Worcester Wrestling Wonder Wows the WWE
By Kimberly Dunbar

Kenny Dykstra may be a star in the wrestling ring these days, but this World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) *RAW* and *Smackdown!* superstar was born and raised in Worcester, and this was the place where he cultivated his talent.

Dykstra (also known as Ken Doane and Ken Phoenix) made his WWE debut in January 2006. It did not take long for the world to realize that Dykstra was a star. He burst on the scene as a member of the Spirit Squad, a five-person alpha male cheerleading team. The signature, and sometimes feminine, costumes complete with pom-poms set the squad apart from the rest of the wrestling world, and the members were rewarded when they earned the World Tag Team Championship.

The 21-year-old Dkystra is the only wrestler from the Spirit Squad to survive in the WWE, and now he works solo in the ring. But while he made his name as a green and white clad crowd pleaser, Dykstra certainly wasn’t a rookie. While growing up, Ken and his brother Mike wrestled around the New England area until “Broadway” Ken Phoenix grabbed the attention of the WWE and was invited to their developmental organization, Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW). In 2003, at age 17, brothers Ken and Mike Phoenix appeared in an episode of RAW, taking part in wrestler Rodney Mack’s “5-minute White Boy Challenge.” While the brothers were defeated in one minute and 31 seconds, Ken was not down and out for the count: after an appearance on Sunday Night Heat in 2004, he was signed to the OVW full time.

After two years with the OVW and the break-up of the Spirit Squad, the 6’2”, 234 pound Ken Doane adopted new music, a new uniform, and a new moniker ~ Kenny Dykstra. Dykstra soon joined the WWE’s *Heat* show, forming a tag team with Johnny Nitro. And in addition to finding a wrestling partner, Dykstra also found his real-life partner in WWE uber babe Mickie James, to whom he’s been engaged since 2006.

With the lines between entertaining storyline and reality often blurring in the WWE, one thing is clear: this Worcester native has hit the jackpot in both his career and love lives.

Photos of Kenny Dykstra courtesy of www.slam.canoe.ca www.gerweck.net