At last, the event you've all been waiting for has arrived.
You are indeed seing double in October Wrasslin' this month, double decades that is of the enduring wrestling icon, the big red machine retconned to monster Kane.
Kanetober will look back at 20 years of everyone's favourite Undertaker spin off franchise, as well as 20 specific highlights (and lowlights) of a career that's covered every aspect of sports entertainment.
Our great Wrasslegaffer RecRoulette tackled the idea of a Kane celebration back in May but much like a Kane push it fizzled out depsite being awesome, analysing this trend I have concocted the idea of 5 batches of 4 points, batch 1 incoming y'all!
1. Longest Term Booking and the mighty 2010 WHC run
I'm kicking off with one of my fave Kane runs of his storied career. Every now and then some folks look back to 2010 and lump it in with the middling years of WWE that includes the likes of 2007-2009, I say boo to that theory. On one hand you have the Nexus, on the other you have champion Kane! who can say no to that combo? no one answer that...
in 2010 kayfabe Undertaker was found in a vegatative state for mysterious reasons! a true mystery to be sure, fortunately Brother Kane was on the case, storming through the roster of smackdown in order to find the culprit. A gradual slow build back towards monster level Kane after years of treading water and losing to the likes of Mysterio belly flops.
The monster push begins to hit an apex when Kane starts basically wrecking all the participants in the Smackdown Money in the Bank match and wins the thing quite handily, (kane was always a dab hand at ladder matches). Cashing in the case on the same night and getting glorious heat back off Rey Mysterio in the process, a true win for any Kaneanite.
Shock twist: Kane was behind Taker's vegetable mode all along, how Rey Rey came across this knowledge I have no idea but I imagine he probably looked at the entire career of Kane thus far and drew the obvious conclusion. At Summerslam Taker would return for revengeance only to be outmatched by Kane and being one of the few times I can recall a big return moment leading to the returning guy getting murked like a chump.
Following this
Kane cut a GOAT tier promo that the wrestling world will never acknowledge as one of the greats. No wonder this guy does politics on the side, kane cuts a roughly 10 minute promo about his MASTER PLAN with the greatest of ease. It's complete with cheesy horror music, manical laughter, video footage, mood lighting. It goes through the Kane/Taker saga from 97 to 2010, as I said long term booking coming into play here. Kane's hawk like eyes could pinpoint the exact moment Taker lost his mojo at WM26 and he capitalised on it.
This leads to a nostalgia fest feud of multiple PPV title matches where at long last Kane actually whups Taker every time thus backing up THE MASTER PLAN, we got gimmicks like the cell and buried alive and... Paul Bearer's urn beam? okay the matches kinda smelt but it's about the experience friends.
Alas all good things must come to an end and in a strange twist of backwards booking heel kane was out heeled by an apparently face Edge who commited massive dickery and kidknapping, I'll let Edge off for this since he and Kane are totally bros in real life, a bit of a limp dick end to a monster run (just like Hall of Pain Henry would get the following year, WWE can't stick the landing for the big men).
2. Komedy Kane
Not one to be typecast as a heel monster for life, my man Kane also had the promo chops to pull out comedy.
Take a look at these classics from the vault, no wonder The Rock bailed from the company before he could properly feud with Kane and be matched on the mic!
KANEANITES
Hogan looking legit shook at the overwhelming charisma of Kane threatining to overshadow both his and Rock's combined.
B Dazzle and Curly Kane
Team Hell No are a whole entry by themselves (they will be!), in the meantime here's Kane allowing himself to be mocked for Bryan's benefit, what a swell guy.
Something funny about the word Tromboner?
Note that Bro Show is part of this one, another important slice of Kane history worthy of its own entry, rest assured the forever war will be tackled.
3. Tag Team Machine
A lot of Komedy Kane can be linked to him playing off other wrestlers and a number of these were not only tag partners of Kane but also champions. Sure you remember Taker and Bryan but what about Kane and the Hurricane? or Kane and Rob Van Dam? notorious wrassler of go away heat X-Pac practically killed his face potential dead when he DARED to turn heel on Kane.
Kane has 12 tag title wins under the WWE umbrella (which includes the WCW tag belts because the invasion was wierd guys). As a bonus Kane has even held the oh so esteemed Bragging Rights Trophy, remember Bragging Rights? no?
Kane is such a tag team beast that he doesn't even need a tag partner to win, Kane was a one man winner of
a multi tag TLC match that won an award for BEST RAW MATCH OF ALL TIME (at the Raw 10th anniversary spectacular!)
No really it did, also note that when Taker chokeslams someone off a ladder he he just chokeshoves them, Kane leaps off the damn thing and then goes back up, what a hero.
4. Winner of the worst? Pro Wrestling Observer is a load of poop
Hey I said there would be lowlights didn't I?
Of course all great things have their share of haters, you can't please everyone.
Look no further than the Pro Wrestling Observer who have handed Good Guy Glenn a number of dubious "victories" in their various end of year awards.
Most Disgusting Promotional Tactic (1996) fake Diesel gimmick
(What about Fake Razor? is he included in this shaming?)
Most Disgusting Promotional Tactic (2004) impregnating Lita
(Kane has a storied history of romance storylines, sometimes you just gotta shake it up)
Most Overrated (2010, 2014, 2015)
(See the overreaction of salty smarks upset that their indy darling title runs consisted of a Kane match where he of course put them over)
Worst Feud of the Year (2002) vs. Triple H
(No argument from me, Kane went from over as hell to BURIED, all part of the great shovel spree of 2002-2003)
Worst Feud of the Year (2003) vs. Shane McMahon
(this was great, what the fuck observer?! I guess the nuance of the dinner segment was lost on them, I'll be tackling this in full later!)
Worst Feud of the Year (2004) vs. Matt Hardy and Lita
(Yeah well it turns out Lita wasn't so good to Matt after all doesn't it!)
Worst Feud of the Year (2007) vs. Big Daddy V
(this happened? must've been like a month of WWECW content, who cares? the observer sure do!)
Worst Feud of the Year (2008) vs. Rey Mysterio
(WHAT'S IN THE BAG? yeah I too was disappointed as seeing Kane constantly job to that belly flop)
Worst Feud of the Year (2010) vs. Edge
(As mentioned earlier, this feud really was arse backwards)
Worst Feud of the Year (2012) vs. John Cena
(Sounds like the observer embraced the hate eh? EH? lol Zack Ryder tho)
Worst Gimmick (1996) as fake Diesel
(again, what about Razor?)
Worst Worked Match of the Year (2001) with The Undertaker vs. KroniK at Unforgiven
(the only person who'll defend KroniK here is Data West, that said I appreciate a man who sticks by his boys)
Wrasslecrap meanwhile only have Kane highlighted once for their comical Gooker award, and yes it was of course Katie Vick.
Until next time fellow Kaneanites