I know there are seven or so other Kane threads out there, but I thought that this piece was pretty good. Here's the actual link Click Here (percypringle.com) Here's what Paul Bearer had to say...
KANE – A New Beginning or The End?
Notwithstanding my own prejudiced feelings concerning The Kane character, I will be very disappointed if tonight’s RAW Nielson Rating didn’t rise. I felt that there was a definite interest among WWE fans in the outcome of The Main Event. Kane versus HHH, mask versus The World Championship.
Kane’s string of bad luck began long before he broke the mirror on the wall of Madison Square Gardens this evening. Admit it or not, the primary factor in Kane’s creation, and the Paul Bearer character as well, is none other than The Undertaker. Kane and Paul Bearer were always around only to support The Undertaker character. When The UT evolved into The American Bad Ass, the writing was on the wall for Kane and Bearer.
It was accepted that the Bearer character was always disposable from the get-go. However, Kane was always the superior athlete, and had the potential to be nothing but pure box office dollars. With Mark Calaway’s big boot resting on the bar, Kane had a snowball’s chance in hell of any type of character elevation. Glen Jacobs was indeed treated like the red headed stepchild, while big brother got the big paydays and the glory. This is one time, that I hope I am dead wrong. I sincerely feel that this is not a new beginning for Kane; it is the continuance of the road to the end.
My website and message board was filled with Kane fans this evening, hoping that the face they saw under the black and red mask wasn’t Glen Jacobs. Unfortunately, it was Glen, without a doubt. The Kane character has been used, abused, and kicked to the side, by writers that didn’t have a damn clue of what to do with him. So tonight, they took the easy way out.
The real sad part about it all is that Glen doesn’t deserve any of it. He is 100% a company man, and will do anything they ask of him. He is dedicated to protecting our industry, and has always done everything that he could to help the younger guys climbing the ladder behind him. He is a family man, a true athlete, and a friend.
I always try to give the benefit of the doubt. Maybe they have some super kayfabe plan to raise Kane. I hope so, because tonight I feel just like many of the rest of you. ROBBED!
It's true that Glen Jacobs has been stuck with some less than fabulous gimmicks, but the guy has always made the most out of them. I hope this angle works out for him, because I don't think there's anywhere for him to go from here.
He doesn't sound too complimentary of Undertaker, does he? Did they have a falling out or something?
Over 1500 posts and still never a Wiener of the Day!
Oliva: You are the weakest link! Goodbye!
Stewie: Ahahaha. Oh God, that's funny. That's really funny. You write your own material? Do you? Because that is so fresh. 'You are the weakest link. Goodbye!' You know I've never heard anyone make that joke before. You're the first. I've never heard anyone reference that outside program before. Because that's what she says on the show, right? Hmmm? 'You are the weakest link. Goodbye!' And ye...ye..yet you've taken it and....and used it out of context to insult me in this everyday situation. What a clever, smart girl you must be. To come up with a joke like that all by yourself. Mmmmm...that's so fresh too. Any Titanic jokes you want to throw at me as long as we're hitting these phenomena at the height of their popularity. Mmmm? Cuz i'm here God you're so funny!
Originally posted by Big BadHe doesn't sound too complimentary of Undertaker, does he? Did they have a falling out or something?
Yeah I think so, don't think this will clear the issue up a whole lot, but he made a few jabs at the 'taker. Seems to have something to do with not putting over new talent.
I can definately understand Percy's / Paul's / whatever indy gimmic he goes by's pessimism with this. Yeah, sure it could for the best, I hope it does turn out well. Then again, I also hoped for the best on InVasion, and the nWo reunion, and the Kate Vick angle, and Austin and Goldberg being in the same federation, and...
Originally posted by Kevin MaltonJacobs has been lucky to get this mileage out of Kane as it is. I find him pretty boring to watch.
If it ain't broke, don't "fix" it...
Sure, Jacobs isn't the world's best wrestler by a long, long, long margin. Like I said before, the "Big Red machine" gimmick made him marketable, which is why it was right for him. Now whether they wanted to turn him face or heel, there were better ways they could have done it; less risky (assuming you aren't a conspiracy theorist who thinks that anotHHHer wrestler percieved Jacob as a threat and decided to con a bunch of incompetant writers into screwing up the Kane character) ways to go about it.
Hey, if they wanted him as a heel all they had to do was have him unmask and show the world his real face, and cut a promo basically saying that he faked the whole burn victim thing to get crowd sympathy, and that wrestling fans (including the ones in MSG) were stupid enough to believe him all these years, before telling everyone to go f*** themselves. Less muss, less fuss.
If they wanted him a face, have him win the world title.
Not that the unmasking wasn't, and isn't still, risky, but after all these years, I think it was time for the payoff. We've all wondered what Kane was supposed to look like under there, even if we didn't particularly want them to show us. I don't think this is the end of Kane by a long shot.
I don't know. Kane has had some big moments over the past few years. The First Blood match, the fueds with HHH, the tagging and fued with X-Pac, fueds with Taker. For a character that was supposed only comlpiment Taker, he has had quite a run.
