Scott,
What was the motivation behind Kane's first one-day title win against Austin? Was it just to pop a big rating for the next night's re-match? Was it to establish Kane as a true top guy (up to that point he seemed like the usual Undertaker monster-of-the-week who would fade away that year)?
He was supposed to be gone after Wrestlemania, in fact. But he caught fire (ha!) and the rest is history.What was the motivation behind Kane's first one-day title win against Austin? Was it just to pop a big rating for the next night's re-match? Was it to establish Kane as a true top guy (up to that point he seemed like the usual Undertaker monster-of-the-week who would fade away that year)?
But yeah, the title reign was just a deal to pop a rating because Kane was a guy who could both plausibly beat Austin due to the ridiculously biased stips, and then lose it back without getting damaged as a top guy. Nothing more to it than that.
Has anyone ever made so much out of so little time with the title?
ReplyDeleteUp until his WHC run in 2010 Kane's one day reign was his only world title run, yet for the 12 years between those two wins he was a solid main eventer and credible title challenger.
Despite him only ever having a one day reign it never felt weird to bill him as a former champ (in the way it does with Kahli or Swagger say) as he really fitted in at that level.
Maybe because the title meant something at that time. And it was the WWE Title, not the World Heavyweight Title which nobody cares.
ReplyDeleteSince the WWE Title is looking like a Mattel toy, it has also lost a lot of his value.
ReplyDeleteI'd say no. He did an awesome job with what he was given.
ReplyDeleteI was there the night Kane lost the belt back to Austin. The atmosphere was incredible. I would say Kane had the most important WWE Championship run that lasted less than a week.
ReplyDeleteConsidering how many times Undertaker has died I'm somewhat surprised we didn't get a swerve and Kane lighting himself up.
ReplyDeleteThe WWF Title > The WWE Title
ReplyDeleteAndre the Giant.
ReplyDeleteWhich is shocking considering you guys had to sit through two Brawl For All fights.
ReplyDeleteIt's a testament to Kane that he's had shit angle after shit angle and yet remains one of the most popular guys on the roster after all these years. His entrance always pops the crowd and whether you need him to be a monster or comic relief, he excels at both. And although he will never be confused with Bret Hart, he's a tremendous worker who is still in astounding shape given his age, size, and workload; think of how little time he's missed in his 15+ years working a full schedule. When it comes to the total package, I think I have to start placing him among the best the WWE's ever had.
ReplyDeleteI thought the whole deal with Kane winning for 1 night was the result of a chair shot to Austin that resulted in him bleeding the hard way in a First Blood match.... And hence the quick reversal 24 hours later.
ReplyDeleteI think they just kind of booked themselves into a corner with Kane saying if he didn't win the title, he'd set himself on fire. Plus it was a First Blood match... and KANE WEARS A MASK! There's no way Kane was losing that one. And even when the announcement came that Kane was the new champion... Kane was flat on his back, while Austin was on his feet ready to strike. The match was book REALLY well.
ReplyDeleteHave you seen the NXT belt? It is atrocious too... maybe worse than the WWE belt. I don't know who is designing these things, but I have a sneaking suspicion that it is the same person coming up with names for the new hires.
ReplyDeleteI think there were Goldberg chants during those.
ReplyDeleteI don't know about best...but definitely among the most reliable and, like you said, most professional.
ReplyDeleteI have to say, though...I was a bit disappointed that Kane jobbed to one stunner after almost withstanding three tombstones at WM just a few months earlier.
ReplyDeleteI just watched the episode the other day, there were definitely "Boring" chants and "WE WANT WRESTLING" chants.
ReplyDeleteThat bothered me, too. Austin should've hit 3 stunners. (Although they should've been spread out over the match as opposed to Taker's 3 tombstones all in a row.)
ReplyDeleteLol
ReplyDeleteDoug, you're hardly one to laugh while still physically incapable of answering direct questions. Instead, you resort to personal attacks, red herrings, fuzzy math, and just "I don't need proof" lines of faulty logic while posting anything around here.
ReplyDeleteSounds plausible. Actually, I've often wondered if that ever happened... they book a First Blood match and the wrong guy bleeds first. lol
ReplyDeleteAmazing that he is still making the same character work 15 years later, after what was basically a flash-in-the-pan token Undertaker challenger.
