Why KANE is One of the Greatest Characters Ever Created by WWE
By J. Troester - pwinsider.com - 11th May 2006
One of the most diabolical, sinister, and destructive characters that has ever graced the presence of the WWE is a man, a monster, a machine named Kane. Ever since his debut on October 5th, 1997 at the Bad Blood 1997 PPV, he has captured our attentions as one of those "unique" characters that stands out from everyone else.
Glen(n) Jacobs, the real name behind the man we know as Kane, wrestled as several different characters that, in a sense, failed. i.e. Fake Diesel, Isaac Yankem, Unibomb, Christmas Creature, etc. Finally, Jacobs is fit in a role that he is great at, and goes over with the fans. A psychotically disturbed individual that was physically and emotionally scarred from the actions of his half-brother The Undertaker. The Undertaker allegedly set fire to the funeral home owned by his parents on accident, and killed them. Kane escaped from the burning funeral home, but not without "scars." Paul Bearer, who was Kane's legitimate father, told Kane he had been burnt terribly by the funeral home fire. Paul then apparently ashamed of his son, aligned himself with The Undertaker and had Kane committed to a mental asylum, where he grew up.
Paul Bearer, after some mistreatment from the Undertaker, decided to call up the spawn of his demon-seed in order to gain vengeance on his former employer. Kane attempted to do just that, by interrupting the first ever Hell in a Cell match between the Undertaker and Shawn Michaels. Kane broke through the cage door, entered the ring, and used his half-brother's own signature move, the Tombstone Piledriver to cost him the match. Kane's attire resembled his character with a combination of red and black to represent crimson colors, and a mask to hide the "facial scars" caused from the fire years ago.
Despite the Undertaker's attempts at avoiding a fight with Kane, they ended up meeting for the first time officially at WrestleMania XIV. The Undertaker would go on to defeat Kane at the event and in several other matches in the following months of WWE programming, including an "Inferno Match."
The Big Red Machine would get a moment to shine in glory when Vince McMahon, owner of the World Wrestling Federation came up with a great plan to get the WWF World Title off a very popular, but defiant Stone Cold Steve Austin. McMahon would order for Austin to defend his title against Kane in a "First Blood" match at King of the Ring 1998. Of course the scheme being that it would be hard for you to see blood on Kane's face because of the mask he wears. The plan worked. On June 28th, 1998, Kane become the World Wrestling Federation Champion after the Undertaker interfered and hit Stone Cold over the head with a steel chair, busting him wide open. His reign was very short lived, as Austin cashed in his rematch clause the following night on RAW and recaptured his WWF Title from Kane. This would be Kane's only World Heavyweight Title to date.
Kane then teamed up with the demented Mankind, and went on to capture the WWF World Tag Team Championship. He would then go through a variety of character and position changes as he would align himself, and then get kicked out of the group known as The Corporation. Kane would later join forces with his half-brother the Undertaker, then leave him to form what was a very popular tag team in X-Pac. Kane & X-Pac would as well hold the WWF Tag Team Titles.
During Kane's friendship with X-Pac he began to regain confidence in himself. The once mute character begin to use an electronic voice box to speak, then even started talking on his own without the box. Kane was finally coming to grips that he was in fact, human, and he could do things that for years he never thought he could do. In the process he gained affection for a young lady by the name of Tori, who shared the same affection for Kane, and he acquired his first girlfriend. X-Pac and Kane would later split when X-Pac decided to rejoin the faction known as D-Generation X. When he did, he brought Tori with him in a betrayal against Kane. These two former partners and Tag Team Champions had a long feud climaxing at WrestleMania 2000 with Kane coming out on top. Kane would make a mental backslide in the process of losing his best friend X-Pac and his woman Tori.
In the next couple of years Kane would turn heel by feuding with the Undertaker, then turn face, by teaming with the Phenom. By Royal Rumble 2001, Kane and the Undertaker become a dominant tag team known as the "Brothers of Destruction." They battled with Edge & Christian, Rikishi & Haku, as well as Triple H & Steve Austin. At the same time Kane competed in the Hardcore division and even won the WWF Hardcore Championship at WrestleMania X7 by defeating Raven.
