Scott,
Dude, seriously, what's your beef with Kane? For a big guy, he's always been a pretty reliable worker, he's done everything that's ever been asked of him (and if he hasn't, I'd hate to see what he nixed...), including putting anyone over at any given time and making the best of absolutely brutal angles that are obviously no fault of his own. He's proven to be more professional than most of the other performers in the locker room, I don't think he's ever had a wellness violation, he's also a pretty smart guy outside the rasslin' world on top of that.
So every now and then they throw him a bone and give him a push, as it's always been easy to throw him in the main event mix because he's reached the point of being perpetually over, no matter how many jobs he does or stupid angles he's been involved in. His early work of emoting with the mask on was impressive and his mic skills aren't bad at all, considering the source material he has to work with. To be honest, I don't really understand why they finally brought back the old-school Big Red Machine look just to have him job like a chump to Cena and others, the Wrestlemania win over Orton notwithstanding.
Is there any redeeming quality to the character/performer for you, or do you just have a mad hate-on for Kane? If you were in control, what would you do with him? Wish him the best in his future endeavours or revamp his moveset ala the Undertaker? He's not getting any younger, but I think there could still be value in the huge monster with the bad-ass supernatural look to him.
Yours,
Isaac Yankem, D.D.S.
I don't hate him personally, but he has pretty terrible matches much of the time, and he's been directly involved in some of the absolute worst angles in the history of wrestling. Makes it tough to appreciate him. If it was me, yes, I'd let him go and maybe he could do some indies or TNA, freshen up his character, and come back more effectively at a later date. As it is, he's been kicking around for what, close to 20 years straight now as a worker and for 15 as the same character? Putting a mask off and on him can only do so much.
and for a "smart" guy, his libertarian politics suck.
ReplyDeleteI can separate respect for a guy for being professional and lacking respect for the quality of work. Kane has been nothing but professional to my knowledge. He's well-liked backstage, never complains, rarely misses work, etc. But Scott is right. How many three star or more matches has he ever had? I can't think of any, and I'm sure that after some folks rack their brain, the number is less than the fingers on one hand. He's never been a great promo guy when his character called for it. His calling card is simply that he got a good gimmick and he's big, combined with being very professional. I think he's got MORE than enough pushes to main event matches.
I think I'm one of the only people who thought his match with Orton at Mania was pretty good. The top rope chokeslam was an awesome finish.
ReplyDeleteI liked it too, I thought it was perfectly solid wrestling match.
ReplyDeleteI could probably never put it into words exactly but I've always liked Kane. He just seems like one of those guys that is totally content with his spot and just happy to be there.
ReplyDeleteIt's crazy to think that character has lasted 15 years when he was originally just supposed to be the Undertaker's annual WrestleMania monster.
Somewhat off-topic but who has participated in more terrible angles than Kane? Big Show maybe? To me Big Show riding the coffin was more distasteful than Katie Vick but I'm not sure I even watched Katie Vick actually happen so much as just hear about it later so I could be off.
After that nauseating feud with Cena, I'd be more than content with never seeing either guy again on my television screen.
ReplyDeleteIt's interesting to watch 1997 WWF, and listening to them take all these cheap shots at WCW, especially when it comes to "the old guard" being the main event guys over there. Now they've got a guy in John Cena, who's no spring chicken anymore and staler than three week bread feuding with Kane, Johnny Ace, and Big Show in the closing matches of PPVs.
I don't like him because he's just not any good. He can't talk. He can't wrestle. What else is there?
ReplyDeletethey have ALWAYS had older guys on top. it was just jim ross spinning in like hogan beibg the babe ruth of wrestling...
ReplyDeletethey brought back backlund in 94.
they brought out piper snuka roberts and warrior in 96
they brought back the lod in 97-98
the brought the nwo and hogan in 2002
they brought nash in 03 and 2011!!!
they always do that.
THROUGH HELLFIRE AND TOOTHPASTE!
ReplyDeleteI like Kane for what he is - a hard-working, professional guy with average in-ring and mic skills, but who also happens to have a knack for playing a totally unique character.
