TSC Interviews: Kevin Kelly
Kevin Kelly is a professional wrestling announcer, husband, father, and a man that has nothing to prove.
Born Kevin Foote, Kelly grew up loving professional wrestling. Rather than stay on course to become a radio disc jockey after graduating college, Kelly chose to go the route he always dreamed of—becoming a wrestling announcer.
Kelly did just that.
After a stint on the independent scene, Kelly joined WWE (then known as the World Wrestling Federation/WWF) in 1996. He honed his craft in WWE as a backstage interviewer and commentator on the company's flagship program "Monday Night Raw", as well as "Sunday Night Heat", among other broadcasts. In fact, his role grew as the years went on, even producing the magazine-style show"Confidential".
But his involvement in wrestling did not stop there.
Kelly was a part of some of the most memorable moments during WWE's hottest time period—the Attitude Era featuring "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, The Rock, DX, and Mick Foley.
Perhaps Kelly's most famous moment is "Pillman's got a gun," which portrays the late, great Brian Pillman hobbled on one leg attempting to defend himself from his angry ex-best friend Steve Austin.
Unfortunately for Kelly, his run in WWE came to an end in 2003, due to budget cuts, differences, and the company going in another direction. In that time since his release, Kelly persevered as a hard working family man, who now in 2010, finds himself thrust back into the professional wrestling spotlight doing what he does best—announcing.
Saturday, April 3, Kelly will be calling the matches for Ring of Honor's (ROH) online pay-per-view event "The Big Bang" in Charlotte, NC. The pay-per-view, which is headlined by the great main event of Tyler Black defending his ROH World Title against Roderick Strong and Austin Aries, can be ordered and seen HERE.
While Kelly has nothing left to prove in the world of wrestling, his love for the business remains stronger than ever.
Kelly was kind enough to speak to The Sports Courier on March 27, prior to ISPW's marquee event ISPWMania, where he served as the special guest host. In this interview, he talks about his start, time in WWE, being recognized as wrestling's most unlikely heavyweight champion, and ROH!
Click HERE to download the interview or scroll down to listen!