The Brothers of Destruction would then go on to battle with WCW's Diamond Dallas Page & Chris Kanyon. This feud peaked at SummerSlam 2001 when the brothers defeated DDP & Kanyon in a cage match to capture both the WWF Tag Team Championship & the WCW Tag Team Championship.
Kane would then battle with Kurt Angle which would end at WrestleMania X8with a loss for The Big Red Machine. A few months after the brand extension, put into place on March 25th, 2002, the Brothers of Destruction were separated when the Undertaker got drafted to the Smackdown! brand.
In October 2002, one of the most disgusting and horrible storylines ever presented by the WWE came to life. It all began with a feud between Kane and Triple H. They meet at No Mercy 2002 in a match to unify the WWF World Heavyweight Championship and the WWF Intercontinental Heavyweight Championship. In the weeks preceding Triple H made claim that Kane had a relationship with a woman named Katie Vick. Vick was killed in a car accident with Kane being the driver of the car. Apparently from Triple H's story, Kane raped the corpse of Katie Vick. Triple H threatened to show the footage of Kane doing this hideous act. When the footage finally surfaced, it was fake, as Triple H dressed up as Kane and used a mannequin in the video. Gladly this storyline was buried, but unfortunately Kane lost to Triple H at No Mercy 2002.
In June of 2003, the Kane character would make a major change. Triple H offered Kane a spot in his stable called "Evolution." Stone Cold the Co-General Manager of RAW told Kane that if he refused to join the group he would grant him a World Heavyweight Championship match with HHH. However the other Co-General Manager of RAW, Eric Bischoff, stated that if this match takes place, it will be a "title vs. mask" match. In this match if Kane lost, he would lose the mask that has hid those hideous scars on his face for years. Kane agreed to the match, and he lost to Triple H. He then unmasked to show the world what he had been hiding all these years. There was only one problem though, Kane didn't seem to show any facial damages or scars whatsoever. He was not this hideous looking monster that he thought he was. He was in fact, maybe a little creepy looking, but practically normal.
The action of unmasking drove Kane to a very unstable state mentally as he turned on his former tag team partner Rob Van Dam, lit Jim Ross on fire, and he even Tombstoned the first lady of the WWE, Linda McMahon. This sparked a heated rivalry between her son, the heir to the WWE throne, Shane McMahon and Kane. All these people tried to convince Kane that he looked fine, but Kane's true scars appeared to be in his own mind. Kane would go on to defeat Shane at Unforgiven 2003 in a Last Man Standing Match, then crush Shane again at Survivor Series 2003 in an Ambulance Match.
At the same event, Survivor Series 2003, Kane interfered in a Buried Alive Match between Vince McMahon and the Undertaker, where Kane aided Vince in his victory, and in burying his half-brother. Kane marched around claiming that he had killed his brother, despite the Undertaker's "supernatural signs" that he would display in Kane's presence to prove he was still alive, and coming back for vengeance. Kane lost an opportunity to go to the main event of WrestleMania XX because of an Undertaker created video that aired during the Royal Rumble match which distracted Kane long enough for Booker T. to toss him over the top rope. Undertaker would then go on to haunt Kane in the coming months by sending a rain shower on Kane, and shaking the ring he was standing in. The two siblings would once again face off at WrestleMania XX with another Undertaker victory.
Following his lost at WrestleMania, Kane would fall in love with (at the time) Matt Hardy's girlfriend, Lita. Lita would later make the announcement that she had become pregnant. She assumed that the baby belonged to Matt, however Kane claimed it was his. Lita then attempted to have Kane do harm to her, in order to miscarry the "demon child." The ledged father would go on to defeat Matt at SummerSlam 2004 in a match with a stipulation that Lita had to marry the winner. She did, against her own will. Kane later would "fall" on Lita and she miscarried the child.
Kane would the go on to face Gene Snitsky (the man who pushed him on Lita) in a steel chain match at Taboo Tuesday 2004, and lose to him. After the match, Snitsky injured Kane.
In reality, this injury was just kayfabe and allowed Kane time off in order to shoot for his new movie, "See No Evil." When Kane returned he faced Gene Snitsky at New Year's Revolution 2005 and defeated him. He then competed in the Money in the Bank Ladder Match at WrestleMania 21. Lita and Kane would reunite, with the duo raging havoc on the WWE Women's Champion, Trish Stratus.
