Phillip Kennedy

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Phillip Kennedy
First Appearance
Latest Appearance

SCCW Temptation (5/5/08)
SCCW Temptation (4/7/09)
Federations
Sin City Championship Wrestling
Age
31
Birthplace
Baltimore, MD
Finisher
The Nuts
Wrestling Style
Sports Entertainment brawling
Handler
Sean Williams


Phillip Kennedy (born Phillip Benjamin Kennedy) is an American professional wrestler and former semi-professional poker player, currently working for Sin City Championship Wrestling as the SCCW Gateway Champion. He is a member of the Dead Man's Hand stable, and is arguably the company's fastest rising star.

Life Before Wrestling

Kennedy was born in Baltimore, Maryland to parents Robert and Lori. Perhaps foreshadowing his later career path, he was born on July 7, 1977 (7/7/77). He had a relatively uneventful childhood, growing up in a middle-class section of the city. He was an average student in school, but had no problems with going. During high school, he lettered in both track & field (as a hurdler and javelin thrower) and in basketball (as an often played sixth man off the bench, who could play both guard positions). Phillip gave up his athletic aspirations when he went to college, enrolling at the University of Maryland, where he majored in journalism.

Graduating as a member of the Class of 1999, Kennedy soon found himself bouncing from job to job for the next four years, working in construction, sales, and even as a bartender for a brief period. 2003, however, was the year that changed Kennedy's life, with the airing of the 2003 World Series of Poker on ESPN and subsequent poker boom.

Watching the event on TV, Kennedy was instantly intrigued, and signed up for one of the many then-legal internet poker sites. Despite losing $100 in his first session, Phillip was instantly hooked, and began studying the game. Purchasing a variety of the poker books released to capitalize on the boom, Kennedy soon came to understand the mathematical background behind the game. With his newfound knowledge, Kennedy returned to the Internet poker tables, and soon found himself making more money in his spare time playing poker than he was in his "real job". With this in mind, Phillip made the decision to pack up and move to Las Vegas, Nevada, to attempt to make it as a professional poker player. This news, not surprisingly, did not make his parents especially happy. Both Robert and Lori refused to talk to Phillip once he left for Vegas, a fact that still haunts Kennedy to this day.

Phillip arrived in Las Vegas in January of 2004 intent to make a living as a poker player. While he did have to supplement his income by working a part-time job (as a bouncer for one of Sin City's many "adult establishments"), Kennedy was successful at making a living playing cards. He considers himself as having been a professional from 2004 until late 2007, in which a string of bad luck at the tables made him re-evaluate his decision.

Realizing that he needed more seed money to enter tournaments, he began looking for a job that would allow him to continue playing poker semi-professionally, while paying more than the bouncer gig. While bouncing, he was noticed by local journeyman wrestler "Sour" Sam Stoute. After a few drinks with Stoute, the wrestler offered to train Kennedy at half-price in exchange for being allowed into the club weekly without a cover charge. Phillip agreed, and Kennedy soon found himself playing poker, training to wrestler, and bouncing, sometimes all three in one day.

Stoute deemed Kennedy graduated in April of 2008. With training, but no job lined up, Kennedy began to scour the wrestling scene for work. On a whim, he put in an application to Sin City Championship Wrestling, hoping that his hometown promotion would be willing to take a flier on a semi-professional poker player living in Las Vegas. Management, to his surprise, contacted him two weeks later with a job offer that he immediately took.

Poker Career

Phillip Kennedy estimates that he has won about $300,000 playing poker over the course of his career in the sport, counting both online and live play. His style, he says, is drawn mainly from reading Doyle Brunson's seminal "Super System" and "Super System II" books, "Harrington on Hold'Em" by Dan Harrington, and "Play Poker Like The Pros" by Phil Hellmuth. Hellmuth, in particular, is one of Kennedy's idols, both in poker and in wrestling, for his bad boy, "Poker Brat" image.

Most of Kennedy's success has come in cash games, though he does possess two cashes in World Series of Poker events, one in a 2005 Razz event, as well as a money finish in the 2006 World Series of Poker Main Event.

With his wrestling career underway, Kennedy takes part in far fewer live tournaments, preferring to play most of his poker on the internet. His favorite games are No Limit Hold'em, Razz, and Pot Limit Omaha.

