'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
WWE inducted legendary superstar Kane into its Hall of Fame this year. He has entertained the viewers for decades and given us one of the most iconic in-ring gimmicks of all time. The Big Red Machine has done a lot for the business, and he deserves every bit of accolade for his service to the industry.
Kane maintained a dominant presence inside the ring, staying true to his gimmick. However, not many fans know that the man behind it all – Glenn Jacobs – is an absolute gem in real life. He is widely regarded as one of the most loved superstars backstage, and many factors contribute to his popularity among his peers.
Today, we will take a look at some of the best WWE backstage secrets involving Kane.
#1 Kane and Daniel Bryan’s strange backstage interaction that led to the formation of Team Hell No
Kane and Daniel Bryan came together to form one of the most hilarious tag teams in WWE history, Team Hell No. Fans loved their on-screen chemistry, but the start to their real-life friendship backstage was quite absurd. According to Bryan, he was discussing a book with someone backstage. They were talking about the idea of ‘taking your sexual energy up your chakras and then back down, circulating the energy to help you heal and be more vibrant’ when Kane got involved.
Bryan recalled the entire incident in his autobiography and said:
“At first, he was put off by the conversation entirely, but soon he started to enjoy the ridiculousness of it. He grabbed the book and started thumbing through it, then immediately stopped at a little drawing of a naked man lying down and sun, along with an arrow that went from the sun to the man’s perineum.”
“The suggestion was essentially that to increase your sexual energy and, therefore, overall energy; you should expose your perineum to the sun. It was the most outlandish idea Glenn had heard in a long time, but for some reason, he couldn’t stop talking about it. And neither could I.”
Bryan also revealed that he was in his junior year when Kane made his first appearance in WWE. The two superstars eventually crossed paths backstage. Bryan further stated that Kane is relatively quiet unless he is in the company of his closest friends. He admitted that though the beginning of their bond was quite absurd, they remain good friends to date.
#2 Kane refused to break The Undertaker’s WrestleMania streak
Kane may have hated The Undertaker at the beginning of their storyline, but in real life, The Big Red Machine has nothing but love for The Deadman. Long before Brock Lesnar broke The Undertaker’s WrestleMania streak, Kane was offered a chance to do the same. However, he refused to do that to The Undertaker. In fact, when the streak did break, Kane was so furious that he left the room.
“My reaction, when I was watching, I thought the finish got messed up. I was like, ‘they’re going to restart the match or something because something got screwed up.’ They didn’t. I walked out of the room. I was literally so mad about it. I know that the streak wasn't something that anybody had ever planned, and it was just something that had kind of organically evolved, but it had become a part of WrestleMania lore at that point."
Kane will forever be grateful for everything The Undertaker did for him. Thus, he wanted to repay his kayfabe brother and denied tainting one of the best records in the pro wrestling business. Ending the streak could have added a lot more to Kane’s success in WWE, but he selflessly chose The Undertaker over additional glory.
#3 Last-minute decision before Kane’s unmasking in WWE
Kane’s unmasking will fondly be remembered as one of the most exciting segments in WWE history. The Hall of Famer recently revealed that he was extremely nervous about the unmasking and did not share the news with anyone. Kane was initially supposed to be completely bald, but Vince McMahon and Bruce Prichard decided that it was better if he had half his head full of hair. Here’s what happened backstage that night:
“I actually was a little nervous, though, because I hadn’t told my wife about this, and my wife loved my long hair, and I wanted her to see it and be shocked just like everybody else, and she was. So, when I talked to her after the match, that didn't go very well.”
“And they get about halfway through, and Bruce [Prichard] goes ‘Stop! I need to show Vince,’ I should have said right then keep going, and of course, in the heat of the moment I’m like oh yeah, this is going to be awesome, and then yeah, I’m sitting there like, wait for a second, I got to go to like…Outback, with this, I got to pick my kids up at school.”
Kane felt that he had done everything he could do while staying behind the mask. He liked the mystique surrounding his gimmick and enjoyed the challenge when removing the mask exposed him to more detailed scrutiny inside the ring.
#4 Kane and Undertaker’s real-life bond
As Brothers of Destruction, Kane and The Undertaker dominated the WWE roster for longer than one can remember. From being at each other’s throats to having each other’s back, these two superstars epitomized a brotherly bond together. It shouldn’t be a surprise that they both have acted like real-life brothers on more than one occasion.
The Undertaker always liked Kane and rooted for his kayfabe brother backstage. He involved himself in Kane’s storylines to ensure that the latter is being booked well. On one occasion, he even wrestled with a broken ankle because he had to put Kane over in a match.
“I remember Mark’s hips and back were really bothering him. After the match, I saw him collapse on the stairs and get right back up. You would have never known he was in so much pain during the match. Another night in Houston, Texas, which is Mark’s hometown, and he had some of his family there."
"We’re having a match, and he’d broken his ankle a few days before at TV. I don’t think we knew his ankle was broken at this point, and we’re trying to have this match, but he can barely move, so I’m trying to move around him. Despite the fact that he was in a lot of pain, he tried to get me as over as he possibly could.”
