| Kane | |
|---|---|
 Kane at a 2012 Raw house show. |
|
| Ring name(s) | Kane[1][2] Christmas Creature[2] Doomsday[2] Diesel[2] Isaac Yankem, D.D.S.[2] Mike Unabomb[2] Unibomb[2] Bruiser Mastino[2] |
| Billed height | 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m)[1] |
| Billed weight | 323 lb (147 kg)[1] |
| Born | April 26, 1967 [3][4] Torrejón Air Base, Torrejón de Ardoz, Madrid, Spain[3][4][5] |
| Resides | Knoxville, Tennessee, United States |
| Billed from | Parts Unknown[1] Death Valley |
| Debut | June 18, 1992 |
Born in Torrejón de Ardoz, Spain, Jacobs began his wrestling career in 1992 working in independent circuits. He wrestled in Smoky Mountain Wrestling as Unabomb were he won the SMW Tag Team Championship as a member of The Dynamic Duo, and in the United States Wrestling Association where he won the USWA Heavyweight Championship as Doomsday. He later joined the World Wrestling Federation (now WWE) in 1995, where he wrestled under various gimmicks before debuting as Kane in 1997. The character's half-brother is The Undertaker, with whom Kane has teamed up as the Brothers of Destruction.
Jacobs has accumulated eighteen championship accolades during his WWE career. He is a three-time world champion, having won the WWF Championship once, the ECW Championship once, and the World Heavyweight Championship once (tied for fourth longest reign in history, record which also belongs to Chris Benoit). He is the first of only three men (including CM Punk and Big Show) to hold all three of WWE's world titles. He is also a two-time WWF/E Intercontinental Champion, a one-time WWF Hardcore Champion, and a twelve-time Tag Team Champion; winning the WWE Tag Team Championship twice (once with Big Show and once with Daniel Bryan), the WCW World Tag Team Championship once (with The Undertaker), and the World Tag Team Champion nine times (twice with Mankind, X-Pac, and The Undertaker; and once with The Hurricane, Rob Van Dam, and Big Show). Jacobs is the third Grand Slam Champion in WWE history. In addition to championships, he is a Money in the Bank winner and holds the record for cashing in the briefcase in the shortest amount of time. Kane holds several records in the Royal Rumble match, including: most eliminations in a single Royal Rumble with eleven, most Royal Rumble match appearances with fifteen, most consecutive appearances in the match with thirteen from 1999 to 2011, and the quickest elimination of another competitor.
Early life
Jacobs was born in Edmonton, Madrid to an Air Force family stationed in Spain.[6][7] Jacobs earned a degree in English Literature at Truman State University (known then as Northeast Missouri State University) where he played both basketball and football.Professional wrestling career
Early career (1992-1995)
In the ring, Jacobs was first known as Angus King[8] when he debuted in the St. Louis, Missouri area with the CSWA. Jacobs later moved south and began wrestling as Doomsday, appearing in the United States Wrestling Association as The Christmas Creature and as Unabomb in Smoky Mountain Wrestling, where he held the SMW Tag Team Championship with Al Snow in a team called The Dynamic Duo.[9][10][11] During his time in the United States Wrestling Association, Jacobs (as Doomsday) held the USWA Heavyweight Championship. He briefly wrestled for WCW under the name Bruiser Mastino. Jacobs also worked a brief tour in the UWFI under his real name.[World Wrestling Federation / Entertainment
Debut and early gimmicks (1995–1997)
Jacobs made his first television appearance with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) as Dr. Isaac Yankem, DDS, Jerry Lawler's private dentist, in a vignette on the June 26, 1995 episode of Raw.[12][13] Placing emphasis on Jacobs' imposing height and weight, Yankem was portrayed as a monstrous figure whom Lawler had hired for the purpose of ridding the WWF of his longtime nemesis, Bret Hart. His in-ring debut occurred at a Superstars taping on August 15, where he lost to Hart by countout.[12] At SummerSlam, Jacobs was disqualified when he hung Hart by twisting him in the top and middle ropes by his neck. He lost to Hart in a steel cage match in the main event of the October 16 episode of Raw, and finally in a tag team match against Hart and Hakushi, in which he was partnered with Lawler, on the November 6 episode of the show.[12] After his initial run with Hart, Jacobs' push dwindled. His team was unsuccessful in an elimination match at Survivor Series. He participated in the 1996 Royal Rumble match, but spent the majority of the year as a jobber to the stars, including televised losses to The Undertaker, Jake "The Snake" Roberts, Marc Mero and The Ultimate Warrior. Jacobs sported the Yankem gimmick until September.[14]Later that month, play-by-play announcer Jim Ross introduced Rick Bognar as "Razor Ramon" and Jacobs as "Diesel" as part of a storyline mocking the departure of former employees Scott Hall and Kevin Nash respectively, while attempting to portray Ross as a disgruntled employee. The idea proved unpopular and was dropped almost immediately, and despite receiving a WWF Tag Team Championship match against Owen Hart and The British Bulldog at In Your House 12: It's Time, the gimmick's television lifespan lasted only until the 1997 Royal Rumble, where Jacobs was the second-to-last participant (with the exception of Stone Cold Steve Austin, who was previously eliminated by Bret Hart but the officials did not witness the elimination, so he re-entered the ring). He continued to work live events as "Diesel" through April, but would not make any WWF appearances from then until October, as the character of Kane was gradually introduced.[15]
Feud with The Undertaker and WWF Champion (1997–2000)
Main article: The Undertaker and Kane
At April's In Your House 14: Revenge of the 'Taker event, The Undertaker launched a fireball into the face of former manager Paul Bearer, who had unsuccessfully attempted to assist his newest protege, Mankind to victory in their WWF Championship
match. On the May 12 episode of Raw, Foley reintroduced Bearer, whose
face was heavily bandaged due to the burns The Undertaker had inflicted.