Sin City Championship Wrestling

2008

Kennedy made his professional wrestling debut on the May 5, 2008 edition of SCCW Temptation, in a losing effort against Jay Draven. He would, however, notch his first professional victory in only his second match, a triple threat match against the debuting Simon King and Tina Davis, Kennedy using his Straight Flush manuever on Davis to pick up the win on the first ever SIN on SPIKE. Perhaps more importantly, however, Kennedy would go on to meet Katsidy backstage following his victory. The two became, shall we say, fast friends, beginning the rookie's association with Desade's notorious Dead Man's Hand stable.

The June 28 Temptation saw Kennedy step into the ring for the third time in his career, against the recently returned Sean Sterling, member of the Highwaymen, in a qualifying match for the Heaven & Hell Match at SCCW All In. During comments made before the match, Sterling made no bones about his belief that Kennedy had been sent to face him by order of Desade. Kennedy himself met with Hand associate Savant before the contest, discussing a variety of topics. Ultimately, Sterling was victorious in the qualifier, defeating Kennedy with the Hail to the Thief.

Kennedy would go on to face Wyatt Connors in a match for the SCCW LiveWire Title on the July 13th edition of Temptation. In spite of arguably his best performance to date in the company, the experienced False Prophet was able to overcome the distracting force of Katsidy on color commentary, and use the Big Stack's own brass knuckles to defeat him and retain the title.

In spite of this loss, Kennedy found himself with two high profile matches, a "Last Exit Rumble" qualifier for the eighth and final spot in the Heaven & Hell Match at All In on the July 20th Temptation, and a shot at the SCCW Strength in Numbers Title against Andre Jensen and Sameer al-Jezuri.

Kennedy cashed in on the first of these two opportunities on Temptation, coming into the Rumble fifth of eight entrants, and eliminating Andre Jensen, Charley Crisp, and Jadian Bridden to win the contest, albeit with copious assistance from the Dead Man's Hand representatives at ringside and in the match. In doing so, he earned himself a second match at All In -- the main event Heaven & Hell match, in which the winner recieves the "Big Slick" bracelet and a title shot whenever he or she so chooses

All In revealed Kennedy's official membership in the Dead Man's Hand, as he and Katsidy cheated their way to victory over Jensen and al-Jezuri to capture the SCCW Strength in Numbers Title. The Heaven & Hell Match fared less well for Kennedy, as he was eliminated first by eventual winner Charlotte Ramone's Blitzkrieg Bop.

The August 25th edition of Temptation proved to be a huge night for the Big Stack. Charged with taking on Edward Lambert, fresh off decimating Desade at All In, Kennedy came armed with a gameplan, and copious interference from Katsidy and his new partner Lovecraft. The official finally sent both to the back, but the rookie managed to outsmart the referee, pulling multiple chains out of his tights before finally wrapping one around his arm and striking with his "The Nuts" enzuilariat to pick up arguably the biggest win of his career.

Minutes later, he struck again, attacking Sean Sterling directly after the Third Revelation won the SCCW Gateway Title in retaliation to Sterling's comments towards Katsidy, intensifying the war between the two. Hostilities, however simmering, seem to have been temporarily put on a back-burner due to C.P. Cantrell's declaration of war against SCCW.

Kennedy had no match the following week, but did help his partner cheat his way to a victory over Hiro Saotome. Following the match, Team V.I.A.G.R.A. hit the ring, intent on getting revenge for the attack on Mary-Lynn, but Lovecraft and Kennedy escaped too quickly. Davis and Flyer sought revenge at Cataclysm, but the Dead Man's Hand duo prevailed thanks in part to timely interference from Simon Knox. Kennedy also involved himself in the night's main event, aiding Desade when the Spider in the Web was stuck two on one against Tyler Rayne and Nova.

With a scheduled SCCW Strength in Numbers Title defense against Jay Draven and Paul Searle, not to mention his battle with Sean Sterling, Kennedy is currently a very busy man.

2009

Coming into 2009 as the Gateway Champion, Phillip Kennedy had a good deal of important business to take of. On the first Temptation of the new year, he went so far as to call out Alexandra Pierce at the start of a Temptation broadcast, challenging the leader of the Dead Man's Hand to a match.

