Local News - It may have taken six years,

but the beast has finally been unleashed on World Wrestling Entertainment.

Kane, who has long been referred to as a monster, appears to be on the brink of finally living up to that billing.

After having a strip torn off him by Raw co-general-manager Stone Cold Steve Austin and by his tag-team partner Rob Van Dam and being forced to remove his mask by Eric Bischoff, Glen Jacobs (Kane) is breathing fresh air.

No longer sporting his trademark red-and-black mask, Kane is being remarketed as a demented, twisted, evil monster.

Don’t get me wrong, Kane has long been in the upper echelon of the WWE. He’s held virtually every title the company has to offer. Problem is, he’s never established himself as one of the great villains of all time.

Not like his so-called brother, The Undertaker. After more than a decade, The Dead Man has settled into the gimmick he’s most comfortable with, the one he’s always wanted. He’s the big, bad biker.

But when he hangs up his tights, he won’t be remembered as the bike-riding, bandanna-wearing bad guy we now enjoy. He’ll be remembered forever as the Dead Man – the urn-toting, dark-side-following, casket-loving monster who dominated the WWE for the better part of a decade.

The Undertaker carved a path of destruction that has cemented his position as the greatest larger-than-life monster in sports entertainment history.

But what about Kane? What will his legacy be? How will fans recall the so-called Big Red Machine?

Certainly he’s had flashes of monstrosity over the years. His bloody feuds with The Undertaker, classic encounters with Austin, his brutal standoffs with hardcore legend Mick Foley and his unholy alliance with Paul Bearer put him in the league of monsters. But in that world, he’d be considered more of a little devil than a Big Red Machine.

That may all be about to change. Kane has ditched the mask, shaved his head and now sports a menacing makeup job that would make Marilyn Manson proud. But can he bring that evil persona into the ring with him? That will be up to the fans, the WWE brass and the big man himself.

Properly pushed – and so far so good – Kane could leave a pile of carcasses in his wake that might even get the attention of his legendary so-called brother.

It’s been some time since the WWE boasted a champion that would fit in the monster category. Kane may be the solution.

In fact, the way things are going, Kane could be on a collision course with World champion Triple H that could see the new and improved monster finally dethrone the ridiculously resilient Game and open a new chapter in the WWE’s book of the greatest villains of all time. (Credit: Osprey Media Group, Inc.)

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