The WWF Debut of Kane

Wrestling Bios Presents - The WWF Debut of Kane
The WWF / WWE debut of the Kane character was an instant hit with wrestling fans. After having already worked in the WWE as Isaac Yankem and the new Diesel, Glenn Jacobs was finally able to find success in the ring when he portrayed The Undertaker's brother in late 1997.
In today's WWE, storylines can sometimes feel rushed but this was not the case with the Kane debut storyline. Taking place over months in 1997, we were first made aware of Kane's existence by Paul Bearer, The Undertaker's old manager who wanted to once again be at the Phenom's side. Paul Bearer said he knew a secret about The Undertaker, and he would reveal that secret if The Undertaker didn't once again join forces with him. When Undertaker was unable to do Paul Bearer's bidding, the secret was revealed to the world, and we learned that The Undertaker's younger brother Kane was alive.
In this mini documentary from Wrestling Bios, we look at The Kane WWF debut and the build-up. Topics covered include:
- Glenn Jacobs early wrestling career
- Glenn working as Unabomb in the USWA and Smoky Mountain Wrestling
- Glenn's early matches against the likes of Sting and The Undertaker
- The Isaac Yankem WWF debut and feuding with Bret Hart
- The Fake Diesel character
- Paul Bearer and The Undertaker's secret
- In Your House Badd Blood featuring The Undertaker vs Shawn Michaels, along with Kane's WWE debut
- The Kane Character's first WWE Match on Pay Per View at Survivor Series 1997
- Kane, Undertaker, and the casket at the 1998 Royal Rumble
- Much More!
#wwe #documentary #kane

[@bigtitus4417]

I was 16 when Kane debuted, and was scared, Now I'm nearly 40 and it still gives me shivers, best debut ever

[@recepcanince1396]

Are you dumb hes debut was 1997 you cant be there 16

[@ii9714]

It's entertainment not real

[@bigtitus4417]

@@recepcanince1396 I was born in 81, so when he debuted in 97, I was 16!! Idiot!!

[@starfireprincess]

@@bigtitus4417 you we're 22 in 97' idiot

[@Jimmy_Hopkins15]

I was 8 when he debut

[@imlisunep8897]

Whoever designed Kane's mask is a geniu heck the whole costume is a work of art

[@billblaski9523]

We just all wish he would have kept that original mask, it was the best!

[@darthspock1188]

@@billblaski9523 He had trouble breathing in it, so he could only do short matches

[@qceaz11]

One of the biggest mistakes in WWE history is unmasking Kane & letting him talk his gimmick was great in the beginning

[@jamesali8476]

Kane was the one who wanted to unmask he felt the masked character was getting stale anyway and needed a change

[@c-portraider7411]

Plus kane couldn't breathe under the mask either

[@joejupiter4138]

But Glenn is such a fun actor! Some of his promos were comedic gold.

[@davidwhyte219]

Yeah michael Myers like

[@waltmclendon7906]

No s***! For real. Remember when pro wrestling worked something called "KAYFABE"!!!! 😡

[@My19812011]

The single greatest storyline to bring in a debuting character in wrestling history.

[@TranslatedAssumption]

Jericho had a better debut but Kane was given an amazing gimmick and storyline to work with, literally one of the best ever.

[@turtlesploodgegaming3123]

Yeah. It was pretty nuts. I think it made Kane a favorite long before he ever stepped in the wring.

[@RemmyRiffs]

@@TranslatedAssumption Jericho had a debut with a countdown...everyone knew it was Jericho and they knew what to expect. Kane had a STORYLINE leading UP to his debut. I loved Jerichos debut, it definitely is and should be on the GOAT list but Kanes is #1 for sure due to the actual storyline lead-up.

[@macdaddy1149]

Kane was one of the strongest guy in the WWE until his injuries. Brock Lesner Mark Henry and Big Show all talked about how strong he was. Brock said arm wrestling him was like arm wrestling a tree.

