Former WWE star Ken Anderson — known to many fans as Mr. Kennedy — has officially confirmed one of wrestling’s most legendary “what if” moments. Speaking on the debut episode of his new Mic Check podcast, Anderson revealed that he was the original choice to be revealed as Vince McMahon’s illegitimate son during the infamous 2007 storyline.
“Yes, I was,” Anderson said when asked whether the rumors were true. “It was presented to me. I remember Stephanie first said, ‘Hey, Vince needs to talk to you about something. I think you’ll really like it.’”
The high-profile angle was initially teased as a mystery, with WWE programming focused for weeks on the identity of McMahon’s supposed child. Anderson said McMahon personally explained the long-term potential of the angle to him.
“I talked to Vince, and he pitched this whole, ‘It’s going to be a long storyline. I’m looking for my illegitimate son or child, as it were… we’re going to do an investigation, and then we’re going to find it.’”
According to Anderson, the long-term direction of the story was deliberately left open-ended. “He said, ‘I don’t know where it goes from there. We’ll see. It could last a couple months. It could last a year. Who knows?’ And it ended up going over a year, right? With Hornswoggle.”
The role famously ended up going to Hornswoggle, a decision that shocked many fans at the time. Anderson, however, took the change in stride.
“He was the only… he was the answer, right?” Anderson said with a laugh. “Like, if it wasn’t going to be me, it had to be Hornswoggle.”
The storyline shift was reportedly caused by Anderson’s suspension under WWE’s Wellness Policy and a subsequent injury, which sidelined him at a pivotal moment in his career.
Now based in Minnesota, Anderson continues to train the next generation of wrestlers at The Academy: School of Professional Wrestling. His Mic Check podcast marks a return to the spotlight for the charismatic former Mr. Money in the Bank.