The Big Red Machine would then go on to feud with Edge over Lita. This would end on June 25th, 2005 in a stretcher match. Kane was apparently "arrested" (kayfabe) for throwing Edge in the ambulance and driving him off. In reality, Kane suffered a minor injury that he needed time off for.
Kane would return to be placed in a tag team with Big Show by the voting of WWE fans for the Taboo Tuesday 2005 PPV. Kane and Big Show would decimate the current World Tag Team Champions, Lance Cade & Trevor Murdoch, and defeat them for the titles. Kane & Show would dominate the RAW tag team scene for months, even defeating the Smackdown! WWE Tag Team Champions, Batista & Rey Mysterio at Armageddon 2005. They would remain champions until the day after WrestleMania 22, where they were defeated by the Spirit Squad members, Kenny & Mikey.
Kane now has turned on his former tag team partner in a psychotic rage, freaking out at the mere mention of the date, May 19th. Why? What is up with this date? Apparently it is something from Kane's history, right?
Well all that was said, to say this... May 19th, 1998 was the actual date that Kane found out he was not the child of Mr. & Mrs. Undertaker, but in fact the child of the Paul Bearer (an employee of the funeral home the Undertaker's parents owned) and Mrs. Undertaker. Obviously, the mother of the Undertaker cheated on her husband with the evil Bearer. This added on top of the fact his own evil father, Paul Bearer, banished him to a mental asylum for a majority of his life, would be enough to make someone a little crazy, and in Kane's case, psychotic, schizophrenic, depressed, and extremely violent. Kane is a man with a really messed up childhood, a really messed up family, and a really messed up life.
In conclusion I will state that in my opinion, Kane is one of the best characters ever designed by the WWE. Glen(n) Jacobs has done an incredible job at pulling this character off. The Kane character has been through a lot in the last 8 years, and I'm looking at where they go with him in the coming months. Will another WWE Championship reign be in the cross-hairs of the Big Red Machine? Will Kane come out being one of the best? Will his character take a new and exciting turn?
All I can say for sure is, he is Kane: The Man, The Mask, The Monster. Like him, love him, or hate him, regardless, you will never forget him.
[Posted for reference and archival purposes only]
One of the most diabolical, sinister, and destructive characters that has ever graced the presence of the WWE is a man, a monster, a machine named Kane. Ever since his debut on October 5th, 1997 at the Bad Blood 1997 PPV, he has captured our attentions as one of those "unique" characters that stands out from everyone else.
Glen(n) Jacobs, the real name behind the man we know as Kane, wrestled as several different characters that, in a sense, failed. i.e. Fake Diesel, Isaac Yankem, Unibomb, Christmas Creature, etc. Finally, Jacobs is fit in a role that he is great at, and goes over with the fans. A psychotically disturbed individual that was physically and emotionally scarred from the actions of his half-brother The Undertaker. The Undertaker allegedly set fire to the funeral home owned by his parents on accident, and killed them. Kane escaped from the burning funeral home, but not without "scars." Paul Bearer, who was Kane's legitimate father, told Kane he had been burnt terribly by the funeral home fire. Paul then apparently ashamed of his son, aligned himself with The Undertaker and had Kane committed to a mental asylum, where he grew up.
Paul Bearer, after some mistreatment from the Undertaker, decided to call up the spawn of his demon-seed in order to gain vengeance on his former employer. Kane attempted to do just that, by interrupting the first ever Hell in a Cell match between the Undertaker and Shawn Michaels. Kane broke through the cage door, entered the ring, and used his half-brother's own signature move, the Tombstone Piledriver to cost him the match. Kane's attire resembled his character with a combination of red and black to represent crimson colors, and a mask to hide the "facial scars" caused from the fire years ago.
Despite the Undertaker's attempts at avoiding a fight with Kane, they ended up meeting for the first time officially at WrestleMania XIV. The Undertaker would go on to defeat Kane at the event and in several other matches in the following months of WWE programming, including an "Inferno Match."