[@superlex611]

Very believable

[@macdaddy1149]

David Mulenda I am friends with Mick Foley. I used to go to the shows with him and met all the Attitude guys and some of the New Generation guy. Mick told me when Glen was the the Fake Diesel that he was the strongest guy in the WWF. When he came back as Kane he was even bigger and stronger. Big Show and Mark Henry have said that Kane was freakishly strong. I’ve met him several times. He’s a very nice guy. I’m 6’ and felt like a kid standing next to him. He’s a legit 6’9” and 6’11” with his boots on.

[@superlex611]

@@macdaddy1149 wow

[@macdaddy1149]

David Mulenda If you remember they did a Who’s the Strongest feud with Kane and Mark Henry but it was short.

[@macdaddy1149]

alex kanyima I know it’s hard to believe but Mick would stay at my place when he came into town. My ex and I met him in Cleveland and he got our phone number and said he would call us when he came back into town. Next thing you know, he did call us. Every show they did in Cleveland, Youngstown and Pittsburgh we would hang out. Mick is one of the nicest guys you’ll ever meet. One time in Pittsburgh we went to a Denny’s. They thought he was a crazy person by the way he looked ( flannel shirt, baggy Zumba paints that didn’t match, missing ear and teeth and bald spots all over his head) they told us they were closing until one of the guys working there went crazy and told the lady who he was. Then we got the royal treatment. once again, Mick is the nicest guy you’ll ever meet. I can tell you all kinds of stories.

[@therayvalenzuela8885]

I remembered the build of Kane. It was brilliant. There hasn’t been a great story build since

[@solascripturaPR1517]

Those super slow builds to revealing a character, are more "misses" than "hits": "The Higher Power" readily comes to mind; (although Y2J was excellent).

[@bravotab5480]

@@solascripturaPR1517 it’s not really super slow , when you watching something every week. Probably now a days it can be considered slow

[@23chips68]

Ya Paul bearer tried his hardest for the build up for iconic Kane for WWE to just turn him into a non interesting character

[@adamwilson5077]

The Kane gimmick is the greatest story of ALL time. No one can tell me different

[@mattroberts3204]

You've clearly never heard of Duke The Dumpster Droese. I rest my case.

[@brandocalrissian3294]

@@mattroberts3204 facts right here! ☝️

[@mattroberts3204]

@@brandocalrissian3294 🤣🤣🤣

[@TheBlackScatPack]

Hard to picture the monster Kane holding a degree in English Literature and being a 3rd grade teacher.

[@pipepicasso8112]

After George the Animal Steele, I'm not surprised by anything.

[@TheBlackScatPack]

Pipe Picasso 😂😂 good point.

[@nuduce123]

I was surprised that Ron Jeremy was a teacher as well.

[@darlenemassey3608]

I remember when he was on jeopardy he won too.!

[@Hikmah1995]

I think he’s a mayor now 😅

[@jameswarner5878]

One interesting thing is that The Undertaker was at first called Cain the Undertaker.

[@stephensmith7651]

This version of Kane scared the hell out of me when I was a young lad. Great character work by the WWE at the time.

[@johntziannis359]

No other WWE superstar even comes close to being as terrifying as the big red machine except for the Undertaker. A real monster in his own right.

[@Kas58223]

Kane should have held the WWE heavyweight championship longer in 1998 he was one of my favourites in the Attitude era and that head tilt he use to do was creepy awesome I had no idea the build up was slow to his debut that is rare to see today in wrestling

[@OsmanLiban]

Head tilt?

[@themaninthewoods9000]

He said in a Interview people thought he got the head tilt from Michael Myers, but he said it was something his dog would do at the time and he used it.

[@sean6781]

Vince had a hard on for Austin at that time. Vince literally destroyed his greatest creation to make sure all his baby boys become bigger stars, from Austin to Reigns, Vince made him look weak in front of almost everyone half his size.

[@uriahmiller2501]

Don't forget Katie vic

[@dannyholder9711]

Glenn is the goat. Straight up. The best actor, he moved like a guy that weighed 100 pounds less than him. He's just an awesome character.

[@solascripturaPR1517]

Plana Productions made a video about how "Chris Jericho is the GOAT".

[@geeked-outturtlesfan4288]

I remember... I remember Paul Bearer saying "He's aliiiive Undertaker. Your brother Kane is alive" That whole pitch was amazing. The build up to the secret and what it was. Up to the reveal. Then they debuted him and it was CRAZY awesome. The entrance. His (Kane's appearance)...

