Old Kane VS New Kane - Which one's better?

[It's...Baylariat!]

As we all know, the Kane that debuted at the Hell In A Cell with Undertaker and Shawn Michaels and the present Kane aren't the same person. Over time, it became more and more noticeable and the culmination of this took place on an episode of Raw where Kane lost his mask in a title match with HHH. Once that mask was off, it was a new Kane and a new era.

Now, the question beckons - which Kane would you have for today's programming - the older Kane that debuted during the Attitude Era or this newer Kane that debuted on Raw? And is there a chance that the old Kane would come back in some sort of fashion?

 

[Bernkastel]

Not the same person as meaning not the same aura, that I'll agree with. As far as prime I think he has two - the first being his debut run in 1997 when he ran over everyone except Taker and beat Austin for the WWE title, the second came in 2010 when he ran over everyone including Taker and held the world title. The lowest point in his career came post breakup with Big Show in 2006 and up until his feud with Batista and Khali over the world title. Other than that he's always been booked pretty favorably.

The current face Kane is the best for business right now. Bryan has a better aura than RVD, so Team Hell No rightfully has much more momentum than Kane & Van Dam. The way that the company is run currently is far different than 1997, so that Kane wouldn't have been a good fit for what WWE is trying to sell to the current crop of kids.

I think the old evil malicious Kane might show up again, the character works the best as a heel after all.

 

[lowandmighty]

Its hard to tell if you literally think they aren't the same person because that was actually a rumor years ago when he first unmasked.

Anyway to answer your question, I would have todays Kane for todays programming because the attitude era Kane was too scary and bad ass for todays wwe fans. I loved that Kane, he was one of the reasons that kept me watching wwf and never 100% switched to wcw. Remember how he had no voice box and used that awesome robot voice thing that cancer patients need? Or when he gave stone cold a blood bath? Those were the days.

The only thing I like more about the Kane of today is his entrance music. Imagine if you could have the old Kane but with the new music, that would be tits!

To answer the second question, I kind of wish they never unmasked him, that way we could somehow have the old Kane back and just get a younger near seven foot guy to be him and Kane could perpetually live on indefinitely.

Other than the above mentioned hypothetical, no I think the attitude era version of Kane is lost to the sands of time.

 

[The Dragon Saga]

You'll never recapture the aura Kane had when he originally debuted. He was genuinely scary, even if you removed the powers he had (lighting the stagehand on fire with a bolt of lightning) his sheer size was ungodly. His muscle mass was astonishing. He'd a mysterious character that worked and outside The Undertaker I'm convinced hes the second greatest character to have ever been in wrestling, period.

The Kane of today is still pretty awesome though. Since his return under the mask I've became a big fan of his, was always a fan but never too much of one. His performances are always good, hes the definition of a workhouse. He is probably one of Vince's greatest ever signings - minus Issac Yankem and fake Diesel - and I wouldn't object to him continue for another several years as long as his body can take it.

 

[drobs85]

This current Kane is just so weak these days. If you look at over the years how his character has become so humanized you wouldn't believe this was the same guy. And the drastic change in his body doesn't help either.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

Both have their strengths & weaknesses in my eyes, though it ultimately depends on which you personally prefer I suppose.

When Kane debuted in 1997, he was a great monster who plowed through everybody. The problem with being a monster, however, is you have to eventually go through some changes. Being a human juggernaut is great for a while but it did get stale after about a year or so. Kane had an aura of intimidation in 1997 that he doesn't have today and part of that has to do with the fact that he was brand new, someone we'd never really seen before and was given a deep storyline that connection him in a familial way to Taker. He also had someone to talk for him, namely Paul Bearer. However, given that they were "brothers" and both these "supernatural" beings, it was just a matter of time before Kane got labeled as poor man's Undertaker. And, eventually, that's ultimately what happened. Over the years, Kane has made little tweaks to his character here and there while ultimately keeping the core essence going. While Kane hasn't reached the heights of Taker, he's someone that's been booked strong frequently throughout his time in WWE. Personally, I think Kane is underrated for his promo and in-ring ability and has been a constant threat in the upper mid-card to main event scenes. That's not to say that he hasn't been involved in some crap feuds. I can't think of a major star in wrestling during my lifetime who hasn't been involved in some crappy stuff now and again.

