Avenged Sevenfold Reveals Lost WWE Collaboration for Mr Kennedy Theme

In the annals of WWE history, there are often tales of collaborations between wrestlers and musicians that never see the light of day. One such intriguing story revolves around Ken Anderson, better known to wrestling fans as Mr. Kennedy, and the renowned rock band Avenged Sevenfold. The partnership was aimed at crafting a unique entrance theme for Anderson, but sadly, it remains a lost treasure in the world of sports entertainment.

During his time in WWE from 2005 to 2009, Mr. Kennedy became known for his charismatic persona and memorable ring entrances. However, what many fans may not know is that he was also a fan of the band Avenged Sevenfold. This shared admiration led to discussions between Anderson and the members of the band about creating a custom entrance theme.

In a recent interview with Jesea Lee, Avenged Sevenfold bassist Johnny Christ shed some light on this forgotten collaboration.

"Back in, I want to say 2007-ish, 2006-ish, Ken Kennedy.. evidently he was a fan and reached out, or someone there was a fan – don't quote me on this, this is 20 years ago almost now and I don't know exactly how it came to us – but we recorded and wrote an original piece for him to come out to," said Christ as transcribed by Metal Injection. "It definitely had the 'KEN! KENNEDY!' in it and everything.

Christ recounted a chance encounter with John Hammer, a member of WWE's music department, during WrestleMania. It was during this encounter that Hammer mentioned possibly still having the recording, sparking nostalgia for Christ and Avenged Sevenfold guitarist M. Shadows.

"It's funny because last year I went to WrestleMania when it was here at Sofi, I ran into John Hammer who works with the music department of WWE, he's a fan. Me and [Avenged Sevenfold guitarist M. Shadows] were there together with our kids, and he came over to our suite. We were talking and he remembered that and he was like 'You know what? I think I still have it,' and me and Matt were like 'oh my God I haven't heard it in years!' None of us could find it anymore, like where where it was, and we listened back to it on his phone ear to ear.”

Despite the excitement surrounding the project, the collaboration faced obstacles behind the scenes. Issues arose between Warner Music, Avenged Sevenfold's record label at the time, and WWE regarding the rights and contracts associated with the song. Despite efforts to resolve these issues, a satisfactory agreement could not be reached, ultimately leading to the shelving of the project.

“But yeah, that rumor is absolutely true. I wish we could find the originals of it. Unfortunately, it was a thing between Warner Music and WWE [where they] couldn't come to an agreement on the contract or the rights to the song at the time, for whatever reason. The people who were there at the time aren't even working for Warner anymore and probably not many of them in WWE are working there anymore that had those negotiations, but unfortunately it never came through.

I don't know what the legality is of us being able to ever show that song or anything like that at this point. But yeah, it's true. We went in and recorded it, I think we were in the middle of a tour, and we went into a studio and recorded that. I was really bummed when it didn't come out too because it was a good tune, it was a good intro tune. I don't know if it was an album song, but definitely for a one-off and to be a part of Ken Kennedy's entrance, that would have been really cool."

Reflecting on the missed opportunity, Christ expressed disappointment that the unique entrance theme never saw the light of day. He lamented the fact that what could have been a memorable addition to Mr. Kennedy's persona and WWE's music library remains confined to the vaults of history.

While the song may never be heard by the masses, its existence sparks intrigue and curiosity among wrestling and music enthusiasts alike, leaving behind a legacy of what could have been.