[@enricoflamingo]

Kane had the best debut ever, second would be Y2J in my opinion

[@shauntalbot6904]

Defo two of the top debuts I have to agree

[@jumbomacaroni]

Y2J all the way.

[@tinawall952]

I have to say that the UNDERTAKER has the best entrance

[@cliffwaltz8223]

Here's a tidbit for you guys. Did you guys know tha Jim Cornette created the He'll in a cell? Didn't name it though

[@youngmedi8447]

John Cena

[@andrewhagan7788]

Imo, Kane added a lot more mystique and creepy validity to The Undertaker, as a 10 year old boy that I was around Kane's debut. It also helped steal my attention more over WCW because at the time I was more of a WCW guy. The Undertaker vs Kane, the feud between Stone Cold vs Mr. McMahon, the electrifying personalites of the Rock and DX is what ultimately made me a WWF guy over a WCW guy. That and the monotonous storylines of the WCW and the NWO was getting old and stale.

[@RawHunterX]

Kane was the reason I got into wrestling and has remained my fav Wrestler since. You can tell the power of this chars gimmick as it wasnt even the real Kane that hooked me, but his WWF Wrestlemania 2000 model. As a kid, i didnt have access to wrestling, nor I even knew what this sport was, since Im from Eastern EU, where it was close to nonexistent. I learned about wrestling through WM2000 on N64 and at the first moment when i saw Kane, I knew this sport and this char were right for me. Unlike most other sports, Pro wrestling had a diff image for every char, a gimmick, there was no forced team attire for everybody, and Kane stood out the most for me. His looks, theme, character and in ring work, all made for an iconic character!

[@thedynamitekid7512]

I remeber this so well, kane used to give me nightmares when I was younger. Was a shame when they unmasked him.

[@amtownsyou]

Kane, Undertaker and papa shango are the only wrestlers that had me shook

[@uncleal7635]

Had me shook??? Wtf??

[@nickcapella2440]

Papa shango was one of my favorite gimmicks ever in wrestling. That character gave me an interest in voodoo. So sad it didn't become a legendary gimmick.

[@solascripturaPR1517]

...not "Boogey Man"? or Gangrel? or Mordecai?

[@mikesutton381]

That Kane return aftr the X-Pac story line still gives me goosebumps!

[@JStorm90TV]

Was this 2000 or 2001 before the rumble?

[@nisargkasturiwale3877]

@@JStorm90TV 2000 after rumble in Feb.. Ig first raw of feb

[@JStorm90TV]

@@nisargkasturiwale3877 thank you Kane is still a favorite after all these years

[@johnh5424]

This debut scared me so much as a kid, I remember it vividly

[@charlessullivan8477]

Look at the attention to detail, Paul bearer gradually healed with the bandages getting less and less. Contrast against Daniel Bryan's amazing run and how badly he was hurt coming out of his mania title win and he is totally unfazed the next night on raw.

[@MetaFoxx278]

I remember the night Kane debuted. I was there. That PPV was in my hometown of St. Louis, and I was in the middle section watching. I could see just enough to where and when Kane ripped the cage door open, go in, and Tombstone the Undertaker. Fourteen year old me was in total shock, and this still gives me chills to this day. That was very well played.

[@nokneedownian8521]

That first ever entrance from kane was just wow what a monster

[@marineguy4eva]

I said, "That's gotta be Cain" when Cain Velasquez came out to confront Lesnar

[@shauntalbot6904]

This would have been awesome lol

[@JonnyAugz]

Plain Cain.

[@BKawai-jr7et]

Walmart kane🤣

[@yeyeyey]

I loved the redlighting in kane's early matches! Simple theatrics & details like these added so much more mystery and awe to his persona...Not to mention the random interruptions of destruction on the Raw's in late 97! It didn't matter who or how many was in the ring when he appeared, he went straight through them; creating such a powerful, exciting presence of character. I remember watching matches back then thinking "naah he surely won't come out & interrupt this one, it would probably be too much of a statement considering who's in the ring.." (I think once there was 6 wrestlers in there consisting of The Brood & DX) and then the lights would go out...then J.R - "Sorry folks I think we may have a power outage" 😂 I also liked the fact you had the two opposite, classic spectrums of darkness against each other with what The Undertaker & Kane both symbolized. It was like fire vs ice lol Gimmick & storyline heaven in my opinion.

