on Total Divas. How did the opportunity to do that come about, and what are your expectations for Eva Marie moving forward?
"It came about when William Regal called me up. He works in the offices as a scout and mentor to a lot of WWE people. He reached out to me with the opportunity and I had very little expectations, the company had no expectations, and she came in and worked her ass off. I hope she continues to wrestle with people with more experience than her and with her drive, aptitude, and willingness to try I think she can do great. If she can get in there with the likes of Sasha Banks, Bayley, Paige, Becky Lynch, or any girls with experience it could help her get to that next level."
Many were really excited to see you against Finn Balor and hoped you were going to stick with NXT in an on-air wrestling role like what happened with Rhyno. Was that just supposed to be a one shot deal or do you have interest in wrestling with NXT in the future?
"I do have interest in returning. It came out of the blue the opportunity to do it. I had friends in the right places that it fell into my lap. Hopefully something will happen before the year is through and keep my fingers crossed. As of right now, I have no matches scheduled upcoming with NXT"
You had a stint with TNA from 2010 through 2012 that saw you win the X-Division title and have some great matches with guys like Alex Shelley and Austin Aries. Looking back, how do you view your time with TNA? Was it an enjoyable experience?
"I enjoyed it, it's a different animal in TNA and not ran the same as WWE which I grew accustomed to with that level of work. TNA was great while I was there, but like many other TNA wrestlers, I wasn't working, getting paid for months off, and not being able to wrestle anywhere else. Stuff like that gave me stomach pains because they took what I loved away from me. When I was working at TNA I loved it, but when they contracted me, wouldn't bring me in, and refused to let me wrestle anywhere else, I just wanted to go postal."