No Remorse:
Why Winning the World Championship is the ONLY Way to Assuage Kane's Rage
Credit and © 2003 RAW Magazine Holiday Issue
By Aaron Williams
For more than five years, WWE reporters have
explored the roots and dynamics of Kane's anger and actions. By now, the stories of his tortured childhood - the recurring episodes of trust betrayed, and the violent outbursts that have left fellow RAW Superstars incapacitated - have been well documented.
Up to this point, both the fans and media have been supportive of the half brother of the undead master of the supernatural. Perhaps no Superstar has ever generated as much emotionally charged fan mail as Kane, and no one in the history of this business has been given more second chances.
As far back as April 2001, Magazine urged Kane to get help. Consulting several of the world's most prominent mental health providers, the magazine detailed the stages of Kane's decent into hell. At the end, it warned, "If he chooses to stay trapped in a world of anger, resentment and hatred, he will wither and die inside. He will no longer be Kane, but will indeed become the monster he's been tagged as. If Kane doesn't move on, he can say goodbye to any future with the WWE."
Much has happened since then, but it's obvious that Kane has not changed for the better. After being unmasked by Triple H this summer*, Kane has become an even bigger monster. Some thought that without his mask, Kane might become a contributing member of society. These people felt that Kane wanted to be compassionate and helpful to his fellow Superstars. Unfortunately, the removal of his mask had the opposite effect.
"When they made me remove my mask, I felt free," Kane said. "It was such an exhilarating feeling, showing my true self for all those lying, hateful fans to see . . ."
What the world has seen has been nothing less than criminal. He set Jim Ross ablaze, attacked WWE CEO Linda McMahon, and performed more than a few heinous acts upon Shane McMahon. The resulting battles between the deranged madman and Shane-O-Mac have set new standards in brutality.
There is simply no limit to what Kane will do. Who knows how many careers will be cut short by his maniacal acts? Who knows how many families will be destroyed before someone take appropriate action.
The word going around the RAW locker room is "stay clear of the red man." No one wants to be near him. RAW Magazine has learned that a petition was circulated asking WWE officials to ban Kane from the catering area where everyone eats. He's had more than a few violent outbursts and several Superstars and crew members have incurred serious injuries for just looking at the man.
One such locker-room hand, who wishes to remain anonymous, lest his words get him in further trouble, said about Kane, "Enough is enough. Look, you won't find a group of tougher men in the world than what you'll find in the RAW locker room, but Kane just doesn't care about anyone or anything. He'll hurt people for no other reason than to satisfy his sick nature. It's too dangerous in the back now. Everyone's on edge and nobody can control him. We have families to support, and this just isn't right. I never thought I'd say this, but he really is too crazy to wrestle. I don't know everything that happened in his past, but he's just gone off the deep end - even for him."
RAW Magazine has also learned that WWE officials now take special precautions at arenas where Kane wrestles. Extra security is hired and a special waiver - accepting responsibility for any damage Kane may do to the building - are now prerequisites if WWE officials want Kane to be allowed to compete.
Kane's actions have been so dark and violent that the question of whether RAW would be better off without him now as to be considered. Whether it's in the form of a suspension or expulsion, something needs to be done, and done soon.
How many careers have to be ended? How many limbs broken? And, how many dreams shattered? It's one thing for a Superstar to get beat in a wrestling match. It's another to get seriously hurt by the actions of a mad man outside the ring.
If Kane were to be suspended or expelled from RAW, there would surely be a large public outcry. There are many out there who still feel for the man. Despite his recent behavior, Kane has a reservoir of goodwill that he has built up over the years.
To many, he is still the victim who knows not what he does. Tortured, humiliated, and double-crossed throughout his life, legions of Kanenites feel that with some help and compassion, Kane can be transformed into a decent human being.
