What is Kane's best match?

[HBK/RKO]

So we were talking about this in the extreme rules LD today and not many of us could really come up with Kane's best match of his wwe career. It's not as an easy of a question as you would think. I had trouble thinking of one myself. Kane vs Chris Jericho in a last man standing match at Armageddon came to my mind first. I guess you could say Undertaker vs Kane at wm14 just on it being memorable.

So my question to all of you is, what is Kane's best match?

 

[crytista]

I'd have to say Kane's first title win against Austin big shocker even though it lasted 24 hrs. I remember WWF magazine calling paul bearer the greatest manager of all time At the time. It was Austins first title loss after WM 14

 

[AegonTargaryen]

IMO, Kane has been more of a TV match guy and most of those matches are just average/mediocre at best. However, the best of his work comes only with certain individuals- Rob Van Dam(tag team and opponent), CM Punk(quite a few times on ppvs and tv), Shane McMahon(last man standing, ambulance match), and The Undertaker(WM 14).

It's really ironic how The Undertaker has had five star/classic matches with dozens of opponents- from Shawn Michaels, Kurt Angle, Batista to Brock Lesnar, HHH, and Edge, whereas Kane has never had classic nor memorable matches with a single one of them(perhaps his rivalry with HHH from 1999 might be an exception). Quite simply, Kane as a wrestler has always produced mediocre matches, for no fault of his own.

Concluding from the aforementioned reasons, IMO, from the few really great matches Kane has had in his very lengthy career, the best match is, and will always be against The Undertaker at WM 14. The match had it all. Truly memorable.

 

[Catacomb]

either the match with orton right before kane brought the mask back, i believe it was on smackdown, worth a watch if you dont remember it

or the matches with hhh. hhh knows how to bring the best out of people and when kane beat hhh for the ic title it told a great story and was entertaining, not much more you can ask from a match

 

[mildewygenie89]

This is a tough one and kind of surprising since he had had such a long career. I would have to agree his mania 14 match with taker is probably the most memorable and probably his best. Only because it seems like hes had the same match for 14+ years. I enjoyed his fueds with xpac, rvd, shane omac (who could forget the battery cables clamped to his nuts) and even his fued with edge. But no single match really stands out im my mind. Soild performer but not HoF worthy imo.

 

[X]

Putting aside all the great multi-man and tag team matches he's had over the years (don't forget all the great TLC matches the guys been involved in for example), if we're talking singles stuff, there's a few candidates that come to mind. His cage match with X-Pac at Armageddon 1999 was really good and went over really well at the time, those two worked well together. His first match against the Undertaker at Wrestlemania 14, though not the most beloved match, I think is really solid and by far the best match the two ever had together, capping off an epic storyline. He also had a very good match with Chris Benoit during his title reign at Bad Blood 04, though Benoit was on such a hot streak then he could have a good match with anyone. He also had some solid matches with Shawn Michaels and Finlay on Raw and Smackdown respectively during the brand split years. He works much better as a companion piece in a multi-man match than he does as a singles wrestler, that much is obvious, but he's one of the better big men to come around in the last 20 years undoubtedly, even if he hasn't always been the most exciting or outstanding performer.

 

[justtxyank]

Kane isn't a "great match" guy. He's a "solid match" guy. He consistently goes out there and hits doubles, but only has hit a few home runs in the ring in his career. Solid hand. The most memorable parts of Kane have always been the segments.

On his title win, I've read before that this was an accident which is why he lost the belt back so quickly. Always wondered if that was true.

 

[Judah's Lion]

Kane isn't a "great match" guy. He's a "solid match" guy. He consistently goes out there and hits doubles, but only has hit a few home runs in the ring in his career.

pretty accurate summary right there. and XFear has another good point in that Kane has been involved in some really great multi-man matches. his singles career has never been stellar. it's been argued on these very forums that Kane is one of the best jobbers in WWE history, alongside Chris Jericho, among others. but that is good company. it's also not relevant to this topic. sorry. back on track...

gotta love his TLC Match on Raw in Vegas when he retained the Tag Team Titles without his partner and co-holder of the straps (Hurricane). also his many MITB and Elimination Chamber matches come to mind. Kane/X-Pac vs. Taker/Big Show was a pretty enjoyable feud over the belts as well.

singles matches or at least single-ish matches that come to mind include the following, in no particular order:

Kane vs. CM Punk vs. Daniel Bryan for the World Title. can't remember which ppv, but AJ Lee was involved in the angle and it was a really fun feud and impressive match. not singles, obviously, but close enough.
Kane vs. X-Pac series, specifically their No DQ match.
Kane vs. Shane McMahon with Last Man Standing and Ambulance Match stipulations.
Kane vs. RVD in a Steel Cage.
Kane vs. Big Show vs. Raven, Mania 17 for the Hardcore Title. not quite a singles match here either, but it was still enjoyable.
Kane vs. Triple H, Chain Match for the IC Title. hidden gem. go watch it. pretty excellent stuff. as others have said, Triple H has a gift for getting good to great matches out of many talents.
Kane vs. Vader, Mask vs. Mask. this is early in Kane's WWE career. pretty hard-hitting and personal.
Kane vs. Chris Jericho, Monday Night Raw for the IC Title. this took place right before the aforementioned TLC Match for the Tag Titles. quick storyline recap -- Kane returned, won the Tag Team Titles with Hurricane one week on Raw, the next week on Raw he won the IC Title from Jericho (in this match that i just listed) and then defended the Tag Team Titles in a TLC Match not long afterwards on another episode of Raw. this match with Jericho was really fantastic. two great storytellers doing their thing in the main event of Raw. great ring psychology and great physicality from both. this one gets my vote for his absolute best singles match ever.

honorable mentions of course include any match with Taker, especially Mania 14 and SummerSlam 2000. Kane gets unmasked in the latter. and then there's the whole Team Hell No vs. The Shield. pick any of their tag matches or any of their 6-man tag matches that involved a random partner. all super solid to great stuff.

 

[Harthan]

If we have to pick singles matches, this is a much harder question. Kane's been a part of some brilliant multi-man matches - TLC with Bryan & Ryback vs. The Shield comes to mind, as does the original MITB match, or the main event of Survivor Series 2001.

Limited to singles matches, I think he actually peaked way early in the match where he won the title from Austin, First Blood rules. Excellent match.

Overall I think it's pretty clear that Kane is the ultimate role player, often the missing piece in making a complicated match complete. Forced to stand alone, he often fails to shine.