SummerSlam Preview: Kane vs Daniel Bryan

Daniel Bryan’s psychiatrist might consider the former World Heavyweight Champion to be bitter, short-tempered and strangely obsessed with actor Charlie Sheen, but at SummerSlam, the “submission specialist” better hope he’s on top of his game, as he’ll be stepping in the ring against his self-described “anger management therapist,” Kane.

In a bit of retaliation on the Aug. 6 edition of Raw, General Manager AJ Lee signed up her ex-fiancé to face The Big Red Machine, in what’s certain to be a supremely physical encounter. Lee announced the match after Bryan unsuccessfully petitioned to be included in the Triple Threat WWEChampionship Match at SummerSlam. Instead of vying for the championship gold at the summer spectacular, Bryan now finds himself scheduled for action against one of the most sinister beings in all of WWE.

Yet, in Kane, the increasingly misanthropic Bryan may have found an opponent who’s every bit as unstable as he is. The only guarantee leading into their SummerSlam match is that physicality will not be at a minimum. True, Mr. Don’t-Call-Me Goat Face received a clean bill of mental health following a psychiatric evaluation that was broadcast internationally on Raw, but whether he’ll receive a clean bill of health following his SummerSlam clash with The Devil’s Favorite Demon is another question entirely.

After all, there’s little doubt the masked Superstar will go into the fight mindful of all that’s transpired between Bryan and himself in recent months.

Both Superstars have spent the bulk of this summer in pursuit of CM Punk’s WWE Title, to no avail. Ahead of the WWE Title Match at No Way Out, in which both Superstars were positioned as challengers, Bryan unleashed a flurry of chair strikes — 26 in total — against Kane on an episode of SmackDown. And during a particularly head-spinning few weeks in June, Raw’s current GM made romantic overtones toward both men, which only served to further confuse an already-bewildering predicament.

Despite their numerous run-ins, it ought not to be forgotten that Bryan and Kane share at least one unsettling commonality: throughout their respective WWE careers, Kane and Bryan each have exhibited significant signs of rage. What with his fiery origin, long-shrouded existence and “unorthodox” upbringing, Kane entered WWE with a monstrous chip on his shoulder. The Big Red Machine has demonstrated time and time again an inability to cope with his anger in any way other than brutality.

Bryan’s outlook, meanwhile, has taken an especially dark turn ever since AJ stood him up at the altar on Raw 1,000. In addition to the fit he threw following the wedding-that-wasn’t, Bryan has become prone to volatile outbursts in recent weeks. He’s already denounced the WWE Universe’s use of his infectious “Yes!” catch phrase, and after scoring the winning pinfall in a Six-Man Tag Team Match on the Aug. 3 SmackDown, Bryan repeatedly screamed “No!” in the face of a fan who refused to relinquish the affirmative chant.

What will happen when two of WWE’s most twisted Superstars tie up on Aug. 19? Will victory befall the Superstar who is best able to control and channel his anger? Or will the “W” go to the individual who is able to let loose completely, perhaps revealing a degree of unrepentant rage as never before seen in WWE?