Review - The Twisted and Disturbed Life of Kane

Short of The Undertaker, Kane is, in my estimation, one of the more unique attractions that currently decorates the WWE roster. Despite a less-than-thrilling push over the past year, Kane has an interesting history.

The backstory is quite possibly the best. As a child, Kane was burned badly in a fire started by his brother, The Undertaker. From what was presented on the DVD, The Undertaker's manager-turned-tormentor Paul Bearer made it sound like everyone was to believe that Kane was dead. However, after months of build, Kane finally re-appeared after 20 years, wearing a mask and covering most of his body from the supposed scars.

Yet The Undertaker refused to fight his brother. Finally, after being burned inside a casket, The Undertaker returned and agreed to fight his brother one-on-one at WrestleMania XIV, where Kane would be defeated and become one of many victims of the Undertaker.

It sounds ridiculous, but of all the stories concocted within professional wrestling lore, the history of Kane and The Undertaker is probably my favorite.

The DVD includes their first encounter, but also features several matches where the Brothers of Destruction team up to take on the likes of the Dudleyz, Edge & Christian, and King Booker & Finlay.

Other important matches from early on are showcased, like his in-ring debut against Mankind. The arena was lit in red, as JR supposed, because of Kane's powers.

His only WWF title win is on here, where he beat Stone Cold Steve Austin (but then lost the title the next night). Two Triple H matches appear, one in 2000 where Kane wins Intercontinental title, and the other condensing that same title with Triple H's World title. Yes, JR and the King referenced the car crash that Kane apparently was in as a teenager, killing Katie Vick. Luckily they didn't refer to her by name, or they just edited it out because it was so stupid.

Kane & Rob Van Dam against Christian and Chris Jericho was pretty good, featuring a young Randy Orton and a still-somewhat-returning Shawn Michaels. Luckily Kane's cage match with RVD was selected for this DVD instead of their first match together at SummerSlam 2003, which was pretty bad, if memory serves correct.

While Shane McMahon has never been an active wrestler, I'll give credit where credit is due and say the two matches with him on this DVD were pretty entertaining, including a wicked fall by Shane from the top of the entrance way.

Both Edge matches on this are also solid efforts, as is the Monster vs. Monster match with Umaga.

As interesting as the Kane character is, he has taken some weird turns over the years, and the segments in between matches try to explain it. For example, Kane impregnates Lita, and no reason was given on this DVD. After a "wedding from Hell," Lita seems to finally give in to Kane until turning on him to align with Edge, which was really a catalyst for Edge's career at that point, in my opinion.

Also, the car crash defies logic, as I've always been under the impression that Kane didn't have a normal life growing up, being shunned from society from the scars The Undertaker caused.

And if THAT'S the case, Kane's unmasking revealed no scars; instead, it was decided that Kane has emotional scarring and that he saw himself and the world differently than they saw him.

But the unmasking didn't come about until AFTER the Katie Vick / car crash angle.

Like with most wrestling storylines, it's best to not try and critically analyze it.


Extras on disc 1 feature full Undertaker/Kane history, as well as Kane vs. Pete Rose at 3 WrestleMania events. Disc 2 features promos with Rob Van Dam, Hulk Hogan, and the Rock. Disc 3 is Kane's battle royal win at WrestleMania 24, followed by what is billed as the quickest match in WM history with Chavo for the ECW title.

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There are a few things I can think of that I wish would've highlighted Kane more. For instance, this DVD never mentioned the revelation that Paul Bearer was Kane's father, having had sex with The Undertaker's mother in the funeral home (I think that's how it went. It sounds ludicrous so let's go with that explanation).

It also didn't mention Kane's 2001 Royal Rumble record of 11 eliminations. The full match wasn't necessary, but a highlight package would've been nice with that and other impressive Rumble moments throughout the years.

I really wish they would've had at least promos for the build to the WrestleMania 20 rematch with The Undertaker, featuring some of my favorite spots like the ring moving and other craziness.

Finally, there was no mention of Kane teaming with the Hurricane (short of Triple H giving him a Pedigree in the 2002 IC vs. World title match), who I'm sure had at least one DVD-worthy match in their run.

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Kane's debut into the WWF didn't start out the typical way. He wasn't a monster heel coming in to take over anything or win a title. Kane came into the WWF to beat his brother The Undertaker. Apparently, somewhere along the way, the character decided to wreak havoc on the WWF roster while he was there, and Kane has been a mainstay ever since.

I don't think this DVD is a must-have because Kane has never been at the heart and soul of WWE storylines, but for anybody who isn't familiar with the character or who just enjoys Kane, it's pretty good.