ReplyDeleteIs he the type of guy to build the company around? Of course not. Should he be one of the World Champions? No. He's great in a mid-card role, though, and could easily help several of the younger/newer talents; even more than that, he's totally WILLING to help them. He's also relatively over, always drawing a pop from the crowd and moving a decent amount of merchandise. Again, he's not the most popular guy around, but he's a great supporting character.
At this stage of his career, there's actually a LOT he could be doing:
- He and Show could be tag-champs (either as faces or heels), and hold them for a few months before decisively losing them to a big team like Rey-Cara or something.
- He could get into a feud with Ryback, with Ryback winning and cementing himself as a new "monster" on the roster.
- He could turn face and give mid-card heels like Ziggler and Cody a rub; sure, Kane isn't on the level of, say, Cena or Orton, but Kane is seen as being "above" most mid-carders, so a feud there where the heel wins could easily help Ziggler and Cody climb the ladder.
And then, there's the one storyline that (to me, at least) is just BEGGING to be done with Kane: Split Personality. It wouldn't be hard to imagine bald, mask-less Kane as being a face, and wigged, masked Kane as being a heel. I think they could get a solid three months out of that, with one "side" of his personality ultimately winning out over the other. Sure, it's goofy and campy, but if anybody could make it work, it's him.
Just my own opinion.
Didn't he have a surprisingly good Smackdown match with I want to say Angle a few years back? I think that's honestly the only good match that I can come up.
ReplyDeleteAm I alone in thinking his in-ring work isn't that bad? It's not great to be sure, but compared to some of the other big-man 'monsters' in similar roles (Snitsky, anyone?) we've seen over the years Kane's always struck as at least solid and dependable. Put him in there with the Big Show or such like and yeah the match'll will suck, but he can carry his end against more talented performers.
ReplyDeleteThey'll always need those big scary guy roles. The guys that Laurinitis can call out as a punishment opponent for a face and it'll be a believable (ish... especially for the kiddies) threat, even if he's lost his last ten matches in a row, just based on how big and powerful and 'monster' he is.
And as others have said, used right, Kane has enough name value to fill that role and put over up and comers. Us smarks might not be thrilled at the prospect, but to the kids out there a win by a mid-carder over big red machine could seem like a big deal (if part of a proper, sustained push of the kind we don't see any more... but that's a separate problem). He's no Daniel Bryan, but if we're going to have generic big guys in these mid-card/main event buffer roles, Kane strikes me as a far preferable in-ring option to Big Show, Snitsky, Mason Ryan, Big Zeke, Khali or 90% of the other big guys we've had to put to up with. A low bar, I admit, but hopefully you see my point...
http://goo.gl/Og32p
ReplyDeleteIt's stupid, It's Campy, and i love it
ReplyDeleteI don't like Kane because he's always one of those guys that WWE feels they need to protect at the expense of others who could actually become main event guys. While Kane is 1000 times better than Khali, they're pretty much in the same boat of guys who gets protected over people like Ziggler or Cody Rhodes because of their size.
ReplyDeleteThey could have Kane disappear and then have his lawyer brother show up in the crowd eating popcorn and accusing Ziggler of having something to do with the disappearance.
ReplyDeleteThis, plus the stuff mentioned in the original email, plus he's been ridiculously healthy throughout his career.
ReplyDeleteKane's not the greatest, but the look he's been using since January is badass. Probably my favorite in-ring attire.
ReplyDeleteKane was great when hardcore matches were more prevalent, he did really well in some of those, like the Hardcore Rumble followed up by the 3 way with Raven & Big Show at Mania in 01. I also very much prefer the unmasked Kane look to masked Kane, who always looked kinda weird to me even before he ever unmasked.
ReplyDeleteAll that said, he's been with WWE for basically 20 years (he was sort of "developmental" before that was a thing in Smoky Mountain and USWA). He's not getting any younger, he's not fantastic in the ring or on the mic, his character has been stale forever, and it's time for someone new to come up. Really, Kane and Taker are the last characters we'll probably ever see that are so out of step with reality that they seem like something out of a comic book and have supernatural powers. People just wouldn't buy that kind of thing with a new character. So Kane's kind of out of step with the times, and his storylines are really cheesy by comparison.