Prompted by the injury, Bearer attempted to reunite with The Undertaker
after a long period of mutual hostility, using the threat of revealing
The Undertaker's "biggest secret"; during the cryptic interview, Bearer
likened the fire that had burned his face at Revenge of the 'Taker to a
fire that had occurred during The Undertaker's childhood. When The
Undertaker continually refused to once again become aligned with Bearer
week-after-week, Bearer began tormenting him by telling him that his
long-lost brother, Kane (later revealed as Bearer's son, and the
Undertaker's half-brother), was coming to the WWF to challenge him.[13]
In the ensuing months, Bearer implied that The Undertaker had killed
his family by starting a fire at their funeral home, with the exception
of Kane, who was left physically and mentally scarred by the event; The
Undertaker claimed that Kane, a pyromaniac,
was the one who started the fire and could not possibly have survived
(a year and a half later towards the end of 1998, however, this is
exposed as a falsehood when The Undertaker shamelessly confessed to
burning down the funeral home).Six months after the angle began, Jacobs made his first appearance as Kane at Badd Blood: In Your House on October 5, costing The Undertaker the victory in the first-ever Hell in a Cell match with Shawn Michaels. In keeping with the notion that Kane had been scarred by the fire — and to conceal Jacobs' identity — the character wore a mask, sported long hair, and wore red and black ring attire that almost covered his entire body. Kane and The Undertaker feuded with one over another the following year, during which time their history vis-à-vis one another was expounded. Jacobs won his first match as Kane against Mankind at Survivor Series. In weeks prior on Raw, Kane had randomly attacked other wrestlers including Ahmed Johnson, Road Warrior Hawk, the Hardy Boyz, Flash Funk, and Cactus Jack/Mankind's alter ego, Dude Love. The Undertaker initially refused to face him, saying he would not fight his own "flesh and blood". After a brief partnership, Kane betrayed his brother when he cost him the WWF Championship; he made an interference in The Undertaker's WWF Championship title match with Shawn Michaels at the Royal Rumble. After the match, Kane locked The Undertaker in a casket and set it on fire, though it was later revealed that Undertaker managed to escape the casket without being seen before Kane set it on fire. This provoked The Undertaker into returning to face Kane at WrestleMania on March 29. Kane was defeated by The Undertaker after three Tombstone Piledrivers. After the match Kane and Paul Bearer attacked The Undertaker.[16] They continued to feud until Unforgiven on April 26, when The Undertaker defeated Kane in an Inferno match. In this match, Paul Bearer tried to help Kane by attacking The Undertaker; however, at one point of the match, as Kane was retreating backstage, Vader forced Kane back towards the ring, and The Undertaker attacked them both by jumping over the ring ropes surrounded by fire.[17]
On May 19, Bearer was revealed to be an employee at the funeral home in Death Valley owned by The Undertaker's parents. When Kane and The Undertaker were children, claimed Bearer, The Undertaker burned down the funeral home, killing their parents and leaving Kane with physical and mental scarring, although The Undertaker thought that Kane had perished in the fire also. During an episode of Raw taped in Long Island, Kane and Bearer ostensibly exhumed the parents' bodies and brought them to the arena. Bearer, who survived the fire, hid Kane in a mental asylum as he grew up and went on to form an alliance with The Undertaker before later betraying him at Summer Slam 96'. After suffering mistreatment at the hands of Undertaker, who had been vindictive and embittered with Bearer ever since Summer Slam, Bearer opted to bring Kane into the WWF in order to gain his own vengeance upon The Undertaker. Kane is portrayed as being psychotic, demented, extremely violent, twisted, disturbed, unstoppable, isolated and at peace with insanity. Like his half-brother, Kane is supposedly able to summon fire and bolts of lightning at will, which is displayed as pyrotechnics during shows.
After defeating The Undertaker to win a WWF Championship title shot, Kane won the WWF Championship at the King of the Ring tournament, defeating Stone Cold Steve Austin in a First Blood match after being helped by his brother. However, Kane lost the title back to Austin the next night on Raw.[18][19] He went on to form a tag team with Mankind, with whom he won the WWF World Tag Team Championship twice.[20] After losing the titles and turning on Mankind, Kane formed a short-lived tag team with his brother. The brothers fought one another for the vacant WWF Championship at Judgment Day: In Your House, with the match ending in a no-contest.[21] During the match, The Undertaker betrayed Kane for Paul Bearer. Kane went on to take part in the "Deadly Games" tournament for the WWF Championship at Survivor Series but was eliminated by The Undertaker in the quarter-finals.[22] At Rock Bottom: In Your House, Kane interfered in the Buried Alive match between Austin and The Undertaker by giving The Undertaker a Tombstone Piledriver. As a result of this, The Corporation had Kane committed to an insane asylum.
