Total Nonstop Anderson: The Ascension Of A Self-Proclaimed A-Hole

Make no mistake about it; Mr. Anderson takes pride in being a loudmouth.

He is loud, brash, cocky, and he is awfully proud of the fact that he is generally viewed as an "a-hole" by everyone in the TNA locker room.

Since his debut at the "Genesis" pay-per view, Anderson has been one of the top heels in the company but has had a seemingly hard time establishing himself with die-hard TNA fans. They simply remember him as Mr. Kennedy from the WWE and know that his connections with Hulk Hogan went a long way in landing him the job in Orlando.

Things appear to be turning for Anderson in recent weeks and suddenly he is receiving some of the loudest pops in all of the Impact Zone.

Following a loss to Jeff Hardy at TNA's "Sacrifice" PPV, Mr. Anderson extended his hand to the man who defeated him, only to be denied by the "Charismatic Enigma."

It was a small gesture by Anderson but one that has seemingly gone a long way in the evolution of his character in TNA. After months of playing the arrogant and disrespectful heel while feuding with Kurt Angle, Anderson has fully embraced who he is and the fans are reacting to him more than they ever have over the past five months.

By helping Hardy defeat Sting on Impact last week, Anderson has earned the trust of one of the most popular wrestlers of the past decade and this apparent pairing has put Anderson firmly in the spotlight as, of all things, a face.

His somewhat controversial loss to A.J. Styles this week seems to be building towards a match between the two at "Slammiversary" on June 13, though that remains to be seen. After what went down on Impact, it surely seems like a logical conclusion.

Anderson got more face time on Impact this Thursday than has ever had during his time with TNA, including a backstage segment where he chatted it up with Hulk Hogan about his recent actions and how he must prove himself in order to recieve respect.

His success is certainly well deserved.

Despite the stigma of being another WWE guy in TNA, Anderson has constantly delivered quality wrestling matches and he is nearly without peer in terms of providing entertainment. He may currently be the top mic worker in all of professional wrestling, as he constantly delivers compelling promos with his patented microphone.

His departure from the WWE last May was surrounded with controversy and shocked most of the wrestling world. The backstage politics and reported reasons surrounding Anderson being "future endeavored" could have damaged his wrestling career. 

It is refreshing to see Anderson turn a negative into a positive by putting some of his best work into TNA.

His new found popularity in the Impact Zone is evidence of that; or maybe fans just like hearing him curse on national television.

If he is able to avoid the injury bug which has plagued portions of his career, there is no reason why Ken Anderson can't be a future TNA world heavyweight champion.

Photo courtesy of Lee South/TNA Wrestling