As for his attitude backstage....what are we doing an employee evaluation on the guy? Not really any of my concern, although I guess if he were a notable dick like Orton it'd seem more significant.
Kane peaked his first night when he ripped the door off Hell in a Cell. All downhill since then.
ReplyDeleteHeadline from kayfabenews.com "Unemployed, Obese Fan Critcizes Wrestlers Workrate." It's pretty funny, you should all check it out :)
ReplyDeleteFor me, Kane has never been a guy who I would buy a PPV to see, but I still do respect the guy. I admire his loyalty to the company and the fact that he has put up with some stupid shit. I don't think he's that bad in the ring. He's been loyal, he never seems like he's been unprofessional and always does business. He has a very unique character. All in all I don't have a beef with the guy.
ReplyDeleteI don't mind Kane. Whilst I can't think of any great matches he's had, he's a solid big man - and a believable threat in most matches he's been in.
ReplyDeleteI dunno about sending Kane to the indies or TNA so he can come back later. He's already 45 years old. Being released from the WWE would probably mark the end of his full time wrestling career.
ReplyDeleteI don't hate Kane, but his matches typically aren't very good and neither are his feuds. I wouldn't miss him if he left.
Kane's just a guy who outlived his usefulness to me a long, long time ago. I like the Kane character occasionally, depending on the storyline, but he's not a guy who I need to see on every pay per view just because...I guess he's the personification of sports entertainment for me - I only enjoy him based on what's going on with his character and they ran out of interesting things to do with the character a long time ago. Putting him back in the mask was pretty much the last thing they could do to make him interesting to me again, and that lasted for a couple of weeks. Now he's the same old Kane that won't go away - in a mask this time. He was also possibly the slowest moving wrestling I've ever seen for a while there. I found watching some of his matches a couple of years ago to be frustrating because he was just so slow.
ReplyDeleteI think a few years might be understating it, considering Angle's been gone from the company for 6, and that match was, I think, closer to almost an even 10?
ReplyDeleteor was the understating on purpose and I'm ruining things?
I can only agree to this if his personalities are forced to wrestle each other for control of his body.
ReplyDeleteI remember their WMX8 match being a let down compared to the first one, so it would've been before that. So we're talking around 10 years.
ReplyDeleteSee I don't think he's outlived his usefulness, I just don't think they are using him as best they can. Instead of using him to build up Cena leading into WrestleMania, they could have used Kane to put over Zack Ryder. And now instead of having him in the world title program they could use him to put over Dolph Ziggler, or Cody Rhodes, or Sandow, or Claudio, or Swagger. Kane is perpetually over and a monster. They could elevate any number of the guys who are floundering. So I don't think he's outlived his usefulness. He could still be very useful in putting over some young guys. Instead they feed him to Cena, feed him to Orton, and now he's in a world title program.
ReplyDeleteI like Kane, and have for years. People forget, he had his "Ziggler-like" streak of losses back when Umaga was the new monster heel on the block, and he became the Big Red Jobbing Machine. I have nothing but respect for people like Kane, because he does whatever he can to help the cause. (He also tombstoned Pete Rose twice, which many, many baseball fans would have paid money to do themselves.)
ReplyDeleteHelp get Mark Henry over? Check. Need a brief heel run with Cena? Check. Face? Heel? Movie Role? Whatever they need, he does, he stays in shape, doesn't get fat, rarely gets hurt, never injures anybody else or works too stiff (which is a huge deal these days) and shows up every night. I like Kane, I like the guy who plays him, who, judging from what I have heard is an extremely bright and interesting kind of guy.
Wow that website is...uh...a work in progress...I hope.
ReplyDeleteKane is legitimately my least favorite WWE performer who gets sustained pushes. He is the number one channel changer for me in the ring (Cena is on the mic).
ReplyDeleteYou keep feeding that troll, it's gonna start breeding.
ReplyDeleteI don't think he's trolling. Wouldn't a troll put up a picture of a hot chick?