See also: D-Generation X
However, in 1999, Kane joined The Corporation to stay out of the
insane asylum. He was later betrayed by The Corporation and thrown out
of the alliance. Shortly afterward, Kane formed a tag team with X-Pac and acquired a girlfriend, Tori. While teaming with X-Pac, Kane evolved from being mute to aided speech through an electrolarynx
to speaking unaided. He also became associated with D-Generation X, the
faction of which X-Pac was a member. His first unaided words were the
DX slogan "suck it".[23] The duo won the WWF World Tag Team title twice.[20] The tag team broke apart when X-Pac turned on Kane and rejoined D-Generation X.
Kane and X-Pac then were engaged in a lengthy feud against each other.
Late in their feud, in early 2000, Tori betrayed Kane and joined X-Pac
and D-Generation X, and the former partners' feud eventually ended at WrestleMania 2000, where Kane teamed with Rikishi to face X-Pac and Road Dogg. Kane and Rikishi came out victorious after Kane pinned X-Pac following a Tombstone Piledriver.[24] Shortly after WrestleMania, Kane suffered a hand injury that kept him out of action for a month.Brothers of Destruction and Intercontinental Champion (2000-2001)
Main article: Brothers of Destruction
When he returned, it was to help The Undertaker and The Rock fight off the McMahon-Helmsley Faction. His involvement in this feud culminated in a main event match at King of the Ring against Vince and Shane McMahon, and then-champion Triple H.[25] The Undertaker and Kane's rivalry resurfaced during the match,[25] but they patched their relationship up soon after. Kane assaulted the Undertaker, leading to a match between the two at SummerSlam. The match ended when The Undertaker removed Kane's mask, causing him to flee the ring, covering his exposed face.[26] Kane stayed in contention for the WWF Championship for the remainder of the year and ended 2000 in a feud with Chris Jericho; he ultimately lost a Last Man Standing match to him at Armageddon.[27]Kane reformed his alliance with The Undertaker immediately before the Royal Rumble, in which he eliminated a record number of 11 wrestlers which included Raven, Al Snow, Perry Saturn, Steve Blackman, Grand Master Sexay, The Honky Tonk Man, The Rock, Tazz, Albert, Crash Holly, and Scotty 2 Hotty, and was the runner-up, after being eliminated by Steve Austin.[28] In early 2001, Kane competed for the Hardcore Championship, defeating Raven for the title at WrestleMania X-Seven in a match that also featured Big Show.[29][30] At the same time, Kane turned face and began teaming with The Undertaker as the "Brothers of Destruction". In the course of the year, they feuded with Edge and Christian, Rikishi and Haku, and The Two-Man Power Trip. While feuding with The Two-Man Power Trip, Austin and Triple H broke Kane's left arm. At Judgment Day, Kane defeated Triple H to win the Intercontinental Championship.[31][32] He would become the third Grand Slam Champion, and the first person to win the Grand Slam championship by winning the WWF, Intercontinental, Tag Team, and Hardcore Championships. He later lost the title to Albert on an episode of SmackDown! following interference from Diamond Dallas Page.