[@charlesdavis4887]

Best video yet. The Kane/Taker storyline was phenomenal. Loved their Brothers of destruction team ups as well.

[@stewartmeetball3417]

Like him or not Paul bearer. He cut a creepy promo

[@akvalues]

Creepy and funny

[@rogueprince1341]

I loved Paul Bearer. He was great at that role. The way Mankind would interact with him was perfect.

[@togibok18]

I remember him as Percy Pringle when he was in WCCW that was run by the Von Erich Family.

[@alanguages]

In less than 2 years later, the Undertaker admitted to the world he was the one who started the fire, thus was the murderer Paul Bearer accused him of being. Yet, no arrest for the criminal.

[@patrickbrinkmeier1858]

@@alanguages.. there was no arrest for the fire because there was no fire... this is all scripted and written by professional writers. I don't know how you don't realize that no matter what Country you are from. If Wrestling was real there would be deaths occurring every week.

[@beeftestosterone4355]

Imagine how good he would’ve been at football, being that athletic at that size.

[@randytrevor3807]

He'd make a killer tightend

[@Juugrichkory]

@@randytrevor3807 facts

[@KoTM25681]

Kane in his early days looked like a cross between The Undertaker and Sid Vicious.

[@TheCursedDay]

Best debut, Best character up until his unmasking, Best storyline. I'm glad I grew up during the Kane and Undertaker era.

[@vatashapowdrell7121]

I REMEMBER THIS LIKE YESTERDAY!WHEN KANE WAS IN THE RING I HAD CHILLS.THE BEST STORYLINE IN SPORTS HISTORY ❤️❤️

[@operatorhoot470]

I remember that entrance at Summer Slam, I knew from the walk that it was the former Isacc Yankem/fake Diesel under the mask. That didn't stop me from buying into it at the time, a great character and stalwart performer.

[@lt.danicecream]

The first outfit or costume was the best. The mask reminded me of something out of Texas chainsaw massacre.

[@billblaski9523]

Real talk, we all wish he would have returned to it every time he went back to being Demon Kane

[@timt8925]

Finding out Kane wasn't horribly burned as a kid by undertaker killed wrestling for me

[@jaydav6521]

You have a funny editing glitch in the final seconds of the video.

[@watchmy666]

Kane 97 vs the Fiend is the match I wanna play on 2k20.

[@GerryBolger]

And he's finally a Hall of Famer. Justice is served...

[@dizzy1369]

One of my top 5 debuts ever, probably top 3 actually.

[@diontaedaughtry974]

The greatest debut in the history of wrestling. The wait was definitely worth it.

[@marcobruemmer6042]

My Favorite Wrestler from his First - Last Day ! Kane was Everytime Loyal & makes a good Job* No Matter he win or lose/ Heel or Face

[@lisavee4670]

Thanks for doing a video on my Favorite wrestler!!!

[@kovulion7777]

and now he's a mayor, thats a great story for such a tragic hero

[@AndreEichstedt]

For me the Debut of KANE was the best one ever. ;-) Awesome Video, love KANE.

[@rebelwithacause3574]

The greatest debut in wrestling history IMO.

[@CHIIIEEEEEEEEFFFFSSS]

I was in 7th grade when Kane debuted, at a friend's house for a watch larty. Raw was in town the next night (Kansas City), and we all had tickets. My friend's younger brother started sobbing unvontrollably because he was too afraid to go to Raw after he saw the debut.

[@dleave431]

Paul bearer has to be on the mount rushmore of managers

[@TranslatedAssumption]

Bobby Heenan, Paul Bearer, Jim Cornette, The Slickster

[@stewartmeetball3417]

Isaac yankem. Jerry Lawler private dentist... I hated that character

[@pipepicasso8112]

Typical Vince cartoon character. Those types of gimmicks were on the way out at the time.

