If there is one thing missing from today’s WWE programming, it’s a big man with more athleticism than normal.
Sure, you have your Brawn Strowman’s and with their power moves, but I want to see those larger than life men who can jump across the ring.
In Kane, we had one of the near-perfect big men in WWE history, standing at 7 foot tall, mixed in with the amazing character and pure athleticism he had, Kane/Glenn Jacobs will go down in the record books as being one of the most imposing figures to ever lace up a pair of boots. In line with his 53rd birthday, I’ve decided to have a look at some of the most memorable moments of the Big Red Machine’s career.
When we look back at the debuts of some of the names we have today, very few stand out as WOW moments. These days, careers usually start from making their way through the developmental system and slowly climbing up the ranks. For Kane, his explosive debut directly affected the main event picture in the then-WWF.
Coming during the first-ever Hell In A Cell match between Undertaker and Shawn Michaels at In Your House: Bad Blood, alongside Paul Bearer, Kane proceeded to rip the door off the sell and tombstone his half-brother The Undertaker to cost him the WWF Championship. Wearing his not trademark red and black full-body gear and his iconic mask, this was unlike anything the audience had seen in a long time and sent shockwaves through the company. This interaction and ready-made plot led to a year-long program involving the Brothers of Destruction, from costing each other matches to even teaming up at one point. Would Kane be in the position he is today if it weren’t for that impactful debut?
Jacobs surely had the talent, but that moment, the sight of Kane walking to the Cell alongside Bearer would forever cement the vision of a monster ready to take the WWF by fire.
Just over a year after his debut, Kane would end up winning his first-ever WWE Championship. Taking place the 1997 King Of The Ring, this moment is more often than not overshadowed by the preceding Hell In The Cell match between Undertaker and Mankind. Facing off against Stone Cold Steve Austin in a First Blood match, Kane would be victorious when interference from both Mankind and Undertaker led to Mankind swinging a chair at Kane, but he missed and caught Austin in the face.
Stone Cold, using a chair to the face of Kane to produce blood, was caught bleeding himself by the referee and therefore the title was awarded to Kane. This reign would last all of 24 hours, with Austin winning it back on the following nights Raw is War, but we got the picture of Kane with the belt, and for this writer, that belt looked DAMN GOOD on the Big Red Machine. It would be another 12 years until he won a World Championship again (I’m not counting the ECW Title) but the image that I most associate with him as the company’s champion is that from 1998.
Now, tell me that there isn’t a person in the world that, when watching the 2001 Royal Rumble live, didn’t end up shouting at their TV’s for Kane to win. Entering at number 6, no-one expected him to go on the tear that he did. From making Drew Carey fill his pants with a threatened chokeslam and eliminating the following 6 entrants to lasting to the final two. He was able to stand strong alongside The Rock and Stone Cold and completely fit the picture.
He was easily the ironman, lasting around 54 minutes, a quarter of an hour longer than any other competitor. This is arguably one of the best Royal Rumble appearances ever, chucking a then-record 11 men over the top round in a 30 person Rumble. The fact that this was allowed to happen showed the trust that the company had in the wrestler. He was a lynchpin in personally my favourite Royal Rumble of all time.
When he debuted, Kane was promoted as a mute, so badly affected by a house fire in his youth that his vocal cords were beyond the ability to speak. Over the following years, his ability to speak slowly returned, from the use of a voice boxed to no semblance of a speech problem to have ever occurred. He finally had the chance to show off his promo skills and Kane started to show some comedic chops.
It takes some skill to upstage Hulk Hogan and The Rock in a promo, but this is exactly what happened during this backstage segment. Riffing off both of their signature catchphrases, The Big Red Machine created television gold and a name for his fans to this day should be said more. (Who wouldn’t want to be a Kanenite?)
Sometimes intrigue gets the better of us. For years, we had wished to see exactly what was under the mask. What was so terrifying about Kane’s appearance that we were blocked from its view. Over the years, the mask had become iconic with the image of Kane but had also started to reduce in size to a point where it now only covered half of his face. Yet, we wondered about what it covered. That question was finally answered on the June 23rd 2003 episode of Raw.
Kane has been teaming up with Rob Van Dam at the time, with RVD trying to instil a new sense of confidence in the Devil’s Favourite Demon. This accumulated in a match for the World Heavyweight Championship against Triple H and if he lost, Kane would be forced to remove his mask.
Following interference from his Evolution stablemates, HHH won the mask, and what followed was the complete emotional breakdown of Kane. This unmasking is one of, if not the best unmasking that WWE has ever done, if not the wrestling world as a whole.
It added a completely new dimension to the character. Attacking whomever he wanted, Linda McMahon included, whilst being escorted to the ring in chains. This unhinged brutality brought upon a breath of fresh air to the character. The Monster Kane was finally revealed.
Although the unmasking brought upon a renewed emphasis to Kane’s purpose, along with two World title reigns, fans quickly longed for the return of masked Kane. We were finally given that on December 11th 2011. Following weeks of vignettes featuring the imagery of a burning red mask, Kane returned wearing a metallic mask. Interrupting the main event of John Cena and Mark Henry, he removed this metallic mask to uncover a new red mask (and the return of his long hair) to the delight of millions at home.
Seeing as it had been 8 long years since we last witnessed Kane in a mask, the crowd was wild for this. This again cemented the power that the visual of Kane’s costume was synonymous with the character, maybe more than the majority of other wrestlers. It also took us back to the destructive Kane that we grew up with, even if it was only for roughly 6 months.
As mentioned earlier, Kane holds some great comedic timing and this was none the more evident than with his partnership with Daniel Bryan. After being sent to Anger Management (and opening up in the calmest of ways about his past evil deeds in a way that would make Michael Myers shudder) and eventually teaming up to create Team Hell No.
After weeks of being at odds with each other, in one of the funniest and heartwarming moments in recent memory, Kane outstretched his arms and welcomed Bryan in for an embrace. I believe this is an underestimated side of Big Red’s character. When allowed, his sense of humour is up there with the Kurt Angle’s and Chris Jericho’s of the world.
So those are some of my most memorable Kane moments. I know there are a lot more, but it’s a testament to the career and ability of Glenn Jacobs that I haven’t mentioned any of this work with Lita and Matt Hardy, or his role as Corporate Kane.
Even after its mention on this past week’s episode of Smackdown, I could have mentioned the whole Katie Vick storyline! With his role away from the ring as the mayor of Knox County, these future moments are going to be limited at best, but if he ever had the chance to return in a non-active on-screen presence, I would relish the chance, as I’m sure many of you would as well.
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