Reimagined: Kid Kash In WWE

In hindsight, it seems like it should have been easy to make Kid Kash a star in WWE. He was athletic, charismatic, and knew how to work a crowd. His runs in ECW and Impact were just a glimpse into what Kash was capable of, and it was nothing short of impressive. And yet, despite all the assets Kid Kash had in his favor, WWE dropped the ball in magnificent fashion, with his run lasting a mere 15 months. We're going to take a look at what could have been, had Kash been given the push he needed to get over in WWE in this installment of Reimagined: Kid Kash.

There was never any doubt that David Cash had talent. His father was a boxer who began training his young son at seven years old, and he fought professionally both in the US and Japan, and that's where Ricky Morton saw him and knew there was something there. He started training Cash, and quickly got him onto the independent circuit. Through friendships with New Jack and Rob Van Dam, Cash got his foot in the door at ECW for a brief run before going back to the indies and even a few house shows for WWE (one of which resulted in two broken ankles, from which he recovered amazingly fast). Ultimately, he would return to ECW (now with the Kid Kash name and gimmick, which was as a near dead ringer for Kid Rock) and then move on to TNA—after having the misfortune of being signed by WCW the week before it was sold to Vince McMahon, who wanted to keep Cash, but with a renegotiated contract and much lower pay.

Kid Kash won titles in both ECW and TNA (the ECW World Television Championship and the TNA X Division Championship, respectively), so when he arrived in WWE in mid-2005, it seemed like the sky was the limit. He was given a nice push right out of the gate, fueding with Juventud Guerrera and defeating him for the WWE Cruiserweight Championship at WWE Armageddon in December 2005. His reign would be short-lived, however, as Kid Kash would lose the belt the following month at the 2006 Royal Rumble (the title was won by Gregory Helms). He would then be teamed with fellow cruiserweight Jamie Noble, eventually resurrecting The Pit Bulls name and gimmick from the former ECW Tag Team Champions. The initial push and quick title win for Kid Kash did a good job as establishing him as a serious threat, albeit only to other cruiserweights. To elevate him to the next level, he would need to be booked outside of the box he was in. We start our Reimagining at the Royal Rumble.

The Cruiserweight championship at the 2006 Rumble was unique—it was billed as a "Championship Invitational Texas Tornado Match" where all former WWE Cruiserweight champs were competing with the defending champ (Kash), first pinfall or submission wins. Although it could have been a few minutes longer, it was a fun, fast paced match to kick off the Rumble. Basically the only change we would make here is that Kid Kash would retain his championship.

At the following pay-per-view, No Way Out, the belt is again defended against multiple opponents, this time in a "Cruiserweight Open". Helms successfully defended his title in the original match, and as we've decided to keep the belt on Kash, he wins this match as well. The biggest change, however, is that Kid Kash wins decisively. He has at least a hand in laying out all his competitors, and scores a pinfall with ease, standing victorious among the carnage. It is made clear that Kid Kash is not "just" a cruiserweight. Like Chris Benoit, Rey Mysterio, Eddie Guerrero, etc. he is ready for the big time. 

Speaking of Beniot, at No Way Out Benoit becomes the new United States Champion, defeating the defending champ, Booker T. This leaves Booker with not a lot to do, since he has no title to defend. Enter one Mister Kash.

For clarification, saying Booker T didn't have much to do is not entirely accurate. WWE did find something for him to do: They put him (and his wife, Sharmell) into a feud with The Boogeyman, culminating in a "handicap match" at Wrestlemania XXII, after which the feud was essentially killed. We're going to erase The Boogeyman from Booker T's timeline, and insert Kid Kash, starting with the March 3, 2006 episode of Smackdown. The match is arbitrary, to get Booker back in the ring after losing to Benoit.

Kash and Booker kick off the episode, and it's clear in the early minutes that Booker is dismissive of the cruiserweight, until Kid Kash surprises him by hitting a fisherman buster followed by a double jump moonsault for a near fall. Booker gets up after the kick out, eyes wide, slowly nodding. He regroups and they go at it, a solid back and forth match that Booker eventually pulls out as they near the nine minute mark. We hear from both men in backstage segments after the match. Kid Kash says Booker T didn't take him seriously, and it almost cost him the match. Kash says he's on a mission to rise in the ranks like other cruiserweights before him, like Mysterio, Guerrero, and Chris Benoit, who just beat Booker for the US title at No Way Out. He assures Booker this isn't over, it's just the beginning. In his segment, Booker T admits he took his opponent lightly in the beginning, but kept his composure and came out on top because he's the better wrestler, simple as that. Kid Kash had lofty goals, and Booker appreciates that, but it's going to be a long time before Kid Kash is mentioned in the same breath with the likes of Benoit, Mysterio, or Guerrero. "And if the little man insists on a rematch, he can bring it on." He looks into the camera. "Can you dig that, sucka?"