During The Invasion, Kane and The Undertaker feuded with DDP and Chris Kanyon after Page began stalking The Undertaker's wife Sara. The feud culminated at SummerSlam, when Kane and The Undertaker defeated Page and Kanyon in a Steel Cage match, resulting in them holding both the WWF World Tag Team Championships[20] and the WCW World Tag Team Championship.[33] Kane and The Undertaker went on to defeat KroniK at Unforgiven,[34] and both participated in the ten-man Winner-Takes-All match at Survivor Series as members of "Team WWF".[35]
Relationship with Katie Vick and unmasking (2002–2004)
In 2002, Kane won the World Tag Team Championship with The Hurricane on the September 23 episode of Raw from Lance Storm and Christian.[20] On October 7, Kane successfully single-handedly defended the World Tag Team Championship in a four-team Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match, as The Hurricane had been attacked earlier that evening by Triple H and Ric Flair and was thus unable to compete. That match was later nominated WWE 2002 "Match of the Year". They would hold on to the titles until the October 14 episode of Raw, where they lost them to Christian and Chris Jericho.[37] On September 30, Kane won the Intercontinental Championship from Chris Jericho despite interference from Triple H and Ric Flair.[31]
In October 2002, Kane began feuding with Triple H, leading to a match at No Mercy on October 20 in which both Kane's Intercontinental Championship and Triple H's World Heavyweight Championship were at stake. In the weeks preceding the match, Triple H claimed that, several years earlier, Kane had an unrequited relationship with a woman named Katie Vick.[38] He went on to claim that, after Vick was killed in a car crash, Kane's (driver) had sex with her. Triple H later threatened to show video footage of Kane committing the act in question; however, the footage that finally aired showed Triple H (dressed as Kane) simulating mock sex with a mannequin in a casket;[38] Kane's tag team partner The Hurricane responded the following week by showing a video of Triple H (rather, someone wearing a Triple H series of masks) getting an enema. The angle was very unpopular with fans,[39] and was de-emphasised before the title match. Triple H went on to defeat Kane at No Mercy, unifying the two titles.[40]
Kane then formed a tag team with Rob Van Dam, with the duo eventually winning the World Tag Team Championship.[20] After they lost their World Tag Team Championship to La Résistance at Bad Blood, Triple H offered Kane a spot in his stable Evolution. Raw co-general manager Stone Cold Steve Austin offered Kane the opportunity to face Triple H for the World Heavyweight Championship if he rejected Triple H's offer; however, co-general manager Eric Bischoff insisted that if Kane lost the match, he would unmask. Kane accepted Austin's offer and went to challenge Triple H the following week in Madison Square Garden. Triple H won the match following interference from his stablemates, and on the June 23, 2003 episode of Raw, Kane removed his mask. He then chokeslamed Rob Van Dam (turning heel again) and went on to defeat him at SummerSlam.[41] In an interview with Jim Ross at Conseco Fieldhouse, it became apparent that Kane's facial scars were actually mental scars. At the end of this interview, Kane, believing that he was being mocked, attacked Ross and set him on fire. The unmasking rendered Kane emotionally unstable, on one occasion drove him to Tombstone Piledriver Linda McMahon on the Raw stage. This action sparked a feud between Kane and Linda's son, Shane, with Kane defeating Shane in a Last Man Standing match at Unforgiven[42] and an ambulance match at Survivor Series.[43] During the latter event, Kane interfered in a Buried Alive match between Vince McMahon and The Undertaker, helping McMahon bury The Undertaker and win the match.[43] The following month at Armageddon, Kane competed in a Triple-Threat match for the World Heavyweight Championship against Triple H and defending champion Bill Goldberg, a match which Triple H won.
In January 2004, Kane took part in the Royal Rumble match. He was eliminated when he heard the bell toll from The Undertaker's entrance music, distracting and distressing Kane and enabling Booker T to eliminate him. Shortly afterward, Spike Dudley appeared as a participant in the match, but Kane, assuming Dudley had distracted him with the gong of Undertaker's music, chokeslammed him on the stage ramp, rendering Dudley physically unable to compete. Over the following weeks, Kane repeatedly insisted that The Undertaker was "dead", only to be met with various paranormal incidents such as a rainstorm localized over the ring in which he stood. The Undertaker finally returned at WrestleMania XX with Paul Bearer at his side, defeating Kane.[44]
Relationship with Lita and pursuit of the World Heavyweight Championship (2004–2005)
Main article: Big Show and Kane
Kane and Matt Hardy faced one another in a "Till Death Do Us Part" match at SummerSlam, with Lita obliged to wed the victor. Kane defeated Hardy,[45] and "married" Lita on the August 23 episode of Raw. Although he was attacked by Hardy during the ceremony, he gained the upper hand and ultimately chokeslammed Hardy off the stage (in reality, Hardy needed time off because of a knee injury and later a staph infection). On the September 13 episode of Raw, Kane accidentally fell on Lita during a match with the debuting Gene Snitsky, who hit him on the back with a steel chair, ostensibly causing Lita to miscarry. Kane turned face after he sought revenge against Snitsky for causing the death of his child. He lost to Snitsky in a steel chain match at Taboo Tuesday,[46] and he was sidelined for several months after Snitsky crushed his larynx with a chair following the match. This attack was a repeat performance of the storyline where Kane "injured" Michaels in the same exact manner. The "injury" gave Kane time to complete his starring role in the film, See No Evil. Kane returned in January 2005, defeating Snitsky at New Year's Revolution.[47] After WrestleMania 21, Kane and Lita reconciled with one another and began antagonizing Lita's rival Trish Stratus. This led to a match between Kane and Stratus' hired bodyguard Viscera at Backlash that was won by Kane.[48]
Lita later turned on Kane and sided with Edge, leading to a feud between Kane and Edge. Kane was able to defeat Edge at Vengeance, despite interference from Snitsky. The feud ended when Edge defeated Kane in a Stretcher match on the July 25 episode of Raw, which resulted after the match in Kane throwing Edge at the titantron wall and a Tombstone Piledriver on Lita[49] Lita's allegiance with Edge resulted from the couple's real-life affair while she was still romantically involved with Matt Hardy.[50] Hardy was later rehired and Kane was dropped from the angle, with Matt and Edge having a feud over Lita.
