Black Widow
03-28-2009, 04:20 PM
WWE has always been known as the land of the giants, and with total justification.
How many forgettable meatheads have we witnessed stumbling their way around WWE rings for a year or so over the past two decades, before disappearing for good?
A few big wrestlers stand taller than most on account of more than their size. Kane is one such man.
The Kane gimmick stands up as one of WWE's most successful ever brainwaves.
He has clocked up 12 straight years at the top thanks to being an uncomplicated and consistent performer playing to his strengths.
FT caught up with the large red gentleman this week. Some might have expected the Undertaker's brother to go up in smoke over the years.
But WWE, perhaps surprisingly, left him alone. Kane agrees and he is fi rst to acknowledge his good fortune in striking gold.
He said: "I think it's the fact that WWE has done a great job of telling the story.
"Initially, with the Undertaker and Kane story, it was six months between Paul Bearer mentioning Kane until you actually saw him.
"They have done a good job of keeping a bit of mystery and keeping me as fresh as possible, tweaking things here and there every so often."
The build-up to WrestleMania has been marred by the death of Andrew "Test" Martin, a man whom Jacobs trained up to work the "big" style, and tells me he knew well.
Drugs and wrestling ride side by side as much as ever.
And Kane fi res a warning that the young need to heed.
He says: "I think you're right as far as the younger guys go.
"WWE has taken a number of steps to be proactive, but all these things are tragic.
"I knew Andrew for years and years, since he was 24 or 25, so it's personal too when you see that happen.
"I hate to harp on about it, but it's something the young guys need to be aware of."
Despite Kane's shocking win ratio in the patented Kane Inferno Match, he has becoming something of a fi xture in the Money In The Bank ladder matches at WrestleMania.
Amazingly, the talent weren't convinced by the concept initially.
He tells me: "Not really. When we had the first one, we didn't think that it would become a staple of WrestleMania.
"After the first one we didn't think so.
"The fact that the winner gets a contract - it's a wildcard for the rest of the year."
And for a 6ft 7in tall and 320lb man to be involved is quite the achievement.
Kane said: "I guess that's a compliment. I didn't think I had a reputation for good ladder matches!
"A lot of it has to do with the people who are in there as well, and this year has the potential to be awesome.
"Shelton is an athlete without par. I really believe that, and this could be a breakout match for Kofi Kingston.
"He's a tremendous athlete and it will be the perfect showcase for his talent."
The 25th Anniversary of WrestleMania is at midnight on Sunday April 5. See it live and exclusive on Sky Box Office.
dailystar.co.uk
How many forgettable meatheads have we witnessed stumbling their way around WWE rings for a year or so over the past two decades, before disappearing for good?
A few big wrestlers stand taller than most on account of more than their size. Kane is one such man.
The Kane gimmick stands up as one of WWE's most successful ever brainwaves.
He has clocked up 12 straight years at the top thanks to being an uncomplicated and consistent performer playing to his strengths.
FT caught up with the large red gentleman this week. Some might have expected the Undertaker's brother to go up in smoke over the years.
But WWE, perhaps surprisingly, left him alone. Kane agrees and he is fi rst to acknowledge his good fortune in striking gold.
He said: "I think it's the fact that WWE has done a great job of telling the story.
"Initially, with the Undertaker and Kane story, it was six months between Paul Bearer mentioning Kane until you actually saw him.
"They have done a good job of keeping a bit of mystery and keeping me as fresh as possible, tweaking things here and there every so often."
The build-up to WrestleMania has been marred by the death of Andrew "Test" Martin, a man whom Jacobs trained up to work the "big" style, and tells me he knew well.
Drugs and wrestling ride side by side as much as ever.
And Kane fi res a warning that the young need to heed.
He says: "I think you're right as far as the younger guys go.
"WWE has taken a number of steps to be proactive, but all these things are tragic.
"I knew Andrew for years and years, since he was 24 or 25, so it's personal too when you see that happen.
"I hate to harp on about it, but it's something the young guys need to be aware of."
Despite Kane's shocking win ratio in the patented Kane Inferno Match, he has becoming something of a fi xture in the Money In The Bank ladder matches at WrestleMania.
Amazingly, the talent weren't convinced by the concept initially.
He tells me: "Not really. When we had the first one, we didn't think that it would become a staple of WrestleMania.
"After the first one we didn't think so.
"The fact that the winner gets a contract - it's a wildcard for the rest of the year."
And for a 6ft 7in tall and 320lb man to be involved is quite the achievement.
Kane said: "I guess that's a compliment. I didn't think I had a reputation for good ladder matches!
"A lot of it has to do with the people who are in there as well, and this year has the potential to be awesome.
"Shelton is an athlete without par. I really believe that, and this could be a breakout match for Kofi Kingston.
"He's a tremendous athlete and it will be the perfect showcase for his talent."
The 25th Anniversary of WrestleMania is at midnight on Sunday April 5. See it live and exclusive on Sky Box Office.
dailystar.co.uk