The Big Red Machine would get a moment to shine in glory when Vince McMahon, owner of the World Wrestling Federation came up with a great plan to get the WWF World Title off a very popular, but defiant Stone Cold Steve Austin. McMahon would order for Austin to defend his title against Kane in a "First Blood" match at King of the Ring 1998. Of course the scheme being that it would be hard for you to see blood on Kane's face because of the mask he wears. The plan worked. On June 28th, 1998, Kane become the World Wrestling Federation Champion after the Undertaker interfered and hit Stone Cold over the head with a steel chair, busting him wide open. His reign was very short lived, as Austin cashed in his rematch clause the following night on RAW and recaptured his WWF Title from Kane. This would be Kane's only World Heavyweight Title to date.
Kane then teamed up with the demented Mankind, and went on to capture the WWF World Tag Team Championship. He would then go through a variety of character and position changes as he would align himself, and then get kicked out of the group known as The Corporation. Kane would later join forces with his half-brother the Undertaker, then leave him to form what was a very popular tag team in X-Pac. Kane & X-Pac would as well hold the WWF Tag Team Titles.
During Kane's friendship with X-Pac he began to regain confidence in himself. The once mute character begin to use an electronic voice box to speak, then even started talking on his own without the box. Kane was finally coming to grips that he was in fact, human, and he could do things that for years he never thought he could do. In the process he gained affection for a young lady by the name of Tori, who shared the same affection for Kane, and he acquired his first girlfriend. X-Pac and Kane would later split when X-Pac decided to rejoin the faction known as D-Generation X. When he did, he brought Tori with him in a betrayal against Kane. These two former partners and Tag Team Champions had a long feud climaxing at WrestleMania 2000 with Kane coming out on top. Kane would make a mental backslide in the process of losing his best friend X-Pac and his woman Tori.
In the next couple of years Kane would turn heel by feuding with the Undertaker, then turn face, by teaming with the Phenom. By Royal Rumble 2001, Kane and the Undertaker become a dominant tag team known as the "Brothers of Destruction." They battled with Edge & Christian, Rikishi & Haku, as well as Triple H & Steve Austin. At the same time Kane competed in the Hardcore division and even won the WWF Hardcore Championship at WrestleMania X7 by defeating Raven.
The Brothers of Destruction would then go on to battle with WCW's Diamond Dallas Page & Chris Kanyon. This feud peaked at SummerSlam 2001 when the brothers defeated DDP & Kanyon in a cage match to capture both the WWF Tag Team Championship & the WCW Tag Team Championship.
Kane would then battle with Kurt Angle which would end at WrestleMania X8with a loss for The Big Red Machine. A few months after the brand extension, put into place on March 25th, 2002, the Brothers of Destruction were separated when the Undertaker got drafted to the Smackdown! brand.
In October 2002, one of the most disgusting and horrible storylines ever presented by the WWE came to life. It all began with a feud between Kane and Triple H. They meet at No Mercy 2002 in a match to unify the WWF World Heavyweight Championship and the WWF Intercontinental Heavyweight Championship. In the weeks preceding Triple H made claim that Kane had a relationship with a woman named Katie Vick. Vick was killed in a car accident with Kane being the driver of the car. Apparently from Triple H's story, Kane raped the corpse of Katie Vick. Triple H threatened to show the footage of Kane doing this hideous act. When the footage finally surfaced, it was fake, as Triple H dressed up as Kane and used a mannequin in the video. Gladly this storyline was buried, but unfortunately Kane lost to Triple H at No Mercy 2002.
In June of 2003, the Kane character would make a major change. Triple H offered Kane a spot in his stable called "Evolution." Stone Cold the Co-General Manager of RAW told Kane that if he refused to join the group he would grant him a World Heavyweight Championship match with HHH. However the other Co-General Manager of RAW, Eric Bischoff, stated that if this match takes place, it will be a "title vs. mask" match. In this match if Kane lost, he would lose the mask that has hid those hideous scars on his face for years. Kane agreed to the match, and he lost to Triple H. He then unmasked to show the world what he had been hiding all these years. There was only one problem though, Kane didn't seem to show any facial damages or scars whatsoever. He was not this hideous looking monster that he thought he was. He was in fact, maybe a little creepy looking, but practically normal.
