Kane
should be WWF champ
June
20, 2000
By JASON HUSKINS
For SLAM! Wrestling
In the past few weeks in The World Wrestling Federation, there
has been a three-way fight between The Undertaker, The Rock and
Kane as the number one contender to Triple H's World Title. The
three superstars are definitely proving they each deserve the
chance to face Triple H in a one-on-one title match. As well,
their title histories prove all three men can win the big one.
The Rock has held the world title and the IC title on numerous
occasions. The Undertaker is also a multiple world champion and
has held the tag team title as well. Kane's world title reign was
short and surrounded with controversy but he is a multiple tag
team champion.
Now to break down all three men who want to wear the gold is not
easy. Each deserves the honour and have proven in recent matches
that they are primed for the shot. Although The Undertaker and
The Rock each are in the list of "should" have the
title, I believe that if Kane holds the title the WWF would
benefit more. I can actually hear people questioning this
statement as they read this but in reality I believe it is the
truth.
The Rock is the most popular athlete in sports entertainment
today and I do not dispute that at all. He also has the best
microphone skills as well maybe in wrestling history and I agree
is amazingly talented as well. However, The Rock seems to be a
much stronger character when he is not wearing the gold. It's as
if he turns it up a few notches and that brings out the best in
him and his opponents. Steve Austin was the same way when he was
pursuing the title a few years ago. Rocky seems to thrive in the
role of the underdog having to always fight to get that shot he
so rightly deserves.
The Undertaker on the other hand is a no nonsense character right
now. He has dropped the evil ministry leader role and has become
more human than he's ever been before. The look and personality
is a breath of fresh air for the character and allows the
Undertaker to branch out in different areas he couldn't before.
Mark Calloway's character is now actually more like his real-life
personality in dress and behaviour. The Undertaker seems to
achieve more when he is a villainous dark character who is hell
bent on keeping a the title when he is in possession of it.
Kane's character has shown the most growth in wrestling this past
year and a half. At first The Big Red Machine was a silent and
powerful monster that attacked people at the whim of Paul Bearer.
Kane has shown incredible developments of his actual in ring
moves by performing suplexes, powerbombs, dropkicks and more
athletic moves. His change from a grunting way of speaking with
help of a voice box to being able to complete entire sentences in
a more demonic voice is a plus. Kane is a character that is
really under-appreciated by fans. No other wrestler in recent
memory has actually been able to get us to feel every emotion
that way he is. When Kane was hurting from Paul Bearer, The
Undertaker, X-Pac and Torrie stabbing him in the back, we felt
his pain as well. When he stormed over Triple H on Raw and stood
over the fallen champion with the world title hoisted above his
head, we shared his joy. When he couldn't understand why X-Pac
and Torrie turned on him, we felt his confusion and when he
finally struck down X-Pac and Torrie, we felt his rage.
I believe Kane is the most complex character in wrestling today,
but one who does everything in simple ways. Kane has not become
stale or stagnant with his character or his goals in the last
little while. He keeps evolving, which is allows him to grow. I
personally did not think Kane would be around this long when he
first came into the Federation but I think as long as Glenn
Jacobs plays Kane as he has been, Kane will be a major force for
awhile and a world champion sooner than we all think.
Jason Huskins is from Charlottetown, PEI. He can be emailed at
jhuskins69@hotmail.com.