Teaming with Big Show (2005-2006)
Kane returned to WWE television on October 17, 2005, winning an eighteen-man battle royal.[51] As a result of his victory, he, along with Big Show and Shawn Michaels, was featured in an Internet poll to decide who would receive a shot at the WWE Championship at Taboo Tuesday. In the weeks before Taboo Tuesday, Kane and Big Show teamed together on several occasions. The poll was won by Michaels, and Kane and Big Show teamed together to face Lance Cade and Trevor Murdoch, defeating them for the World Tag Team Championship.[20] The duo successfully retained their titles throughout the remainder of 2005, during which time they engaged in an inter-promotional feud with members of the SmackDown! brand. He and Big Show feuded with Carlito and Chris Masters throughout early 2006, culminating in a successful title defense at WrestleMania 22 on April 2. On the following evening, Kane and the Big Show lost the World Tag Team Championship to Spirit Squad members Kenny and Mikey.[20][52] One week later, Kane and Big Show faced Spirit Squad members Johnny and Nicky in a title rematch, but were disqualified after Kane "snapped", ostensibly due to "voices in his head".[53] In subsequent weeks, Kane began attacking anyone who mentioned the date May 19. During the match between Kane and Big Show at Backlash, Kane's voice began echoing throughout the arena saying "May 19", "It's happening again" and "They're all going to know" leaving Kane visibly shaken. Big Show then struck Kane with a chair, resulting in a no-contest ruling.On May 19, Kane appeared on SmackDown! as John "Bradshaw" Layfield's hand-picked opponent for Rey Mysterio.[54] After both the aforementioned voices and mask video began playing, Kane chokeslammed both Layfield and Mysterio before leaving the ring.[54] On the following episode of Raw, he claimed that May 19 was the date on which his mother and adopted family were killed in a fire. The voices continued on to the May 29 episode of Raw, when Kane was confronted by the source of the voice, an impostor Kane (Drew Hankinson); wearing Kane's old mask and ring attire, he chokeslammed Kane during his match against Shelton Benjamin for the Intercontinental Championship. Kane and the look-alike continued to fight one another in subsequent weeks, leading to a match between the two being scheduled for Vengeance, in which the real Kane lost to the impostor.[55] On the June 26 episode of Raw, Kane threw the impostor out of the arena and removed his mask, saying "I believe that this is mine."[56] Kane was absent from WWE television for several weeks thereafter as he toured Europe to promote See No Evil. Upon his return, he faced his former partner Big Show for the ECW Championship in a losing effort. When he returned to Raw, he engaged in a major feud with Umaga that concluded October 9 in a "Loser Leaves Raw" match, which Kane lost.
Brothers of Destruction reunion (2007-2008)
On February 26, Kane interrupted Chris Masters' Master Lock Challenge to The Great Khali when Masters was unable to apply the Master Lock. Kane delivered a chokeslam and a chair shot to Masters then clotheslined The Great Khali over the top rope. Prior to WrestleMania 23, Kane started to walk around with a hook, similar to the hook he used as Jacob Goodnight in See No Evil. At the event, Kane was defeated by Khali. During the match, in homage to Hulk Hogan slamming André the Giant twenty years earlier at WrestleMania III, Kane picked up Khali for the first time and body-slammed him to the mat. After WrestleMania, he began to feud with William Regal and Dave Taylor. The Boogeyman then joined the feud, teaming up with Kane. On the May 4 episode of SmackDown!, Kane competed in a Number-One Contender's match for the United States Championship held by MVP. Kane lost due to interference by Regal and Taylor. On the May 25 episode of SmackDown!, Kane competed in a Fatal Four-Way Number-One Contender's match for the World Heavyweight Championship which was won by Batista. Kane then entered a short feud with Mark Henry. Kane was defeated by Henry in a Lumberjack match at One Night Stand due to interference from lumberjacks Kenny Dykstra and Chavo Guerrero[61] and would take a short hiatus thereafter.
On the July 6 episode of SmackDown!, General Manager Theodore Long announced that Kane would face Edge for his World Heavyweight Championship at The Great American Bash. After Edge was attacked and injured by Kane and the title was vacated, Batista faced Kane in a Number-One Contender's match. During the match, new World Heavyweight Champion The Great Khali interfered by attacking Batista; the match was ruled a no-contest and both men were ruled the number one contenders. The scheduled match for the World Heavyweight Championship at the Great American Bash became a Triple Threat match between Batista, Kane, and The Great Khali due to Edge's injury. At the event, however, Khali retained the title after pinning Kane for the win.[62] Kane later teamed up with Batista on the August 18 episode of Saturday Night's Main Event to defeat Khali and Finlay.[63] Kane then entered a storyline with Finlay, which led to a match at SummerSlam, which Kane won after chokeslamming Finlay.[64] On the following episode of SmackDown!, Finlay and Kane competed against each other in a tournament to name the challenger for Khali's World Heavyweight Championship at Unforgiven. After interference from Hornswoggle, Finlay managed to defeat Kane and advance in the tournament. Finlay and Kane met again during the following week's episode of SmackDown! in a rematch of the previous month's Saturday Night's Main Event. Once again teaming with Batista, Kane defeated Finlay and The Great Khali when Kane pinned Finlay off a chokeslam.