With Kane's character as it is now, mostly playing the straight man in an unconventional partnership/friendship with Daniel Bryan, it's shown a different side of Kane. I don't think anybody really expected Kane to click with Daniel Bryan but he did and did so in a great way. While I think he will eventually go back to being more of the monster he's generally been, Kane has shown himself to be versatile. He can be more than a one dimensional monster that rampages about and destroys whatever's in his path. Given how long Kane has been around in WWE, this was a welcome change in my opinion. Kane, while still in great shape, is in his mid 40s and wrestlers in his age range can often have difficulty staying relevant.

If WWE brought Kane in today as they did 15 years ago, I don't think fans would have been as into it as they have been. There are far too pessimistic fans today who aren't willing to suspend disbelief so that they can buy into Kane being this "supernatural" force. Same thing with Taker. They're both still over because they've earned fans' respect over the years. When Albert returned as Tensai, he was a one dimensional monster who wrecked things that the fans simply didn't accept. Kane was essentially the same thing in 1997, granted he had a manager/handler/mouthpiece, but he was basically just a big guy that wreaked havoc. I think a Kane like character today would ultimately be given similar treatment as Tensai, maybe even more because of the "supernatural" stuff.

 

[nWo2]

Kane upon debut was the biggest threat to WWE's dog and they booked him perfectly.

Kane now is sometimes made to look weak or inept to maintain his face gimmick, but this anger managemented Kane is the best since he's unmasked and MUCH better than teaming him with X-Pac or RVD although I respect both more than Bryan it doesn't work as much with the crowd as his current duo. I think Team Hell No could crescendo Kane & bryan back into the World Title hunt as well as a legit tag team in the vein of LOD or The Dudleys.

 

[Tattooed Jesus]

Always been a huge fan of the Big Red Machine, with the exception being when he was unmasked. Unmasking Kane was one of the worst things that ever happened in wrestling in my opinion. It really took away from what he had built up to be a very interesting character. He was supposed to be scarred and deformed from the fire but you knew that wasn't real so when they removed the mask and he looked normal, even though you knew he should it was a big let down. he went from being this huge masked mystery monster character to just another big bald guy. I hated the feuds with Shane McMahon and setting JR on fire, just the worst time for the characters in my opinion.

Much like Taker I see Kane as one of the best big men to ever set book in a ring. The way he moves around the ring for a guy his size is breath taking. Especially when he first debut because he was just massive. You could believe that this guy could destroy anything in his path because he was nothing but muscle on top of muscle on a near 7ft frame! I dug when he started talking some and show some more personality, because Kane is actually a pretty decent talker as well, and doesn't get the credit he deserves. To much talking during that time kinda began to take away from the character a little bit but he was still pretty badass.

Any time Taker and Kane were together as the Brothers of Destruction was badass, again minus any unmasked appearances.

The current Kane or version since he returned masked has been very entertaining. I was so excited when he came back that night on RAW but then he attacked Cena and I knew the masked monster wasn't gonna last because he was gonna lose to Cena. I was ok with it though because I was just happy to see him back under the mask with the long hair even though I knew it was fake lol.

Everything he has done with Daniel Bryan has been golden. From the time they were all feuding, Punk/Bryan/Kane/AJ to the formation of Hell No, it's been fabulous to watch both characters grow. I think Kane during the anger management segments were great, his comedic timing was fantastic, he was hilarious.

So I really if I had to choose I would say Attitude Era or debut Kane is my all around favorite version of the character but really I'll take any version as long as it isn't the unmasked version.

 

[thebowtiekiller]

kanes always been a favourite of mine when he debuted he was more or less a silent masked red clad twin of undertaker kind of like scorpion is to sub zero in mortal kombat that kane was awesome at the time but i dont think it would work so well now he had a lot of mystery about him thats prob to late to get back he had no choice but to evolve i think his current character is cool its a more humanised version of the original which is a good choice coz it gives him freedom to be more versatile and do comedy promos ect but also retaining the essence of the original

 

[Pay Per Ghost]

Kane mark.

I have vivid memories of him debuting. Scared the bloody shit outta me and quite frankly that 6 month period, from his debut to him running roughshot over mankind and VADER, to burning his brother in a casket, and their inevitable match at WM 14; was the man's hottest period.

Another great time was when Kane returned in 2002. He was leaner, and with a great new gear and mask (only second to his first gear and mask), plus he was given a good push following his capture of the IC title. Un-FUCKING-fortunately, all this culminated to Katie Vick. I digress.


