Ronda Rousey Pens Kind Words For Controversial Former WWE Star
Brian Kendrick may not be performing for any mainstream wrestling organizations at present due to the resurfacing of some past controversial comments, but Ronda Rousey has shared some of her own personal thoughts about the former WWE Cruiserweight Champion.
Rousey, who was trained by Kendrick, inked some kind words to help the 43-year-old promote his own wrestling school, Brian Kendrick's Wrestling Pro Wrestling. Kendrick revealed on Twitter that he had personally asked Rousey for a quote to use, and the former UFC fighter had no problem expressing her appreciation for the man that taught her the ropes.
"Brian Kendrick taught me literally from day one on how to be a professional wrestler," Rousey wrote. "Within a few months he taught me the fundamentals and intricacies needed to steal the show at the showcase of the immortals. There is no one better to help you build a foundation. If you're lucky enough to share a ring with the man, shut and listen, cause you're in the presence of the greatest minds in the history of the industry."
I asked @RondaRousey for a quote to help promote my Aug 30th camp. She said very nice things that made me blush. #wrestling #prowrestling #Training pic.twitter.com/xMX0p3JyhR
— Brian Kendrick (@mrbriankendrick) August 2, 2022
While Rousey fondly remembers everything Kendrick did for her wrestling career, many fans remember more clearly the resurfaced anti-Semitic and conspiratorial comments that forced AEW President Tony Khan to pull Kendrick from his AEW debut earlier this year. The comments, made between 2011 and 2013, highlighted Kendrick's apparent belief that atrocities such as 9/11, the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, and the Holocaust, were fabricated. Kendrick had been working as a backstage producer for WWE when he requested his release — AEW announced he would be making his debut for the company the following day. It was in the hours leading up to that debut that Kendrick's controversial comments resurfaced online, sparking an immediate backlash. Kendrick later apologized for his comments on Twitter, citing that the "vile comments" he said were "not my beliefs and never were beliefs of mine." He has since clarified that he pretended to hold those beliefs specifically "because they're salacious" and because he was "trying to profit off of it."
Kendrick continues to teach students at his wrestling school. His last televised match came via WWE's now-defunct "205 Live" brand in October 2020. Kendrick made a return to the independent circuit this year, according to Cagematch, with his most recent match taking place last month, when he lost to Facade at a Pennsylvania Premiere Wrestling event.