Can you imagine what would have happened if the Isaac Yankem, DDS character actually took off in WWE?
It’s fortunate that the company saw the light and traded in Glen Jacobs' dentist gimmick for a darker, more evil character in Kane. The move obviously paid off as Kane was one of the more evil, dark characters of the Attitude Era and enjoyed great success as both a babyface and a heel.
Fans to this day still like the man who wrestles with or without a mask, but his popularity in recent years seems to have waned a bit. While the WWE Universe still has a close affinity with The Undertaker, the same cannot be said about the “brother” of one of the most popular characters in wrestling history.
Right now, Kane, at 49 years old, is in that state of purgatory wrestlers hope and pray they don’t face at some point in their career. His current situation – in a partnership with Randy Orton against the Wyatt Family, is only a pacifier of sorts.
Its seems like he will never be part of a main event angle again, and there isn’t a lot of leeway with programs for him to show his true dominance. His days as a day-to-day star are numbered.
There isn’t much he hasn’t done in this company. Kane has won 18 total championships during his WWE career, including being a three-time world champion (having held the WWF Championship, ECW Championship, and WWE's World Heavyweight Championship once each) and a 12-time world tag team champion, having held the (World) Tag Team Championship, WCW Tag Team Championship, and WWE Tag Team Championships with various partners.
He is also a two-time WWE Intercontinental Champion and a 2010 Money in the Bank winner. Kane is the third man to win the WWE Grand Slam. Kane also holds the all-time record of eliminations at Royal Rumble with 44 eliminations.
For now, however, it looks like his best days are behind him. Fans still like watching him in the ring, but his connection with the new generation of fans is lost. Here are a few reasons why.
#1 Timing is everything
While WWE has moved forward, Kane’s character hasn’t moved with the times.
His direction as Raw General Manager during the Authority angle proved he could still play a solid role in storylines, but the character itself is a bit boring and predictable. When he first burst onto the scene in 1997, there had never been such a destructive force in the company.
That carried over into the Attitude Era and beyond. But can you look at the last four years and say Kane has been a true monster? The last time he was any form of “beast” was his angle with Zach Ryder and eventually John Cena in 2012.
#2 The PG Era
No wrestler was affected more by the company moving away from the PG-13 era than Kane. The company that censored itself, forced Kane to move away from the “fire and brimstone” appearance.
The flames still burn when he gets in a wrestling ring, but the storylines are tame. Kane initiated a love interest program with Lita, lit Jim Ross on fire and went to hell and back with The Undertaker.
These days are gone and will never come back, meaning his character has lost appeal. Now he is more of a supporting role player for younger stars or in the current situation with Randy Orton versus The Wyatt Family.
#3 O brother, where art thou?
The greatest program WWE has ever written is the connection between Kane and Undertaker. It would still tear down arenas, should the company decide to rehash this exciting chapter in wrestler history.
So far, that has not happened. Kane and Undertaker are electricity and history and depth. My biggest complaint about WWE (besides Lita and Trish not wrestling anymore) is the lack of character depth.
To this day, I am not sure why the company has not thought about the two destructive forces meeting one more time. The final chapter remains unwritten. Now that Paul Bearer is no longer with them, that needs to change.
#4 To mask or unmask
The unmasking of Kane was a huge part of his character development, but since the character Glen Jacobs found a softer side to his style, fans don’t really care that he now wrestles with the mask again.
This is a fatal flaw in the history of Kane. When he lost the mask, he was free of the past, the anger and the pain.
Putting the mask back on just added to the lack of storyline. It is more like the company did it with the hope that fans would accept him again in his old form. It did not go over well.
#5 Ageing with grace
While Undertaker can return at 51-years-old and knock the ball out of the park at WrestleMania, the same cannot be said for Kane, who has no signature place in the company right now.
Had he remained a dominant force in storylines, despite his role in the Authority angle, he still might be as popular as ever today.
Kane is one of the longest tenured members of the WWE locker room and one of the most respected men in the company. He is also considered one of the safest men in the ring. Those are great accolades, but today’s fan doesn’t think it matters much.
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