Other mat aficionados believe that no matter how deranged or violent a Superstar may become, he should never be suspended. Sports-entertainment is a violent world and Kane's actions are part and parcel of the landscape. To suspend Kane from wrestling would be the equivalent of suspending a football player for tackling someone too hard. If the other Superstars on the roster can't take Kane's punishment, then, that's too bad for them. Find another line of work.
The truth is that nobody knows what to do with Kane. Publicly - not wanting to appear weak and cowardly - there are many Superstars and officials who say he can be controlled, that under proper guidance, Kane is no different from anyone else on the roster.
But, can he really be controlled? Every time Kane has formed a bond with someone, it has resulted in disaster, both for he and his partner. The answer to this question will likely remain a bigger mystery.
Perhaps the better question to ask, and one that gets at the root of the Kane question, is, what does Kane really want? Is there a method to his madness? Does he want to win the World Championship? Does he think that the title will validate his existence? Or, does he really not care about anyone or anything. Does he exist for the sole purpose of inflicting pain and hurting others?
The answers to these questions might lie in the past. When Kane first arrived in WWE, he cared little about winning Championships. Led by his manager, Paul Bearer, he conducted a rampage of
"hellfire and brimstone," which left behind a trail of destruction. He defeated numerous opponents in WWE, carving his name into an elite list of title contenders. However, Kane wasn't looking for a title, but a confrontation with is half-brother.
Bearer threatened UnderTaker, saying that Kane would destroy everyone in WWE until he got what he wanted. Bearer schemed of a plan to break down UnderTaker and get the siblings in the ring against each other.
Kane finally got UnderTaker in the ring at WrestleMania XIV, and even though he lost, and then lost the subsequent inferno match at Unforgiven, the Big Red Monster served notice that he was not to be ignored. At King of the Ring '98, he defeated Stone Cold Steve Austin and won the World Championship. Although he would only hold the title for a day, Kane had proven he was among the best the sport had to offer.
Once Kane won the title, his behavior and attitude did not change. Some might even say he became an even more wretched human being. Then again, he only held the title for a day. What if he had been able to hold on to the championship longer? Might he have changed his ways? More recently, what if he had been able to defeat Triple H and become World Champion**? Would we now be witnessing a very different Kane?
In a world filled with psychobabble and excuses for every abnormal behavior known to man, the reasons for Kane's aberrant behavior have always been attributed to one thing: failed personal relationships.
But, what if it's his desire to be champion that is motivating his current destructive streak? Maybe the only way he can soothe his soul is by becoming World Champion. Perhaps, all the rejection that he has incurred over the years can be washed away with a title run.
The sad fact is, with the exception of one single day that he was WWE Champion, Kane had never stood on top of the world. He has always played second fiddle to everyone else in his life, whether it be Paul Bearer, UnderTaker, Mr. McMahon, X-Pac, Rob Van Dam, or any of the World Champions that have held the title during his tenure in WWE.
Kane has been billed as a complex man with a multitude of problems. However, the answer to what causes his rage may be simple. Kane wants to win. He has been so close so many times, yet come up empty. Forget the betrayals and back stabbings; nobody has known the pain and suffering of being second best as much as Kane.
So, with all this said and done, the final answer to what to do with Kane might just be giving him the title shot that he feels he so richly deserves.
If the powers that be want to gain some measure of control over the man, suspension, expulsions or any other executive sanctions will not work. A suspension will only make him angrier and cause him to perform even more heinous deeds. An expulsion would surely result in some kind of legal action and cause RAW millions of dollars in legal bills, and with executives mired in daily court proceedings, the overall product will surely suffer.
The only solution is to give Kane a title shot. He's earned it. For the sake of every Superstar on the RAW roster, give Kane his chance. If he loses, he's had his shot and his behavior should no longer be excused. If he wins, perhaps the Kane that all his followers believe exists will finally show his face.
* KANE unmasked KANE - not Triple H
** Don't they mean, what if he hadn't been ONCE AGAIN cheated out of the win???
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