The next week, Kennedy and Desade waged war in College Park, Maryland. Due to Kennedy being a graduate of the University of Maryland, a great deal of the Sinners in attendance were behind the Big Stack, giving him a hero's welcome. Desade managed to severely bloody Kennedy, but could not pin him in spite of coming close on several occassions. Kennedy came equally close, surviving interference from Roderick Ashe and Jadian Bridden to ultimately take the Director to a time limit draw. Injuries suffered in the match kept the Big Stack out of action for several weeks.

Kennedy returned to action for SCCW's No Limit Tournament. Entering the event as the fourth seed, Kennedy defeated sixteenth-seeded Austin King in the first round, by unveiling a submission manuever he had tried to use on Desade without success. Kennedy's Texas Cloverleaf got the job done over King, setting up a triple threat clash in the second round of the tournament against both Dusk and The Illustrious Face-Eater.

Dr. Nigel Kensington soon clarified the rules of the match. Two matches would occur to determine the semifinalist from the Kennedy Bracket. The first would be a triple threat match, with the loser of the fall being eliminated. The second match would be one on one, with the winner advancing on in the tournament. If Phillip Kennedy was pinned at any point, the man who pinned him would become SCCW Gateway Champion. If Kennedy advanced to the tournament semis, he would be credited with two successful Gateway Championship defenses.

In the first match, Dusk picked up the fall over Face-Eater, but Kennedy triumphed in the second match to advance, bank two title defenses, and also win a $100,000 bounty placed on Dusk's head by Desade to any competitor who would eliminate Dusk from the tournament before he could face Aimz.

Now a semifinalist in No Limit, Kennedy waits to see who his semi-finals opponent will be.

SCCW Record

9-7-2

1. (5/5/08 Temptation @ Qwest Arena, Boise, IH): Jay Draven beat Phillip Kennedy with the Spinebuster.
2. (5/26/08 SIN on SPIKE I @ United Center, Chicago, IL): Phillip Kennedy beat Simon King and Tina Davis when he used the Straight Flush on Davis.
3. (6/22/08 Temptation @ The Pyramid, Memphis, TN): Sean Sterling beat Phillip Kennedy with the Hail to the Thief to qualify for the Heaven & Hell Match.
4. (7/13/08 Temptation @ Bud Walton Arena, Fayetteville, AK): Wyatt Connors beat Phillip Kennedy with a brass-knuckles assisted right hand to retain the SCCW LiveWire Title.
5. (7/20/08 Temptation @ Reunion Arena, Dallas, TX): Phillip Kennedy (5th in) beat Jadian Bridden (1st), Charley Crisp (2nd), Vassago (3rd), Jay Draven (4th), Elliott Rollins (6th), Andre Jensen (7th), and Hunter Sabuani (8th) in a Last Exit Rumble to qualify for the Heaven & Hell Match.

  1. Draven eliminated Vassago with a belly-to-back suplex over the top rope.
  2. Sabuani eliminated himself by going over the top rope.
  3. Bridden eliminated Rollins by pinfall with the Last Breath.
  4. Kennedy eliminated Jensen by pinfall with a roll of quarters assisted punch and Katsidy interference.
  5. Kennedy eliminated Crisp with The Nuts to knock Crisp over the top rope.
  6. Bridden eliminated Draven by pinfall with a chair-assisted top rope moonsault.
  7. Kennedy eliminated Bridden by pinfall with a modified Emerald Fusion.

6. (8/2/08 All In @ Freedom Hall, Louisville, KY): Phillip Kennedy & Katsidy beat Andre Jensen & Sameer al-Jezuri when Kennedy pinned al-Jezuri with the Acecracker Lariat to become the third SCCW Strength in Numbers Champions.
7. (8/2/08 All In @ Freedom Hall, Louisville, KY): Charlotte Ramone beat Phillip Kennedy, Sean Sterling, King Blueberry, Mayhem, and Wyatt Connors in the Heaven & Hell Match to capture the Big Slick Bracelet.