ReplyDeleteIt actually did happen at the KOTR 98 match as Austin had a few cuts on his back due to all of the friggin' tacks around the ring from the Taker-Foley match before it. But JR said something about "referee's discretion" or some stuff like that and we all just moved on.
ReplyDeleteHowever, after Taker smashed Austin with a chair, head first, it was clearly a blade job.
I think it was mostly to build tension between the Undertaker and Austin, since Taker was the one to cause Austin to bleed, and not Kane.
ReplyDeleteGotcha. Interesting stuff. Thanks
ReplyDeleteYou must have very salty tears.
ReplyDeleteWay to contribute.
ReplyDeleteDon't care. When I do contribute, you troll me anyway. Eat me.
ReplyDeleteNXT has their own belt????????
ReplyDeleteLOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL
It's hard to believe but I think Kane has actually surpassed the Taker as far as being entertaining. His work with Bryan has been top shelf and the guy is actually pretty good on the mic.
ReplyDeleteThat this guy is still over after being put in some of the worst angles of all time is a testament to his abilities. Id say as a worker, he is as good as any big man that Ive ever seen in the business.
He's basically this generation's Bobby Eaton but who rose to higher levels due to the time and gimmick. Good worker, good backstage, nobody has a bad thing to say about him.
ReplyDeleteDon't forget his being part of something fun and interesting isn't anything new at all, Kane/RVD and Kane/Xpac/Tori were some great times as well.
ReplyDeleteFrom what I've heard on Art of Wrestling it seems pretty much everyone loves "Big Glen"
Whew. My six year old rolled his eyes.
ReplyDeleteWhat's a loc? I don't get it.
ReplyDeleteIve read that he is a pretty smart fella too. Pretty big into politics too, probably couldve helped Linda,lol.
ReplyDeleteYou don't contribute.
ReplyDeleteThe most you ever contribute is when you go and claim that Punk's current title reign was somehow responsible for the Holocaust.
That would be one heat generating promo for Punk,lol
ReplyDeleteFrom your many posts something is unclear to me... do you have a 6 year old?
ReplyDeleteHe was actually a substitute teacher prior to getting into wrestling.
ReplyDeleteI'm pretty sure he was a dentist.
ReplyDeleteHe's a libertarian.
ReplyDeleteI had to edit down the amount of O's.
ReplyDeleteUndertaker takes himself too seriously to do anything fun like Kane does. Even Bikertaker had to stand around with his hands in his pockets looking tough and cool.
ReplyDeleteBikerTaker was the worst. Its pretty bad that the best part of the BikerTaker run was watching his bike not start for Hogan on live TV.
ReplyDeleteI would say my analogy would be if guys like Austin, Rock, Hogan, Flair, Savage, etc. are the Mays/Mantle/Ruth/etc. elite baseball Hall of Famers, then Kane would be the equivalent guys like Freddy Lynn or Cal Ripken or (eventually) Craig Biggio, where they may not have been the very best of their generation, but were reliably good for so long that they would be in a second-tier of legends; maybe not in the conversation of GOATs, but def. belong among the greats.
ReplyDeleteBut his dentistry career did leak into his wrestling career so you technically could say that wasn't a pre wrestling career
ReplyDeleteCouldn't agree more
ReplyDeletehilariously awful
ReplyDeleteNot to mention the only exposed part of Kane's body was his left hand!
ReplyDeleteI mention him as often ass possible strictly because people hate it.
ReplyDeleteI find that to be a valid reason... though I find it odd that you target another troll with such an obvious troll tactic.
ReplyDeleteI'm not trolling Dougie, there's no sense to that.
ReplyDeleteI think he drove a truck in between as well. He was just filling in for someone else though.
ReplyDeleteScott, where did you hear that Kane was leaving after Wrestlemania? I've never heard that and other people I have asked have said they never heard that either.
ReplyDeleteNot only that but they're starting a tourney for tag team champs as well. No word on whether a Divas title will appear or not, though.
ReplyDeleteWhere did you hear that Kane was supposed to be gone after Wrestlemania? I've never heard that before.
ReplyDelete