Where Are They Now? Billy Kidman

Billy Kidman has never forgotten the response he received 15 years ago when he had his first tryout match with WWE.

“Funny story,” Kidman said with a smirk. “[Former WWE producer] Tony Garea pulled aside one of the guys I was with and told him not to bring me anymore, because I was too small.”

Sitting in the cafeteria of Toledo, Ohio’s Huntington Center before a recent SmackDown event, Kidman could smile thinking about what he heard that night. After all, the skinny kid from Allentown, Pa., went on to thrill audiences in both WCW and WWE, where he snatched more than a few championships and tangled with heavy hitters like Hulk Hogan and Bret “Hit Man” Hart. Not bad for a guy who was “too small." (PHOTOS)

“I was told from day one by a lot of people that I would never make it, because of my size,” the former Superstar told WWE.com. "To still be employed 15 years later is amazing."

That Kidman did succeed can be owed to an elusive mix of raw talent, good fortune and perfect timing. A WWE fan since childhood, the athletic hopeful began training with WWE Hall of Famer Afa the Wild Samoan when he was only a teenager. His good looks and willingness to perform daredevil maneuvers — particularly the spectacular Shooting Star Press — allowed him to stand out amongst the potbellies in cheap tights on the East Coast independent wrestling scene. Kidman’s small frame may have kept him from getting a WWE contract, but in 1996 he was signed to WCW, thanks in part to his friendship with the late Chris Kanyon.

“He kept telling me to send down a tape of my stuff, because they’re going to start a Cruiserweight division and they’re bringing in some guy named Rey Mysterio,” Kidman remembered.

Early on in his run, the inexperienced youngster was picked apart by rough technicians like Dean Malenko and William Regal before linking up with a grunge rock Svengali known as Raven. Brainwashing a group of wayward competitors he dubbed "The Flock," Raven twisted the clean-cut Kidman into a flea-bitten street punk in a ratty T-shirt. The change didn’t do much for the high-flyer’s personal hygiene, but it put him in a position where he was on WCW’s Monday Nitro every week, which allowed his incredible aerial maneuvers to catch on with fans.

“I was kind of learning on the job, but people took notice,” Kidman admitted. “The more matches I got put in, the more confidence they had in me, and it just grew from there.”

By the summer of 1998, Kidman had broken free of Raven’s control and established himself as a competitor worth watching. Winning the Cruiserweight Championship from Juventud Guerrera that September, he fought his way to the top of a very competitive division and began showcasing his skills in exhilarating matches with Mysterio, Psicosis, Eddie Guerrero and many other standouts.

“It was great getting to work with all those guys,” he said. “We always wanted to outdo ourselves and put on a good show.”

This ability to “put on a good show” soon had fans touting the high flyer as a future main event talent, but the wealth of established stars on WCW’s roster made it difficult for a newcomer like Kidman to break through. Irritated, the cocky upstart grabbed a microphone during a live broadcast of Nitro in 2000 and called out Hulk Hogan. Challenging the ring legend was a gutsy move by the youngster, but it put him in the spotlight — and gave him a contentious pinfall victory over the WWE Hall of Famer. (WATCH)

“He says I beat him three weeks in a row, but I don’t remember that,” he said with a smile.

Still, despite his run-ins with Hulkamania, main event success continued to elude Kidman and the competitor grew increasingly frustrated with WCW — a sentiment shared by many of his friends in the locker room.

“It just got to the point where we were being held back and we wanted some kind of change,” he said.

That change would come on March 26, 2001, when Shane McMahon announced WWE’s acquisition of WCW live on Nitro. Five years after they told him he was too small to make it, WWE was about to get reintroduced to Billy Kidman.

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For Billy Kidman, becoming a WWE Superstar was the only dream he ever had in life, but the competitor was more apprehensive than excited when he joined the company in 2001.

“I was very nervous coming here,” he admitted. “It was like starting over in a way.”

Like many others in the WCW Alliance that invaded WWE that year, Kidman struggled to adapt to his new environment at first, but the cruiserweight began to find his legs through battles with Superstars like X-Pac and Tajiri. Soon, Kidman flourished and scored major success in SmackDown’s tag team division alongside partners like Paul London and Rey Mysterio. (PHOTOS)

"it’s really hard to have a bad match with Rey Mysterio," Kidman said. "He's one of my favorite guys to be in there with, whether it’s tag team or opponent."

After four strong years, the former WWE Tag Team Champion was released from his contract in 2005. It was a disappointing reality at the time, but Kidman now views that day as a blessing.

“I was pretty burnt out, so I needed to recharge mentally, which I did after a year and half or so,” Kidman admitted. “Then the opportunity came up to be a trainer at FCW.”

Looking to get in some mat work before an overseas tour, Kidman went to the Florida Championship Wrestling gym to use their ring and ended up working with some of the rookies who were training there. He enjoyed the experience so much that he started returning on a weekly basis to help in any way he could.

“I loved being there,” Kidman said. “Just to see the younger guys and that fire they had and how they wanted to learn, I really enjoyed it.”

When he wasn’t training current WWE Superstars like Sheamus, Kofi Kingston and Justin Gabriel, Kidman became serious about learning the television production aspect of broadcasting a sports-entertainment show — an interest which eventually led to his current position as a producer with WWE. (PHOTOS)

The former Superstar may have the same job title as legends like Arn Anderson and Dean Malenko who work directly with talent, but Kidman's day-to-day responsibilities differ greatly from those two. Taking over the position long held by WWE Hall of Famer Jerry Brisco, Kidman collaborates with the director and producers of Raw and SmackDown to insure that events fit into their allotted time slots. This can mean cancelling bouts on the fly or even adding matches to a live show at the last minute (there’s a reason the phrase “Card subject to change” is synonymous with sports entertainment).

“We are running a live television show,” Kidman stressed. “Really anything can happen."

Now in his late 30s, Kidman has adapted well to his role outside of the squared circle. Although he revealed that he could still mix it up in the ring like he did during his time as Cruiserweight Champion, he is grateful to have found an important role with WWE.

“I never thought I’d get here,” Kidman admitted. “To still be involved is a great thing.”