5 Things that Kane couldn't accomplish in the WWE

Kane is a legend in WWE whose longevity and success make him a surefire Hall of Fame inductee at some point in the years ahead. He’s feuded with The Undertaker multiple times, unseated Steve Austin and Rey Mysterio for World Championships, won a Money in the Bank Ladder Match, starred in a WWE Studios film, and he even holds the record for the most Royal Rumble eliminations by any single competitor in WWE history.

However, the Big Red Machine is now in the twilight of his career, and if he were to win his bid for mayor of Knox County, there’s every reason to think that his time in the ring may be over. So, this article looks at Kane’s unfinished business — those milestones this talented and decorated star never quite attained in his two-decade WWE tenure.

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#5 Royal Rumble winner

Kane may go down as the most dominant Royal Rumble performer to never actually win the match.

Kane has been in more than his share of Royal Rumble matches and even lasted to the late stages of a disproportionate number of them, eliminating a record forty-four other WWE Superstars along the way. One accomplishment Kane has not managed at the annual January event, however, is to actually win a Rumble.

With the stakes high — a world title shot at WrestleMania, if not a world title itself — it makes sense that Kane was never slotted for this tip-top spot. Just the same, he holds the interesting distinction of being largely synonymous with the event, without ever actually winning its signature match.

#4 WrestleMania main eventer

Kane had some big WrestleMania matches, but never a main event.

Kane has wrestled at eighteen separate WrestleMania events and has assembled a respectable win-loss record of 8-10, which looks even better when you consider that two of those losses were in battle royals, two in Money in the Bank matches, and two to The Undertaker during his undefeated streak.

During that run, Kane beat Triple H as well as Randy Orton. He also retained tag title gold with both The Big Show and Daniel Bryan and won the ECW and Hardcore Championships in different years.

One feat Kane never managed, however, was to close out a WrestleMania. Kane main evented other PPVs to be sure. But while he did broach main event status in his first feud with The Undertaker and was regularly an upper mid-card attraction, he never managed to secure one of the top spots at the biggest show on the WWE calendar.

#3 Leading His Own Faction

Kane collaborated with a few stables but never led one.

Kane was a part of a number of different stables in his time with WWE, most notably The Corporation and The Authority; he even had a fun run as an offbeat addition to D-Generation X.

Despite having these temporary alliances, the character was more often than not cast as too deranged to be trusted. While he had a series of tag team partners, six of whom he captured gold with, the Big Red Machine never had the opportunity to lead a true faction of his own.

#2 King of the Ring

A lot of stars were named King of the Ring, but never Kane.

The King of the Ring tournament was a staple annual event WWE used to put on at house shows before it became an annual PPV for a period of years. Kane was active for quite a few years that overlapped with the annual event and even won his first World Championship in the main event one of these shows.

However, Kane was never crowned King of the Ring himself, though, and perhaps even more interestingly, he was never actually a part of a King of the Ring tournament at the PPV. Even those times when the tournament returned for televised specials, Kane was out of the mix.

The Big Red Machine's absence from King of the Ring-lore probably has to do with him being an awkward fit for the tournament. The crown mostly went to up and coming stars and the Kane character debuted toward the top of the card. WWE also wouldn’t have wanted to job out The Devil's Favourite Demon to someone mid-tournament, so it makes sense that he was left out of this specific event.

#1 The United States Championship

Kane held his share of titles, but never this specific one.

Over the course of his tenure with WWE, Kane won quite a few championships. He picked up reigns with both the WWE Championship and the World Heavyweight Championship. He won the ECW Championship, the Intercontinental Championship, and the Hardcore Championship. You can also add twelve different tag team titles to this impressive haul.

But for all of the gold The Big Red Machine racked up, he never did get his hands on the United States Championship. To be fair, the title was often on the opposite brand from him, but he did get his shots at the US title here and there, including chasing MVP and later Dean Ambrose for the belt.

Maybe a US title run is still coming up ahead for Kane? It may not seem likely, but as a secondary championship, it’s not unheard of for WWE to let someone win it on a lark, and this is, of course, the title Bret Hart won over a decade after injuries forced his retirement from full-time wrestling. In short, anything could happen, and Kane’s legacy is one largely defined by unpredictability.

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