The action of unmasking drove Kane to a very unstable state mentally as he turned on his former tag team partner Rob Van Dam, lit Jim Ross on fire, and he even Tombstoned the first lady of the WWE, Linda McMahon. This sparked a heated rivalry between her son, the heir to the WWE throne, Shane McMahon and Kane. All these people tried to convince Kane that he looked fine, but Kane's true scars appeared to be in his own mind. Kane would go on to defeat Shane at Unforgiven 2003 in a Last Man Standing Match, then crush Shane again at Survivor Series 2003 in an Ambulance Match.
At the same event, Survivor Series 2003, Kane interfered in a Buried Alive Match between Vince McMahon and the Undertaker, where Kane aided Vince in his victory, and in burying his half-brother. Kane marched around claiming that he had killed his brother, despite the Undertaker's "supernatural signs" that he would display in Kane's presence to prove he was still alive, and coming back for vengeance. Kane lost an opportunity to go to the main event of WrestleMania XX because of an Undertaker created video that aired during the Royal Rumble match which distracted Kane long enough for Booker T. to toss him over the top rope. Undertaker would then go on to haunt Kane in the coming months by sending a rain shower on Kane, and shaking the ring he was standing in. The two siblings would once again face off at WrestleMania XX with another Undertaker victory.
Following his lost at WrestleMania, Kane would fall in love with (at the time) Matt Hardy's girlfriend, Lita. Lita would later make the announcement that she had become pregnant. She assumed that the baby belonged to Matt, however Kane claimed it was his. Lita then attempted to have Kane do harm to her, in order to miscarry the "demon child." The ledged father would go on to defeat Matt at SummerSlam 2004 in a match with a stipulation that Lita had to marry the winner. She did, against her own will. Kane later would "fall" on Lita and she miscarried the child.
Kane would the go on to face Gene Snitsky (the man who pushed him on Lita) in a steel chain match at Taboo Tuesday 2004, and lose to him. After the match, Snitsky injured Kane.
In reality, this injury was just kayfabe and allowed Kane time off in order to shoot for his new movie, "See No Evil." When Kane returned he faced Gene Snitsky at New Year's Revolution 2005 and defeated him. He then competed in the Money in the Bank Ladder Match at WrestleMania 21. Lita and Kane would reunite, with the duo raging havoc on the WWE Women's Champion, Trish Stratus.
The Big Red Machine would then go on to feud with Edge over Lita. This would end on June 25th, 2005 in a stretcher match. Kane was apparently "arrested" (kayfabe) for throwing Edge in the ambulance and driving him off. In reality, Kane suffered a minor injury that he needed time off for.
Kane would return to be placed in a tag team with Big Show by the voting of WWE fans for the Taboo Tuesday 2005 PPV. Kane and Big Show would decimate the current World Tag Team Champions, Lance Cade & Trevor Murdoch, and defeat them for the titles. Kane & Show would dominate the RAW tag team scene for months, even defeating the Smackdown! WWE Tag Team Champions, Batista & Rey Mysterio at Armageddon 2005. They would remain champions until the day after WrestleMania 22, where they were defeated by the Spirit Squad members, Kenny & Mikey.
Kane now has turned on his former tag team partner in a psychotic rage, freaking out at the mere mention of the date, May 19th. Why? What is up with this date? Apparently it is something from Kane's history, right?
Well all that was said, to say this... May 19th, 1998 was the actual date that Kane found out he was not the child of Mr. & Mrs. Undertaker, but in fact the child of the Paul Bearer (an employee of the funeral home the Undertaker's parents owned) and Mrs. Undertaker. Obviously, the mother of the Undertaker cheated on her husband with the evil Bearer. This added on top of the fact his own evil father, Paul Bearer, banished him to a mental asylum for a majority of his life, would be enough to make someone a little crazy, and in Kane's case, psychotic, schizophrenic, depressed, and extremely violent. Kane is a man with a really messed up childhood, a really messed up family, and a really messed up life.
In conclusion I will state that in my opinion, Kane is one of the best characters ever designed by the WWE. Glen(n) Jacobs has done an incredible job at pulling this character off. The Kane character has been through a lot in the last 8 years, and I'm looking at where they go with him in the coming months. Will another WWE Championship reign be in the cross-hairs of the Big Red Machine? Will Kane come out being one of the best? Will his character take a new and exciting turn?
All I can say for sure is, he is Kane: The Man, The Mask, The Monster. Like him, love him, or hate him, regardless, you will never forget him.
[Posted for reference and archival purposes only]