ReplyDeleteThreadjack: Vince bought the remaining Mid-South/UWF footage! Here's hoping for a new Mid-South show on 24/7 with JR as the host.
ReplyDelete"He had a good match a decade ago against one of the best performers of the generation. So he's got that going for him, which is nice."
ReplyDeleteHere's hoping for some classic DiBiase/Duggan footage finally going to DVD
ReplyDeleteThe Kane vs. Kurt Angle match from Smackdown November 2001 was very good and a good template of how to work a Kane match.
ReplyDeleteI can't think of many ***-matches he's been a part of, which is weird because he is a pretty freakishly athletic guy in there; it's not like he;s El Gigante or something.
ReplyDeleteI also appreciate how much a pro he is; he runs with all the bad angles, the constant face/heel turns, etc. and does the best that he can. I think a lot of the fans respect that too; there's never not gonna be a time where his entrance or character won't get a pop. And he's definitely in the conversation for best 7-foot talker ever, even though his heavy breathing makes him sound like the kid in the wheelchair from "Malcolm in the Middle" sometimes.
//confession: I loved the goofy babyface Kane in 2002 with the Kanearoonie, teaming with Hurricane, etc.
He is decent on the mic.. He is believable as a monster.. In good shape and just like Mark Henry, it doesnt matter how long u been with the company or how many stupid angles u r involved in, just 1 great monster push gets u over as a main eventer
ReplyDeleteAgreed, "outlived his usefulness" probably wasn't the right way to say it. He's still enough of a name that a win over him would mean something to someone like Ryder, I just don't buy him against established main eventers, or in title programs. I can't understand how they can see Punk/Bryan tear it up and think they need to add Kane of all people to it.
ReplyDeleteKane's best qualities (loyal, hard-working, etc.) are ones we never see on TV. Not only that, his character is just so far beyond the rest of the company at this point. He's just so out-of-place.
ReplyDeleteI think the companies realizes that last part where you said rarely hurts anyone or works stiff. When Cena was getting ready for WrestleMania and his match with the Rock who did they trust to protect Cena? Kane.
ReplyDeleteExactly, I don't think Kane is effective in title match. He's most effective in the "Jake Roberts" role where Jake used to get heels ready to face Hogan. That's kinda how they should use Kane. Have Ryder beat him, or Ziggler. Instead they seem intent on pushing him into main event programs, and that's just not his scene anymore.
ReplyDeleteI'm picturing him chokeslamming himself. It's a pretty hilarious visual.
ReplyDeleteI saw a particularly "talented" buddy of mine do that back when we were retarded, 16 & backyard wrestling (he was the only person who knew how to back bump, of COURSE he chokeslammed himself). Grover Steaknife was the referee, Elmo Machete "interfered."
ReplyDeleteWe were retarded.
It may just be me, but I think Kane was actually doing some pretty awesome stuff the last two times he's held a "World title" (WWECW and Big Goldie). His problem is that he's always around, honestly, and when they bring him back he's never changed. I still remember the first time I saw him to the flying lariat in '99 or whenever it was, I was fucking shocked. It immediately became a regular part of his moveset, who cares, cut to 2008 when I'm amazed at him pulling out a low dropkick or a body scissors.
ReplyDeleteI wonder how Glen Jacobs would choose to book himself if his character's storylines were as much up to him as Undertaker's were. Do you think he'd chose to lose to Zack Ryder at the end of a long, meaningful program? I'd like to think so, but I can see how at the same time it'd be just as easy (easier, even) for him to do his one jump from the top rope every night as close to the main event as they'd have him.
He had a heckuva debut though, didn't he? Nobody really knew what this guy Paul Bearer was teasing was going to look like and had a unique, intimidating look. I didn't like my favorite match (HITC 97) ending with interference. But it kinda worked.
ReplyDeletePlus, he was good in the Super Bowl ad for WWF ("Get it?") stading around drinking coffee like your typical 7 foot red suited, masked office drone.
Why do you assume I'm "trolling"? It's just a funny article I thought I would share. You don't want me to share funny things with the IWC? Thats fine I am just going to take my ball and go home. Just totally pull a stone cold on you all.
ReplyDelete