ECW Champion (2008-2009)
In a battle royal before WrestleMania, Kane won by lastly eliminating former rival Mark Henry which meant he would face ECW Champion Chavo Guerrero later in the night. At WrestleMania XXIV, Kane defeated Chavo Guerrero in the fastest-ever WrestleMania match with a record-setting eight seconds to win the ECW Championship.[70][71] Shortly after winning the championship, Kane left SmackDown! and officially joined the ECW roster. At Backlash, Kane successfully defended the ECW Championship against Chavo Guerrero. He then continued teaming with CM Punk to earn a WWE Tag Team Championship match at Judgment Day,[72] which the duo did not win.
On June 23, 2008, Kane was drafted from the ECW brand back to Raw, as a part of the 2008 WWE Draft, in the process making the ECW Championship exclusive to Raw.[73] By taking the title to Raw, Kane became the first and only man to hold a specific title on all three brands; he won the ECW Championship as a member of the SmackDown! roster, and shortly after winning it he became an official member of ECW, and then took the title with him when he was drafted to Raw. Kane lost the ECW Championship to Mark Henry at Night of Champions in a Triple-Threat match that also involved The Big Show, thus moving the title back to ECW.[74]
Mr. Money in the Bank and World Heavyweight Champion (2010–2011)
During the 2009 Draft Kane beat The Brian Kendrick for a draft pick, and later in the night, Kane himself would be drafted back to SmackDown!. After this Kane feuded with CM Punk and then defeated him at Backlash thus ending the feud. After that, Kane took a break to tour India and also heal injuries, returning at The Bash to assist Dolph Ziggler in his match with The Great Khali by hitting Khali with a steel chair allowing Ziggler to win, starting a feud with Khali, whom he defeated at SummerSlam and in a Singapore Cane match at WWE Breaking Point, thus ending the feud as Khali needed toe surgery.
In the next two weeks, Kane defeated R-Truth and John Morrison. Then he started a brief feud with Matt Hardy, defeating him at two separate occasions at SmackDown! and at Superstars. Kane then confronted Chris Jericho, declaring himself to be the co-captain for Team SmackDown at Bragging Rights, Jericho then agreed to Kane's co-captaincy. The match was won by Team SmackDown. Kane then faced Chris Jericho in a #1 Contender's match for an opportunity to face (World Heayweight Champion) The Undertaker and Big Show in a Triple-Threat match at Survivor Series, but lost. On the November 13 episode of SmackDown!, Kane saved the Undertaker from Chris Jericho and The Big Show. In 2010, at WrestleMania XXVI during the Money in the Bank ladder match, Kane was unsuccessful in claiming the briefcase. Over the next few months, Kane was involved in sporadic singles matches on episodes of SmackDown!.
On the May 28 episode of SmackDown!, he lost to CM Punk in a qualifying match for the World Heavyweight Championship for the WWE Fatal 4-Way pay-per-view event. The following week on SmackDown!, Kane claimed that he found his brother The Undertaker in a "vegetative state" over Memorial Day weekend and vowed revenge on whoever was responsible. Because of The Undertaker's injury, it was announced that there would be a Battle Royal between the whole SmackDown! roster to replace him for the WWE Fatal 4 Way event, which Rey Mysterio won by lastly eliminating Kane.
In Kane's quest, he participated in his fourth Money in the Bank ladder match at its first eponymous pay-per-view. Kane would then win the Money in the Bank ladder match and later on in the event, cashed in his Money in the Bank contract and defeated Rey Mysterio to win the World Heavyweight Championship after Mysterio had just retained the title against Jack Swagger. On the following SmackDown! on July 23, Kane accused Mysterio of putting The Undertaker in a vegetative state.
On the August 6, 2010 episode of SmackDown!, Mysterio claimed he was innocent before claiming that Kane himself was the perpetrator behind the assault on The Undertaker."[76][77] At SummerSlam, Kane retained the World Heavyweight Championship against Mysterio.
After the match, he attempted to put Mysterio into a casket, only for The Undertaker to appear. Upon his return, Kane delivered him a Tombstone Piledriver and thus, proving Kane to be the real attacker of The Undertaker, reigniting their feud. On the following episode of SmackDown!, Kane revealed that he had been planning his attack for 13 years and was finally the dominant brother, with control of Undertaker's powers. With these powers he was easily able to attack his brother multiple times, prior to, during, or after his matches. He then went on to successfully defend the World Heavyweight Championship against The Undertaker, in a No Holds Barred match at Night of Champions. On the following episode of Smackdown!, a casket was brought to ringside by druids to reveal the return of Paul Bearer, who was announced to be The Undertaker's manager against Kane at Hell in a Cell.[78] At Hell in a Cell, Paul Bearer turned on The Undertaker. After Undertaker kicked out from a Tombstone, Bearer blinded Undertaker with the urn and gave it to Kane, who smashed Undertaker in the head with it and chokeslammed him to retain the World Heavyweight title.[79] At Bragging Rights, Kane defeated Undertaker in a Buried Alive Match to retain the title again after help from The Nexus, thus ending the feud between Undertaker and Kane.