Kane often sought advice from The Undertaker in both his personal and professional life. The latter also went above and beyond to take special care of his kayfabe younger brother. Thus, it wasn’t a surprise when Kane got emotional after The Undertaker announced his WWE Hall of Fame induction. No one can script a better ending to his illustrious career.
#5 Kane’s favorite locker room game featuring Tommy Dreamer and his ‘family jewels’
Kane cultivated a reputation as a serious superstar in WWE. As mentioned before, he mostly likes to mind his business backstage. In addition to his unmatched in-ring persona, Kane also excelled at a hilarious (and hopefully safe) locker room game involving Tommy Dreamer. Former WWE Superstar Hornswoggle revealed the details of the game while appearing as a guest on Chris Jericho’s Talk is Jericho podcast.
Hornswoggle described the game as ‘Tommy Ball.’ It required WWE Superstars to stand on the opposite side of the room from Dreamer. Following that, they would throw tennis balls at his nether regions, and Kane was the best at this game. While everyone in the locker room took turns to play the game, they could not match Kane’s precision.
According to Hornswoggle, Kane would hit the sensitive target multiple times, and The Big Red Machine undoubtedly had fun. There is no explanation why Dreamer was selected as the victim of this game. But that never stopped Kane from becoming the champion of arguably the riskiest game involving a WWE Superstar.
#6 Stone Cold Steve Austin willingly dropped his first title for Kane
Kane is one of the most lovable superstars backstage in WWE. Even Stone Cold Steve Austin had a lot of admiration for The Big Red Machine. In fact, Austin wanted Kane to get the push so badly that he willingly dropped his world title for the latter. Kane was quick to repay the debt as he lost the title to Austin the next night.
“Actually, winning my first world championship in the First Blood match at King Of The Ring 1998, of course, that was overshadowed by the Hell In A Cell match between Taker and Mick Foley, but that was my first world championship, and it was against Austin. I lost the WWF Title the next night in Cleveland, and I will never forget the atmosphere at what was then the Gund Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. You want to talk about electric; the excitement was tangible. I’d never been in front of a crowd like that.”
“So as exciting as it was to win the World Championship, it was even more exciting to lose it the next day because you realize you’re in the middle or a part of something so special and so amazing, which is what that was. And that segment, up until that time, was the highest-rated segment on RAW ever, and from there, the show just went straight up, and, of course, Austin went straight up too.”
Kane appreciated the gesture from Steve Austin, who took a huge step to establish Kane’s dominance in WWE. The two superstars worked hard to make RAW entertaining for the fans. Kane wasn’t even bothered about losing his gold in less than a day as he felt that he needed to deliver what the fans wanted.
#7 Kane’s relationship with his fans
Kane may look like a monster inside the ring, but he is an absolute sweetheart outside of his character. The WWE Superstar shares a great bond with his fans, especially the young ones. He once shared a story about a fan he met and how it had a lasting impact on his life. It was also one of the few incidents that reduced The Big Red Machine to tears. Kane recalled the incident and said:
“A few years ago, I was outside in the concession area getting a soda for my wife, and this lady comes running up to me with her daughter. She wanted to show me a picture on her phone, and it was a picture of her son and me. I had visited a children’s hospital recently, and that was the picture. She told me that it was the last picture that she’d taken of her son. And it was me. So, she wanted to thank me for doing that, but it’s okay."
"The greatest blessing that my career gave me wasn’t the fame and money and all that stuff. It was the fact that you have the ability, if you use it, to at least in some little way, bring joy to people and touch them emotionally. And that’s incredibly powerful. I don’t know why I was given that, but it’s something that I don’t take for granted; it’s something that I value very much.”
Kane has stayed true to his words over the years. He often takes time to visit his fans and pays personal attention to his bond with them. Kane has been labeled as a scary-looking man for most of his WWE career, but he genuinely has the biggest heart underneath the many vectors of his gimmick.
#8 Kane was often victimized backstage with hilarious pranks
It is difficult to imagine playing pranks on Kane owing to his towering presence. However, in reality, he was one of the easiest targets for pranks amongst WWE Superstars every time they were on the road. They would often play jokes on him for his response, but Kane was often too sweet to say anything harsh. Once, they purposely ordered a horrible breakfast for him, but he quietly ate the whole thing instead of complaining.
AEW Superstar Christian especially loved tormenting Kane backstage with pranks when they worked together in WWE. The two were often involved in feuds on screen. Christian always found a way or other to trouble Kane, and the latter had to wait for his opportunities to deliver a chokeslam. Kane was even quoted saying:
"I don’t like Christian; I’ve never liked Christian. One time I was walking through the Denver airport, and I saw Christian, and we talked a little bit, and he was like, ‘Have you had anything to eat?’ And I’m like, ‘Yeah, I just had a burrito,’ and he punches me in the stomach and then just runs away. That is Christian. So anytime I had the opportunity to chokeslam Christian I took advantage of it."
Not only Christian, but The Hardy Boyz also liked to have their fun with Kane. They once stole his first-class seat on a flight, and he dragged them to the Wrestler’s Court where The Undertaker donned the role of a judge. The Deadman then ordered The Hardy Boyz to buy Kane dinner while their manager Hayes had to carry his bags the following week. Now, that’s why one likes to have an influential brother.
What makes Sting special? His first AEW opponent opens up RIGHT HERE.
