Mr. Kennedy was set to become a major star in WWE. After making his main roster debut in 2005, Kennedy was set to take the company by storm. The loud-mouthed superstar went nearly an entire year without being pinned or submitted. He found himself going up against, and defeating, some of the biggest names in the company. Some of these superstars included Batista and The Undertaker. Kennedy even held the United States Championship for a little over a month.

After 2006, it was clear WWE wanted to make Mr. Kennedy a massive star in the company. He had proven himself in the ring and was hands-down one of the company's best talkers. Mr. Kennedy had star written all over him. It was only a matter of time before he got his hands on a world championship.

Mr. Kennedy's major push began at WrestleMania 23 when he won the Money in the Bank ladder match. As Mr. Money in the Bank, Kennedy could cash the briefcase in at any time for a world championship match. There was no doubt that Kennedy would use that briefcase to elevate himself to the next level and become a world champion.

While speaking with NBC Sports Boston, Mr. Kennedy said he was set to become the next World Heavyweight Champion after The Undertaker suffered a biceps injury. The Undertaker tore his bicep and needed surgery to fix it. This was the perfect opportunity for him to cash in his Money in the Bank briefcase to become the new World Heavyweight Champion.

“I can’t change things that happened in the past; it was kind of crazy,” Kennedy said. “They had already told me two or three days earlier that I was going to be winning the title from [Undertaker]. Taker was hurt too, he needed to have biceps surgery, so [they said] ‘we need this title off Taker. What we’re going to do is we’re going to have him in this cage match, he’s going to barely sneak out alive and then somebody else is going to come out and beat him up some more and then you’re going to come out and cash in your Money in the Bank briefcase and you’re going to be the new champion.”

Everything was going smoothly until Mr. Kennedy suffered an injury at a house show before this could happen. This caused WWE to change plans quickly. After suffering this injury, Kennedy dropped the Money in the Bank briefcase to Edge on an episode of Raw. A few nights later, Edge would cash in the briefcase on a beaten-down Undertaker, winning the World Heavyweight Championship.

While speaking with Steve Fall on “The Ten Count,” Kennedy revealed that his injury wasn't as severe as the company initially thought. WWE thought Kennedy's triceps muscle had torn off the bone and would be out for five to seven months. He says a misdiagnosis prevented him from becoming the new World Heavyweight Champion.

“Went down to Alabama [the day after losing the briefcase], and I’m sitting on his table and he’s like just feeling my arm and he’s like ‘that’s not a tear,'” Kennedy said.

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The doctor was right because Mr. Kennedy's triceps tendon did not tear off the bone. After a second MRI, Kennedy was diagnosed with a simple hematoma. This was an unfortunate mistake, but Kennedy says that's how the business works.

“I think every opportunity is an opportunity, just take it and try to do the best with it,” he said.

Mr. Kennedy also wished he had fought harder to keep his briefcase despite the injury scare. If WWE had waited just a little longer to confirm the severity of his injury, there's a chance Mr. Kennedy would have held on to the briefcase.

In the months and years that followed, he was never able to reach the same level of popularity as before. Although he was competing for midcard championships and battling some of the biggest names on the roster, Kennedy never got a chance to win a world championship. Between suspensions, injuries, and everything in between, Kennedy was never pushed to be a main event star again.

He was eventually released from his contract in 2009, only four days after returning to the ring. We never got to see Mr. Kennedy win a world championship in WWE, and we probably never will.

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