  1. Charlotte Ramone eliminated Phillip Kennedy with the Blitzkrieg Bop.
  2. Wyatt Connors defeated King Blueberry with two Holy Terrors.
  3. Mayhem defeated Sean Sterling with the Total Mayhem following a spear into the stanchion holding the second platform up.
  4. Mayhem defeated Wyatt Connors with the Mayhem Drop following a lowblow with a piece of metal torn off the second platform.
  5. Charlotte Ramone defeated Mayhem to win Heaven & Hell with the Kasbah from one level of the match to the other.

8. (8/25/08 Temptation @ Jack Breslin Student Events Center, Lansing, MI) Phillip Kennedy beat BloodAngel with a chain-assisted The Nuts.
9. (9/21/08 SCCW/PRIME Cataclysm @ TD Banknorth Garden, Boston, MA): Phillip Kennedy & Reginald V. Lovecraft beat Team V.I.A.G.R.A. (High Flyer & Tony Davis) when they used a Doomsday Device on High Flyer (Kennedy pinned Flyer) after Simon Knox knocked out Davis with the PRIME World Tag Team Title.
10. (9/28/08 Temptation @ Verizon Wireless Arena, Manchester, NH) Jared Sykes (King Blueberry), Lance Marshall, and Sean Sterling beat Aimz, Desade, and Phillip Kennedy when Marshall used the Code Red on Aimz and Sykes pinned her.
11. (10/22/08 Temptation @ DCU Arena, Worcester, MA): SCCW Strength in Numbers Title: Phillip Kennedy and Reginald V. Lovecraft beat Austin King and Misery when Kennedy used the Acecracker Lariat on King to retain the titles. (V1 for the DMH)
12. (11/14/08 Temptation @ Halifax Metro Center, Halifax, NS, Canada): SCCW Strength in Numbers Title: The Kings of Pop {Jared Sykes and Charley Crisp beat Phillip Kennedy and Jadian Bridden when Crisp pinned Bridden to become the new champions. (DMH fails in V2)
13. (11/27/08 Temptation @ Blue Cross Arena, Rochester, NY): Phillip Kennedy and Desade fought to a no contest with BloodAngel and Sean Sterling when all four parties fought one another before the bell and forced the match's cancellation.
14. (12/10/08 Defiance II @ Nassau Coliseum, New York, NY): Phillip Kennedy beat Sean Sterling with The Nuts in a No Excuses Match to become the fourth SCCW Gateway Champion.
15. (2/20/09 Temptation @ Comcast Center, College Park, MD): Phillip Kennedy and Desade fought to a draw when the time limit expired.
16. (3/15/09 SIN on SPIKE @ AT&T Center, San Antonio, TX): Phillip Kennedy beat Austin King with a Texas Cloverleaf to advance in the No Limit Tournament.

  • The following two matches constitute a quarterfinal match in the No Limit Tournament. If Phillip Kennedy was pinned in either match, whoever pinned him would take the Gateway Championship. If Phillip survived both matches without being pinned and advanced in the tournament, he would be credited with two successful Gateway defenses.

17. (4/7/09 Temptation @ Allen Fieldhouse, Lawrence, KS): Dusk beat Phillip Kennedy and The Illustrious Face-Eater when he used an avalanche-style Good Night on Face-Eater to eliminate IFE from the No Limit Tournament. (V1 for Kennedy)
18. (4/7/09 Temptation @ Allen Fieldhouse, Lawrence, KS): Phillip Kennedy beat Dusk with the Snake Eyes to advance in the No Limit Tournament. (V2 for Kennedy).

In-Ring

  • Finishing and Signature Moves
    • Lariat Variations
      • The Nuts (Running Enzuilariat)
      • Acecracker Lariat (Nigel McGuinness-style Rebound Lariat)
    • Texas Cloverleaf
    • Snake Eyes (Bodyslam set to face-first drop across the top turnbuckle)
    • The Bullet (Running Big Boot)
    • Viva Las Vegas (One-Leg Cradle Death Valley Driver)
    • Straight Flush (Sitout Inverted Mat Slam)
  • Entrance Music
    • "Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy" by Big & Rich (current)
    • "Minus Human" by Metallica (current theme for entrance with Katsidy and Savant)
    • Introduction to "Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy", leading into "Tap That" by Megan McCauley (team theme with Katsidy)
    • "...And Justice For All" by Metallica (team theme with Reginald V. Lovecraft)
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