It's that time of the week again folks as I return

with my latest installment of 'Laying Down the Law', exclusive to prowrestling.com and all you great fans. This week I have had a torrid time coming up with a column which hasn't been covered in depth time and time again, and to be honest there was for a while that I wasn't convinced such a task was achievable. Then I put my brain into overdrive and it hit me like a bolt of lightning, right out of the blue. 'Who are these people?' I asked myself. 'Well they're wrestling fans' came the answer from inside my mind. 'They want to read about wrestling' the voice chirped up again. Now I knew that I was getting somewhere. 'and in particular' the voice continued, 'the unmasking of Kane and where his character can go next'. Brilliant I thought to myself. It's a hot topic among fans at the moment and so far all I have heard has been negativity towards the angle, so why not try and cast a positive shadow on the subject that is Kane and in particular, where to go with him now?!

He has always been the center of heated discussions among critics and fans alike and with Kane, there is no middle road. You either like him or you hate him. As a worker I consider him to be solid enough, although as big men go he is one of the better performers and certainly ranks higher than fellow monsters Sid, Luger, Undertaker and Big Show. For me it was the Kane gimmick which saved Glenn.

When the WWE made the decision to book a 'Title vs. Mask' match it was clear to most of us on the Internet community that management felt the time had come for Kane to unmask. This was met with disbelief and skepticism aplenty as people ranted about how this would 'kill the gimmick' and 'destroy his character'. Now I hate to be the voice of reason in the sanctuary, but please bear in mind that this is the same person who has had his history and character re-written on numerous occasions and not once has a valid explanation been given. My point is that he has survived in the past and so long as he isn't made to look like a total fool then he will again, and so far it has been a job well done on the part of creative.

The first signs that they had got back on track with Kane came when Austin gave him a motivational speech on RAW followed by a Stone Cold Stunner. As Austin left the ring Kane sat right back up and stared at the 'Rattlesnake'. It was a powerful, striking and significant image which went a long way in restoring the indestructible aura which had over time disappeared from his character. The WWE did a wonderful job at hyping the HHH vs Kane mask -and this showed in the ratings breakdown as it did a fantastic 4.55 rating and was the most watched segment of RAW in over a year- and the pair assembled a decent match with the crowd popping big for the false finishes. A stunned silence came over Madison Square Garden as Kane ripped off his mask to reveal a suitably gruesome face, albeit one lacking in those 'scars' and 'burns' we talked about earlier. Still the hair coming off with the mask was a nice touch, even if it doesn't make sense from a continuity standpoint (Kane has had his mask stolen by 'Taker, nWo and Evolution and his hair actually covered his identity) but with the Kane character, what does?

Since then we have seen a return of the unstable, out of control Kane as he has delivered Chokeslams to RVD, Eric Bischoff and Steve Austin. The unstoppable monster is back after having come full circle, the only difference this time is that he is without his mask. Outside of Mexico and to an extent Japan, the mask gimmick was never really treated as important and wasn't considered to be an integral part of a worker's character, but Kane was the exception to the rule and people always wondered what was lurking under the red and black leather mask.

Heel or face is what people are wondering and my response to this is simple: neither. By pushing Kane as an unpredictable animal filled with rage and aggression, the best way to book him is as a tweener (neither good nor bad) who will destroy anyone regardless of who they are. Not only would it add an extra dimension to his character but it will also ensure that he gets actively over in his new appearance and that people don't simply applaud him out of sympathy. This is a new chapter in the life of Kane and the forthcoming pages are blank and need filled. The WWE have the pen firmly in their grip and it is up to them where he goes from here and how he develops and what twists and turns lie ahead in the story of Kane.

Personally if it was me I would continue to push him as a ruthless, sadistic and unstoppable animal who has been pushed to the edge by those around him and is now unleashing his backlash upon the WWE. 'Hell hath no fury like a Big Red Machine scorned' and now is the time for him to unleash his anger and pent up rage on the rest of his RAW roster members. The approach taken should be something similar to what WCW did with Goldberg. Have him squash lower card workers in short two or three minute matches which he dominates from the start and looks invincible, no selling any offense (shouldn't be too hard for him, right guys?) before eventually folding his opponents in two with the Chokeslam. An argument HHH put forward a while back -in relation to Goldberg- was that the WWE were short on expendable lower card guys who could afford to be decimated, but I am sure that the likes of Steven Richards, Val Venis, Maven, Rodney Mack and Nowinski would not be harmed in taking a pounding from Kane.

A match with RVD at Summerslam would be a suitable way to blow off their alliance and for the good of the company, it makes sense from a storyline standpoint for Kane to go over in that match. With Goldberg slated to win the title at that very same PPV then what's to say that he and Kane shouldn't do battle at Unforgiven for the World Championship? Sure it might not be a classic in terms of work-rate and match quality but a well built up clash of the RAW monsters would almost certainly spark some interest among fans: imagine the drama of seeing Goldberg spear Kane only for him to sit straight up and Chokeslam 'Da Man', who in turn gets back up almost unfazed and the two have a stare-off in the ring! The live crowd would go wild at seeing this and such a stunning visual would in itself be enough to hype a match between them on PPV.

Contrary to what many are predicting, losing the mask doesn't automatically mean that the Kane gimmick will fizzle out, but instead it opens the door to a whole new world of character development and plenty of potential in terms of turning him into a bona fide headliner. Just as I finish writing this piece the word that his segment on RAW this week did an out-of-this-world 5.4 rating and what you have is tangible, unquestionable evidence that his new character is working. The booking has been astute and beneficial thus far, let's just damn well hope that it continues. . .

If you would like to E-mail Nigel about this editorial you can at: new_age_gangsta@hotmail.

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