Kane then entered a feud with Edge, who, on the October 28 episode of SmackDown!, was named the new challenger to Kane's World Heavyweight Championship at Survivor Series. On the November 12 episode of SmackDown!, Edge kidnapped Paul Bearer and started to play mind games with Kane, trying to psychologically wear him down before their title match. At Survivor Series, Kane retained his title after the referee determined the match a draw due to both men pinning each other at the same time. On the November 26 episode of SmackDown!, Kane agreed to let Edge have another shot at the title after Bearer was still in his captivity. The mind games continued until the December 3 SmackDown! where Edge defeated Kane in a non-title match so he could to pick the match type for their title match at TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs, in which Edge chose the TLC match. On the following week's SmackDown!, Kane refused to participate in the main event, as he went to search for Bearer. After what he thought was another one of Edge's dummy version of Paul Bearer, Kane pushed some ladders over. Afterward, he realized he had pushed the actual Paul Bearer off the ladders onto the concrete floor, thus, injuring him. This would be Bearer's last appearance as he was written out of the storyline. The next week, SmackDown! General Manager Theodore Long added Rey Mysterio and Alberto Del Rio, who were feuding with each other, to the World Heavyweight Championship match at the pay-per-view, making it a Fatal Four-Way TLC match.
At December 19th's TLC 2010, Kane lost the title after Edge climbed the ladder to retrieve it after pushing Alberto Del Rio off the ladder, through two tables on the outside. At WWE Tribute to the Troops 2010, Kane challenged General William Grimsley to an arm-wrestling contest, only for it to end in a no-contest when Edge interfered and speared Kane.
Kane received his rematch for the World Heavyweight Championship on the January 7, 2011 episode of SmackDown, in a Last Man Standing match. Kane was dominant throughout the match but unable to win the title after Edge used the Con-Chair-To on Kane's knee, preventing Kane from answering the 10-count. Kane competed in the 2011 Royal Rumble match, being the first person to enter the Royal Rumble at number 40, but he was eliminated by Mysterio. Kane competed in the 2011 Elimination Chamber, eliminating Drew McIntyre and the Big Show before being speared and eliminated by Edge. After his elimination Kane viciously attacked Rey Mysterio and then chokeslammed Edge for the final time thus ending the feud between the two.
Reunion with Big Show and WWE Tag Team Champion (2011)
See also: Big Show and Kane
On the March 4 episode of Smackdown, the Corre
aided Kane by interfering in Kane's match against Big Show and
attacking Big Show. However, a miscommunication between Kane and the
Corre led to Kane turning on the Corre instead.[80]
Big Show and Kane would then reunite to take on the Corre, challenging
them for the tag team title belts and saving other wrestlers from the
Corre's attacks.[2] At WrestleMania XXVII, Big Show and Kane would team together with Santino Marella and Kofi Kingston to beat the Corre.[81]
The following week, a WrestleMania rematch took place with Big Show and
Kane's team victorious over the Corre once again in a two out of three
falls match.On the April 22nd episode of SmackDown, the duo defeated Corre members Justin Gabriel and Heath Slater to win the WWE Tag Team Championship, their second championship win as a team.[82] Big Show and Kane then started feuding with the New Nexus. After defending the titles against CM Punk and Mason Ryan at Over the Limit, Kane and Big Show lost their titles to Michael McGilligutty and David Otunga on the following day on Raw.[83] After the match Big Show was run over by Alberto Del Rio's car and causing him to have a torn ACL. When Big Show returned to Raw after recovering from his injuries, Kane and Big Show went their separate ways.
Kane participated in the second annual SmackDown Money in the Bank ladder match but was unsuccessful in winning the bout, as the match was won by Daniel Bryan. On the July 22, 2011 episode of SmackDown, Kane claimed he was once again the Devil's Favorite Demon and he would kill his humanity in his match against Randy Orton but he later lost to Orton in a street fight. After the match, Kane shook hands with his opponent in a mark of respect but was attacked by Mark Henry. WWE subsequently reported that the attack had resulted in Kane suffering a fractured fibula which was likely to render him unable to wrestle for three months.[84]
Return of the mask (2011–2012)
Kane returned on the February 27 episode of Raw, attacked Tag Team Champions Primo and Epico, Dolph Ziggler, and R-Truth after the latter completed their championship match.[94] The following SmackDown, Kane attacked the returning Randy Orton during his match with Daniel Bryan after causing him to lose by count-out.[95] On the March 5 episode of Raw, following a match Kane defeated R-Truth, Orton attacked Kane with an RKO.[96] At WrestleMania XXVIII, Kane defeated Orton in a singles match after chokeslamming him from the top rope.[97] On the following SmackDown, Randy Orton defeated Kane in a No Disqualification match.[98] In a psychological bid, Kane attacked Orton and his father "Cowboy" Bob Orton with a metal pipe on the following episode of Smackdown, resulting in back and abdomen injuries to both Ortons.[99] Kane lost again to Orton at Extreme Rules, in a Falls Count Anywhere match after Orton hit Kane with an RKO to a steel chair. [100]
Kane would then begin feuding with WWE Champion CM Punk and Daniel Bryan, after they attacked him with steel chairs on several occasions.[101][102][103][104] On the June 1 episode of SmackDown, a WWE Championship match between Kane and Punk ended in a double diqualification after Bryan attacked both men.[105] Meanwhile, Bryan's jilted ex-girlfriend AJ turned her affections to both Punk and Kane.[106] The feud would culminate in a triple threat match at No Way Out, where Punk retained the WWE Championship after AJ distracted Kane.[107] Kane competed in a WWE Championship Money in the Bank ladder match at the Money in the Bank pay-per-view on July 15, which was won by former rival John Cena.[108]
On July 23 at \Raw 1000, Kane was booked for a match, but, instead, was confronted by Jinder Mahal, Curt Hawkins, Tyler Reks, Hunico, Camacho and Drew McIntyre. Just before the six could get inside the ring, The Undertaker returned and helped Kane fight them off. The two cleared the ring before delivering simultaneous chokeslams and Tombstone Piledrivers to Hawkins and Hunico, turning Kane face once again.
