Former Cruiserweight Champion and elder statesman of the Cruiserweight division, The Brian Kendrick, has not been secretive about his fascination with Akira Tozawa. After weeks of successfully battling prospective Cruiserweight competitors, The Man with a Plan has been scouting the Japanese competitor’s matchups and has generally avoided any tense confrontations with Tozawa.
The experienced Kendrick is a ruthless competitor to be sure, and ever since his longtime friend, fellow veteran Tajiri, returned and denied the offer of an alliance, he has been essentially beating respect into younger Superstars. Tozawa has been a different case, however, and whether Kendrick is truly looking to be a mentor or simply scouting for weaknesses remains to be seen.