in OVW. Kennedy made his pay-per-view debut at No Mercy, defeating Hardcore Holly and injuring Holly's ribs during the match. On the November 11 episode of SmackDown!, Kennedy faced Eddie Guerrero to compete for a spot on SmackDown!s Survivor Series team. He lost the match when Guerrero tossed him a steel chair and played possum, a move which Guerrero had made famous. The referee turned around and saw Guerrero on the ground with Kennedy holding the chair, and consequently disqualified Kennedy, awarding the place on Team SmackDown! to Guerrero. This was Kennedy's first loss. In retaliation, Kennedy struck Guerrero over the head with the chair after the match. This was Guerrero's final televised match, as he died two days later. In interviews about the incident, Kennedy has stated that he considers this an "unfortunate honor". In December, Kennedy participated in WWE's overseas tour. On the second day in Italy, Kennedy suffered a legitimate latissimus dorsi tear. Kennedy was sidelined for nearly six months while he rehabilitated the injury. He continued to make appearances on SmackDown! and Velocity throughout January and February and even made an appearance on the January 11, 2006, episode of WWE Byte This! with Todd Grisham to maintain visibility. At the OVW tapings on May 17, Kennedy returned to in-ring action, facing OVW Heavyweight Champion CM Punk in a title match that Kennedy lost. Kennedy made his return to SmackDown! on the June 9 episode with a victory over Scotty 2 Hotty after using the "Kenton Bomb." On the July 14 episode of SmackDown!, Matt Hardy used a roll-up to defeat Kennedy, ending Kennedy's streak of never being defeated by pin or submission. On the July 21 episode of SmackDown!, Batista put out an open challenge to find an opponent for The Great American Bash, as his original opponent, Mark Henry, had been injured. Kennedy accepted the challenge and won the match by disqualification, however, he suffered an injury during the match after being thrown headfirst into the steel steps, resulting in an exposed cranium laceration which required twenty stitches to close. Kennedy helped Vince and Shane McMahon in their feud with D-Generation X (DX), appearing at both SummerSlam and the August 28 episode of Raw to attack them. United States Champion and Mr. Money in the Bank (2006–2007) On the September 1 episode of SmackDown!, Kennedy defeated Finlay and Bobby Lashley in a triple threat match