January 4th 1999 - The day WCW injected itself with 10 gallons of Liquid Anthrax...AKA...The day Hogan "Defeated" Nash to win the WCW title in front of 40,000.
Now whether they wanted to turn him face or heel, there were better ways they could have done it; less risky (assuming you aren't a conspiracy theorist who thinks that anotHHHer wrestler percieved Jacobs as a threat and decided to con a bunch of incompetant writers into screwing up the Kane character) ways to go about it.
I'm as big a HHhater as anyone, but I doubt that Kane was consistently over enough for Hunter to target.
Over 1500 posts and still never a Wiener of the Day!
Oliva: You are the weakest link! Goodbye!
Stewie: Ahahaha. Oh God, that's funny. That's really funny. You write your own material? Do you? Because that is so fresh. 'You are the weakest link. Goodbye!' You know I've never heard anyone make that joke before. You're the first. I've never heard anyone reference that outside program before. Because that's what she says on the show, right? Hmmm? 'You are the weakest link. Goodbye!' And ye...ye..yet you've taken it and....and used it out of context to insult me in this everyday situation. What a clever, smart girl you must be. To come up with a joke like that all by yourself. Mmmmm...that's so fresh too. Any Titanic jokes you want to throw at me as long as we're hitting these phenomena at the height of their popularity. Mmmm? Cuz i'm here God you're so funny!
Originally posted by Kevin MaltonJacobs has been lucky to get this mileage out of Kane as it is. I find him pretty boring to watch.
Keep in mind that there is a huge seperation between Jacobs the performer and Kane the character. Bigger than any other current example I can think of. As underwhelming as Jacobs may be in the ring, Kane was last great character introduced by the WWF creative staff.
The Kane character has been used, abused, and kicked to the side, by writers that didn’t have a damn clue of what to do with him.
Indeed, I think the downward spiral started when he had to job the title back to Austin the day after he won it. Imagine if Brock jobbed the title back to Rock 1 week after summerslam 2002.
Originally posted by rv581You know who the big loser is in all this?
Pete Rose!
It just won't be the same watching him get whooped by a demasked Kane...
Waitaminute, who said that Kane will be keeping the mask off? If they do keep his mask off, it's the end of his character, but I have a feeling that they wont let someone with a "grotesque" face wrestle without the mask?
Are you ready for Mahkan-mania to run wild all over you?
Originally posted by rv581You know who the big loser is in all this?
Pete Rose!
It just won't be the same watching him get whooped by a demasked Kane...
Waitaminute, who said that Kane will be keeping the mask off? If they do keep his mask off, it's the end of his character, but I have a feeling that they wont let someone with a "grotesque" face wrestle without the mask?
Yeah! Besides, his makeup would smear off like the Ultimate Warrior's used to.
"Keep in mind that there is a huge seperation between Jacobs the performer and Kane the character. Bigger than any other current example I can think of. As underwhelming as Jacobs may be in the ring, Kane was last great character introduced by the WWF creative staff."
Well i guess you are not counting Kurt Angle. i am not sure who "created" it exactly, but that is one of the best characters in wrestling history (imagine, a red, white and blue gold medalist being the most over heel in the company for several straight years with little alteration to the character's original appeal- genius).
Originally posted by Kevin MaltonJacobs has been lucky to get this mileage out of Kane as it is. I find him pretty boring to watch.
No luck was involved. Kane was over because of Jacobs' talent.
PMMJ
"Nothing remains interesting where anything may happen." -H.G. Wells "Show me the country in which there are no strikes and I'll show you that country in which there is no liberty." -Emma Goldman
That was my main problem with Kane. He selfishly worked that program and buried poor old Pete, knowing damn well that Rose would never be able to get his “heat” back. Ha ha boy does that sound dumb – maybe I should replace Kane with Austin and Rose with “whoever else Austin torments” and then I could be smart.
Pringle, by the way, should be ashamed. He did several interviews when he was first released and was very complimentary about Vince and WWF/E in general (especially since they kept him on the dole when his wife was suffering) – I guess time has turned him bitter.
Percy: The Kane character has been used, abused, and kicked to the side, by writers that didn’t have a damn clue of what to do with him. So tonight, they took the easy way out.
The guy got 5 years, many titles, many angles and a half dozen “main event” runs off a gimmick that was 80’s cartoon era at best. Instead of giving Kane all the credit (or for whatever reason laying the badmouth to UT and the writing staff), people should be worshipping us, the fans, for not laughing the guy out of the building and consistently popping for a gimmick of a half dead masked guy who’s best move is lighting the turnbuckles on fire. And who said kayfabe / suspending disbelief is dead?
FLEA
Demonstrations are a drag. Besides, we're much too high...
a half dead masked guy who’s best move is lighting the turnbuckles on fire
Don't forget cocking his head to the side like a confused puppy.
Kane had his moments. Remember the time he had Triple H's title? Kane stood in the ring and Hunter was on the entrance ramp. "How about I come down down there and you give me my title back?" "No."
Maybe he wasn't anything special but the guy was solid. That's not a bad thing.
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