His win in 2010 at MiTB was a highlight for me.

His promo after he found Taker in a vegetative state was a highlight for me.

He is one of the most stellar big men and has always had a certain aura about him.



Now, answering the question, really though, how do you follow this?

 

[quagmire]

I liked when Kane unmasked initially. Chokeslaming Bischoff, setting JR on fire, torturing Shane, burying 'Taker, etc. He fell flat after turning face getting rid of the psycho monster gimmick. His return with the mask was great as well. I don't like how he is heel one month and face the next sometimes( make up your damn mind creative...)... Like it was when he returned with the mask. Battled Cena and Orton, then boom he's face......

 

[#heel420]

Old school Kane. No question.

You were legitimately scared of Kane back in the day. He was a real life monster. Around 1999 they really started to humanize him with his concern for Chyna, his partnership with X-Pac and his relationship with Tori. Even after all that he was still a monster. He came back summer of 2000, right when I started watching as a child. Him turning and choke slamming Undertaker through the ring was the first Raw I ever watched live.

Now he's going around hugging people and sure that could change next week, but at this point they've humanized him so much I don't know if there's any going back to that original monster.

 

[Bernkastel]

Old school Kane. No question.

You were legitimately scared of Kane back in the day. He was a real life monster. Around 1999 they really started to humanize him with his concern for Chyna, his partnership with X-Pac and his relationship with Tori. Even after all that he was still a monster. He came back summer of 2000, right when I started watching as a child. Him turning and choke slamming Undertaker through the ring was the first Raw I ever watched live.

Now he's going around hugging people and sure that could change next week, but at this point they've humanized him so much I don't know if there's any going back to that original monster.

As opposed to the 2002 version of Kane throwing Kaneroonies and acting buddy/buddy with RVD and Hurricane to the point where he was basically a comedy character? And one with far less heat than the one that exists today.

Kane can always revert to the monster character no matter how far he falls from it; that's one of the luxuries of the character that has always remained consistent. WWE can use Kane in whatever fashion imaginable, and still has this unstoppable, evil force to fall back on when they need to do so.

 

[joduke41]

I miss the old Kane.When the flames hit,the other wrestlers would shit their pants.The old kane never wouldve jobbed to Rey Mysterio.The blood bath was awesome.Now Kane is some touchie feelie guy.Can we not have an evil minded person who is a babyface?I mean hell,even Jason Voorhees gets cheered.Use the wave of zombie popularity to have Kane bring back some of the Undertakers victims back to help him defeat his enemies or something like that.might not be wrestling but would be super entertaining.

 

[JoeyJoeJoe]

Old school Kane is gone, and he's been replaced by a newer, kinder, gentler, and FUNNIER Kane, and that's perfectly fine by me.

Kane was originally a foil for the Undertaker, and nothing more. It was a big storyline, but in the end, the Kane character was designed to be second fiddle. Being second fiddle doesn't make for a long term persona that can remain at the main event level.

They've also tried to bring back Old School Kane. They had him be the monster during the Matt Hardy & Lita feud. They gave him the WHC, and they gave him a pretty good run with it. They brought back the supernatural element of his character for his last run with Cena. The problem is Kane isn't the Undertaker. He doesn't have his moveset, doesn't have the same gravitas (tough to live down Katie Vick), and doesn't have the same number of big moments/great matches. That may sound like a knock on Kane (the person), but in reality, there's not too many people who can match UT in this level.

But take a look at what he's done today: He's over with the crowd (hasn't always been that way), and the writers are showing that Kane can cut a great promo, but moreso in a comedic role. This ain't a bad thing. His team with Daniel Bryan has been a big success, and he still puts on solid matches in the ring. Now that it seems I've crapped all over his ring ability, I have to say I don't think he gets the credit he deserves. He's a solid B tier player who can be brought in to have a credible feud with just about everyone.

Isaac Yankem DDS has come a long way, baby!

 

[One to Remember]

the new Kane can't compare to the old Kane as a heel or as a face. The old Kane from 1997 was built like a tank, had the full body suit, full mask, hair that literally came from his scalp, he had Paul Bearer at times and the cool voice box device, his music was more metal, his title reign seemed stronger. His one day WWF title reign trumps his ECW and WHC title reigns combined.

