Kane is widely considered as one of the greatest gimmicks in WWE history. The real-life Glenn Jacobs adopted the iconic moniker in 1997 after unsuccessfully experimenting with several gimmicks. The Big Red Machine made his infamous debut at Badd Blood 1997.
Kane would kickoff his legendary rivalry with kayfabe brother The Undertaker. Both titans collided at WrestleMania 14 in what turned out to be a solid character-driven match. The Devil’s Favorite Demon would partake in 21 WrestleMania events over the course of his career. However, he also had a few matches that went up in flames.
This article explores Kane’s five worst WrestleMania matches.
Kane/Rikishi vs. DX (WrestleMania 2000)
Kane and Rikishi were among the most popular upper midcarders in 2000. Both men tagged against D-Generation X at WrestleMania 2000. This bout preceded the fatal four-way match for the WWE Championship.
The match wasn’t the best of the night in terms of in-ring action, but it did popped the crowd big time. Rikshi hit Tori with a stinkface to a huge ovation. Kane won the match for his team with a massive Tombstone Piledriver.
Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal (WrestleMania 34)
The fifth annual Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal took place on the WrestleMania 34 pre-show. The contest featured 30 participants from both RAW and SmackDown. Kane competed in the match under his masked persona.
The match didn’t feature anything special or memorable. The Big Red Monster’s road to victory was cut short by Baron Corbin. “Broken” Matt Hardy won the match after a little help from Bray Wyatt.
Kane, Kofi Kingston, Santino Marella & The Big Show vs. The Corre (WrestleMania XXVII)
Most fans don’t remember the eight-man tag team match at WrestleMania XXVII. After all, there’s nothing worth remembering about said bout. Kane and The Big Show teamed up with Kofi Kingston and Santino Marella against The Corre.
The match acted more of a build-up to Randy Orton versus CM Punk. The action only lasted less than two minutes. Ezekiel Jackson emerged as The Corre’s breakout star with his dominant performance.
Vs. Chavo Guerrero (WrestleMania XXIV)
Kane earned a shot at the ECW World Heavyweight Championship by winning a pre-show Battle Royal. The Big Red Machine got Chavo Guerrero at WrestleMania XXIV. Guerrero made his entrance before the challenger.
The lights turned red as a scared Chavo awaited his scary opponent. Kane appeared from behind and took out the champion with a single chokeslam, winning the title in under 10 seconds. Fans knew the revived ECW wouldn’t survive for long under Vince McMahon.
Kane vs. The Great Khali (WrestleMania 23)
Kane was picked to put over The Great Khali at WrestleMania 23. Both men collided in an inter-promotional match. The Big Red Monster used the opportunity to give a nod to his 2006 flick, See No Evil, by bringing the chain from the movie to the ring.
Despite his best efforts, Kane failed to get a good match out of Khali. Let’s be fair, the Punjabi superstar wasn’t known for his in-ring skills. He was booked to look dominant and he did by putting away Kane in just under six minutes.
Honorable Mentions
- Kane vs. The Undertaker (WrestleMania XX)
- Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal (WrestleMania 32)
- 24-man Battle Royal (WrestleMania XXIV)
- Kane & The Big Show vs. Carlito & Chris Masters
