When Kane first came into the WWF as the ultimate foil to The Undertaker, I remember thinking that he would be just another flash-in-the-pan big man that would have a few matches with the Phenom and then disappear from the national wrestling scene. Pardon the pun, but I had no idea just how dead wrong I would be about the Big Red Machine, who has carved out a remarkable career for himself whether he has been masked, unmasked, setting wrestlers on fire in inferno matches, using jumper cables on Shane McMahon to electrify audiences, discussing Hungry Hungry Hippos with RVD in backstage vignettes, or doing any number of things ranging from the sadistic to the bizarre both in and out of the wrestling ring.
What sometimes gets lost in the shuffle regarding Kane is just how dependable he has been for the past ten years, despite the fact that he has been involved in certain storylines that were even too farfetched for him (see: Katie Vick). And while it was a nice gesture on the part of WWE to give Kane his own motion picture – the moderately successful See No Evil, which I happened to thoroughly enjoy – an even greater sign of appreciation would be to give Kane not just the title shot but the win over Edge for the World Championship at the forthcoming Great American Bash.
For someone who has been such a force to be reckoned with over the years, Kane has only held a heavyweight title in WWF/E for a total of 1 day. Back on June 28, 1998, Kane beat Stone Cold Steve Austin for the title in a controversial First Blood match at King of the Ring that was filled with interference and run-ins, which were unfortunate staples of the Attitude era in WWF/E. Before Kane could really even enjoy his title run, it was cut short the next night on Raw when Stone Cold reclaimed the belt in a rematch. The spotlight on Kane’s one-day reign was also severely dimmed by the fact that the Austin-Kane match at KOTR was grossly overshadowed by the infamous Undertaker-Mankind Hell In A Cell encounter, where Mankind was heaved off the top of the Cell onto the announcer’s table in what became Mick Foley’s defining moment in WWF/E. (Credit: WWF/E Title History)
On this past Friday’s edition of SmackDown!, Kane was the special surprise guest on The Cutting Edge at the behest of General Manager Theodore Long. After Edge put his foot in his mouth by pointing to his own achievements as being superior to the Big Red Machine’s, Kane simply said, “I don’t like you,” and he then backed up his words with an emphatic punch to the Rated R Superstar. Of course, Edge – who has played the opportunistic yet cowardly heel to perfection lately – squirmed his way out of the ring, and Kane was able to ignite the ring with his pyrotechnic taunt that has become as signature a move as Fonzie banging on the jukebox. Theodore Long then revealed that Kane would be Edge’s opponent at the Great American Bash, much to Edge’s dismay.
Even though I know it is highly unlikely, I want Kane to win the Big Gold Belt over Edge because I feel like he deserves at least one more title victory that lasts longer than one day. Similar to how I felt about Mick Foley back when he was on the cusp of the main event picture, I just think that it is time for all the hard work and effort to be rewarded. I don’t expect Kane to remain the Champion for a long period of time, and I would assume that Edge will be the top guy on SmackDown! for the majority of this year. However, I think that oftentimes the wrestling industry – and in this case WWE – overlooks certain all-around solid wrestlers / characters like Kane despite the fact that they have been relied on countless times to step up to the plate when other guys are either injured or in desperate need of credible wins.
I guess what I am trying to say is that Kane is more than just a credible opponent for Edge who can serve as filler before Summerslam, and that it would be an incredible story if he was given the chance to climb to the top for one more moment in time.
It would also be nice if this moment is a little less fleeting than the first time around
Pulse Roundup
I’ve been enjoying Kyle David Paul’s creatively titled The Moss Covered, Three Handled Family Gredunza, and last week was no exception as Kyle discussed the media’s handling of the Benoit situation in both written and podcast formats. I also opined on this issue myself a couple of weeks ago, and I still feel the same way now as I did then.
Pulse Glazer’s A Modest Response touches on a landmark movement in Ring of Honor – giving wrestlers health coverage as part of their contracts – that I think is vital to the future well-being of the wrestling industry.
Over at Popcorn Junkies, Travis Leamons has a spectacular review of my movie of choice this past weekend, Ratatouille, which is well-crafted and completely on target.
Lastly, I have really enjoyed the music reviews and columns being offered up at Machine Gun Funk. I even posted a review over there of Kelly Clarkson’s “My December” if you’d like to check it out. Yeah, I’m man enough to admit it.
That’s all from me for this edition of Counterfeit Pennies.
Until next time — CB.