Storyline with Daniel Bryan (2012-present)
Main article: Team Hell No
At SummerSlam,
Kane was defeated by Daniel Bryan after Bryan pinned him with a
roll-up. After the match, a furious Kane attacked backstage interviewer Josh Mathews while looking for Bryan.[110] As a result of Bryan and Kane's issues, both men were enrolled in anger management classes hosted by Dr. Shelby[111] and later forced to compete in a "Hug it Out" match.[112] On the September 10 episode of Raw, at the arrangement of Dr. Shelby and AJ, Bryan and Kane formed a team and defeated the Prime Time Players (Titus O'Neil and Darren Young) to become the number one contenders to the WWE Tag Team Championship.[113]At Night Of Champions,
Daniel Bryan and Kane defeated Kofi Kingston and R-Truth to become the
new WWE Tag Team Champions which Kane elected to celebrate by announcing
that he was going to Disneyland.
The following night on Raw the pair proved to be temultuous at best,
spending much of their match arguing. As champions, they've developed a
new gimmick of individually claiming the paired title, repeatedly
shouting the phrase "I am the tag team champions!" at each other. On the September 24th episode of Raw,
the Kane/Bryan team was officially dubbed "Team Hell No" (out of a
possible Team Friendship or Team Teamwork) as the result of a Twitter poll.Other media
Kane appeared on a special WWE episode of The Weakest Link in March 2002, and won by beating out Bubba Ray Dudley in the final round. The money won was donated to Jacobs' chosen charity, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, in Memphis, Tennessee.[114] The Kane character was featured in the fourteen-issue Undertaker comic book produced by the now-defunct Chaos! Comics in 1999. The character only spoke once, in the Undertaker Halloween Special, which tied into the single issue Mankind comic book produced by the same company. Kane was also featured in a Chef Boyardee commercial in which he attempts to eat while wearing his mask.
In an interview with Jacobs, he expressed his opinion that things needed to change with his mask. Jacobs revealed "I think it was time. We had gone as far as we could go with the character under the mask. I actually felt the mask was limiting my ability to do some things. For years, to portray emotion I had to do it with my body. I never could do it with my face as the other superstars were able to. So, it added another dimension."[115] In December 2011, the character once again began wearing a mask after two months of vignettes.
In an interview with Jacobs, conducted in 2010, he revealed that he and Vince McMahon were the only ones that were one hundred percent behind the idea of the Kane character removing his mask. He added that he has no plans to retire soon. "I'm still having fun," Glenn said. "I'm really at the height of my career, and I don't have any plans of packing it in. I have at least five more years left in me, maybe more."
A book written by Michael Chiappetta detailing the fictional origins of the Kane character titled Journey into Darkness: An Unauthorized History of Kane was released in 2005. WWE released a three-disc anthology titled, The Twisted, Disturbed Life of Kane on December 9, 2008. The DVD consists of Kane's greatest feuds and rivalries during his first ten years.[117]
Jacobs hosted a podcast titled The Tiny Political Show under the pseudonym Citizen X from March 16, 2007 to March 13, 2008.[118] Jacobs also ran a blog called The Adventures of Citizen X at AdventuresOfCitizenX.com from 2007 at least until July 17, 2011, though its last update at that time was made on May 28 earlier in the year. However, he launched the website back up with its first update on July 1, 2012.[119]
In an interview conducted with Jacobs on September 8th 2012 he was asked, why the return of the mask this time? Jacobs quoted “I just wanted to create some interest and fear,”. [120]
In another interview with Jacobs, conducted on September 9th 2012 he revealed that he has no plans to retire anytime soon. Jacobs stated “I’m at the peak of my career; having a lot of fun and I’ll continue doing it as long as I can. I see no reason to quit at the moment,”. Jacobs was then asked about Kane's Mask, “There are different versions of the mask, but I find the latex one a lot easier”.[121]
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | The Weakest Link | Himself | |
| 2006 | See No Evil | Jacob Goodnight | |
| 2007 | Smallville | Titan | Season 6, Episode 17: "Combat" |
| 2010 | MacGruber | Tanker Lutz |
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