Having him involved with storylines were X Pac walked over him and HHH disguised as Kane engaging in necrophilia damaged his core strength persona. Spinaroonies did too. It just became a slippery slope after his unmasking because he was humanized then he would engage people in light hearted moments. I knew he was in trouble when he lost his mask to Triple H in an era where Triple H was regarded as being unbeatable or unwilling to to be busted down. He had good momentum when he first lost the mask but he soon lost steam because of Triple H.. WWE knocked him down a few notches to where he could never reach his 1997 peak again. Not his fault at all though..

P.S. I'd take a mix of his first theme at the end of the match and the slow chemical theme at the begging.

 

[Pedigree1]

I have always loved the old Kane! The old Kane was Tits a complete monster and a believable one at that. I thought he was damn there unstoppable in that era. It took literally a missle to drop him. Plus the fact he didnt talk and used a voice box made the monster part that much more believable. The full face mask everything about him in the attitude era just screamed Monster.

Todays kane though is cool dont ge me wrong but indeed if you could have his music from todays and put that in the old kane enterance man oh man that would be Tits indeed. This Kane is more suitable though for the current PG era he is really not the big red machine he used to be. Why would he be he cant exactly go back to the full face mask and voice box not in the PG era he cant. If the WWE went to PG13 maybe Kane could have some sort of Kayfabe accident where his face gets wrecked and he can longer speak without the use of a voice box.

I do miss the Kane of old though i wish that guy would return. This Kane i like but not like the old one who was a complete monster and a destroyer!

 

[It's...Baylariat!]

I actually meant LITERALLY not the same person. The first one either left the company or died and the second one came back after a long hiatus and eventually unmasked to reveal he didn't have actual hair. The old Kane had long hair.

I do like the cases made here though.

 

[GameOver]

you couldn't have the same Kane that debuted in WWF anymore then you could have the Prince of Darkness or Mankind they were too dark and evil for kid friendly WWE, Kane as he is now is alot more toned down and more comedic, so in that sense the speaking Kane from the later part of the attitude era that still kicked ass but was also really entertaining on the mic and backstage segments could certainly work.

The Kane beyond that was Zzzzzzzzzzz for the most part until his fued with Daniel Bryan and the Anger Management, once he lost the mask he lost his personality didn't help that they flipped flopped him between face and heel every month

Personally i liked the Kane when he was talking and cracking jokes and impersonating people all the time (after WCW folded) but the original Kane was the most imposing, the look the attitude he seemed even more impervious then The Undertaker was.

 

[GameOver]

I actually meant LITERALLY not the same person. The first one either left the company or died and the second one came back after a long hiatus and eventually unmasked to reveal he didn't have actual hair. The old Kane had long hair.

I do like the cases made here though.

They were all Glenn Jacobs. The only other person that played Kane was when they revisited his old masked character several years ago and Kane vs Kane fued was ensuing.

So you think because one had hair and the other didn't means they are completely different people? Issac Yankem had weird curly hair you don't think when he debuted as Kane he couldn't have just been wearing a wig or grown his hair out and as he gold older and lost his natural hair he wore a wig attached to the mask? same as Mick Foley as Mankind did, he wore extensions so he could rip them out. When Kane unmasked you didn't notice the hair came with the mask?

 

[TopOfTheTron]

I actually meant LITERALLY not the same person. The first one either left the company or died and the second one came back after a long hiatus and eventually unmasked to reveal he didn't have actual hair. The old Kane had long hair.

I do like the cases made here though.

Whoa, I gotta stop you there, pal. Kane is, and has always been, Glen Jacobs. There was never a change. The only reason his hair was different when he unmasked was because they shaved the front of his head and trimmed the back not long before the match started. To say that there has been more than one person playing the Kane character is Ridiculous. Now that I know you actually thought that the "old Kane" and "new Kane" were two different people, I'm not completely sure how to answer your question.

 

[HBsam31]

Not sure if he was being sarcastic or what when he said the new Kane is a different person, but yeah Kane has always been Glenn Jacobs so anyway I will answer the question of which version of Kane I like the best. The answer would be Kane when he debuted. I was 17 at the time, but if I still had been a kid I would have been scared of him. Really there is no comparison. Kane originally was a monster. He was nearly unstoppable. Kane got a bit more watered down as the years went on. While I still like the character it was never better than the first years.