A rematch is set for the March 17th episode of Smackdown. Before the referee starts the match, Kid Kash stops him and asks for a microphone. He tells Booker he made a mistake when they faced each other the first time, and Booker knew it—he'd already admitted he took Kid Kash too lightly. But, Kash says, he's doing it again, because if Booker T really knew how dangerous Kid Kash was he never would have agreed to a rematch. But he did, and here they are, and now Kid Kash is going to embarrass Booker T with his wife at ringside looking on.

Booker attacks and the bell rings, and already Booker has more intensity than he did in the last match.They have a surprisingly even opening few minutes, and every time Kid Kash rebounds from one of Booker's offensive moves it only enrages Booker more. Kash uses his speed to escape an attempt at a Book End, and Booker rolls to the outside to vent his frustration to Sharmell. Kash hits a Bank Roll (corkscrew senton) on Booker on the outside, with Sharmell narrowly avoiding being caught by the move as well. Booker has a limp when he gets back into the ring, and Kid Kash targets the leg for most of the match, at one point locking in the Kash on Delivery (Boston crab) before Booker finally makes it to the ropes to break the hold. Sharmell comes up on the apron and distracts the ref, which allows Booker to hit a low blow out of desperation, then land a Book End. Kash kicks out at 2 ¾, and Booker is devastated. He has nothing left, but gets to his feet to go for another Book End. Kid Kash evades him, and spots Sharmell trying to slide a steel chair into the ring. He snatches it away from her, and while the ref is chastising her about interfering Kash lands the Smash Mouth (chair to the face). This gives Kash the chance to get a dazed Booker set up for the Money Maker (double underhook piledriver) and score the upset victory. 

The March 24th episode of Smackdown featured Kid Kash in a Money in the Bank Qualifying Battle Royal, which was won by Bobby Lashley. The only change that needs to be made here to fit our Reimagined timeline is that Kid Kash decimates the other opponents (most of whom were the cruiserweights from the Texas Tornado match at the Royal Rumble), leaving just he and Lashley to duke it out. Going toe to toe with Lashley and looking credible is the most important thing, and Lashley can still win the match as planned. 

During the episode, Booker T has a backstage segment where he accuses Kid Kash of having to cheat to get the win on him. He says he's tired of this "Kid Rock mini-me" being a thorn in his side, and he can think of no better way to settle things once and for all than by embarrassing Kid Kash on The Grandest Stage of Them All: Wrestlemania. And since Kash likes to cheat, it will be a No DQ match.

The match at Wrestlemania features a lot of brawling and some cheap shots, but the first half of the match is not too extreme by No DQ standards. Booker T catches Kid Kash in midair and turns it into a 110th Street Slam (spinebuster), followed by a running knee drop for a two count. Kid Kash breaks out nearly every high flying maneuver in his arsenal to try and weaken the much larger man. The climax of the match finds Kash landing a corner to corner missile dropkick, but Booker flies backwards, knocking the referee into the turnbuckle and rendering him unconscious. Kash hits a frog splash and goes for the cover but the referee is still out. Booker recovers while Kash is trying to revive the referee, and brings the bell and a steel chair into the ring. Booker sets up the chair, and once Kash turns back around he hits him with the bell. Kash staggers around dazed and Booker hits an axe kick, sending Kash face first into the chair. He goes for the cover, and the still-dazed ref counts a slow 1-2-3. Kash kicks out at 3 ½ but it's too late. Booker T hits a Spin-a-Roonie in celebration as Kid Kash rolls out of the ring and hobbles back up the ramp.

With the feud wrapped up, Booker T can go right into the King of the Ring as planned, and carry on with his eventual transformation into King Booker. There's really no downside for him in this Reimagining. For Kid Kash, he's had a three match war with a legend, and almost came out on top. Coupled with an impressive showing against Lashley in the Money in the Bank Battle Royal, and he's bound to break out from the pack of other cruiserweights and be seen as a credible opponent to anyone on the roster. 

With the benefit of hindsight, it's easier to see how things could've gone and what could have been done to right WWE's wrongs in regard to Kid Kash's booking. That being said, it's still hard not to see the potential they wasted and wish they'd done a better job with him.

How would you change the WWE run of Kid Kash?