[@Machete87]

I member Isaac Yankem. Pretty funny.

[@LadellTurner]

Him and Val Venis was hilarious.

[@ii9714]

Bret carried him in their fued

[@JRC99]

Glenn did too.

[@stewartcumming874]

Love the outtakes at the very end hahaha! Great content!

[@williamhowe1]

That's got to be Kane! That's got to be Kane!

[@paulmccarthy3547]

Hahaha, the end of this is brilliant. Great videos by the way.

[@macdaddy1149]

Glenn was supposed to beat Taker at his first Wrestlemania Match but Glenn wanted to put Taker over. Both of them were willing to lose for the other guy. That’s rare in wrestling, Mick Foley also was willing to lose to put another guy over in Kane, Sid and many others. All three of them are Class acts.

[@joejupiter4138]

One of my all-time favourite wrestlers, whose debut I unfortunately missed. Great video.

[@MarkHyde]

Overall Glen Jacobs has been a godsend to the WWF/WWE. Truly - the Kane character may have been mishandled here and there over the years but I never tire of his story lines.

[@TomCruiseRisky]

Imagine having Kane as an elementary school teacher? 😂

[@MX-qx6kh]

Pretty sure no one's dog would eat their homework in that class.

[@7swordquanta459]

He'll require a full book report on Dante's "Inferno."

[@krymera666x7]

You need to do a bio on Paul Bearer

[@sheba021]

One of the main reasons why I switched from WCW to WWF back in 1998.

[@IamthNight]

I love the outtakes at the end. Thanks for another great video.

[@asoncalledvoonch2210]

I don't care what anybody says, The original kane from 1997-2003 was the coolest character of all time

[@adekunlefajana2037]

Thank you so much for the upload. We learning daily, Love and Peace from Nigeria.

[@CarnageRulez469]

The best debut in wrestling history. Those 5 years post debut are uncanny!!!

[@shittalkerskywalkertm9430]

i love getting notifications from this channel

[@andrewhagan7788]

Same here. Love getting to know the roots of old school wrestlers and what drove them to choose to become a pro wrastler.

[@rogueprince1341]

Agreed

[@japstoryeditor]

It should be noted the WWF took interest in Glenn Jacobs in 1993. He was an early candidate to play one of Shawn Michaels’ Knights at 1993 Survivor Series but the WWF went with other superstars. (Something to Wrestle With starring Bruce Prichard)

[@babymuscle87]

Kane wasn't my favorite wrestler but I love hearing stories about his character origins and debut

[@YChromosome99]

A nicely done build up. A few goofy story arcs but mostly intriguing!! Kane fascinates me much MORE than Taker. I always liked Kane more.

[@doubledown9]

Only just caught this, I’m playing catch-up. Melted me at the end thinking KZbin was messing up. Hilarious! Great video as per usual.

[@jawa2685]

Ahhhhh yeah man I was 12 when kane debut and I was scared of him

[@d.k.childers8917]

Good video bro. Keep em coming have watched them all from the beginning. Lol and nice out take there at the end of this one lol

[@nicktaylor2657]

Paul Bearer looked like he could be the father of The Yeti! Imagine if Glen Jacob was The Yeti instead of Kane

[@tylers7048]

Bloopers at the end are a nice touch, shows that you actually are human, because by the quality of your videos you are a god sir, Regal pt 4 will be grandiose.

[@tylers7048]

Do you make the music too wrestling Bios? Great stuff man your truly a man's man, which reminds me of the Regal series you did very well, I can't wait for Regal pt 4! Cheers!

[@sludgefactory241]

When Paul's head was all bandaged up, he resembled the mysterious, and devastating, YET-TAY!

[@antwilder]

Kane is one of those rare wrestlers that didn't need to have the title...he was over with a roster full of superstars and he was using all of the undertakers moves...thats impressive af

[@denzilredden5096]

I liked the bloopers...lol, I binge watch your videos bios homie. Thanks for the great content brother

[@bigboy9497]

Netflix should do a series about kane and undertaker growing up in the funeral home that would be awesome.

[@tomched8299]

The last few seconds of this are amazing

[@jdm2339]

man ur videos are so good. I never get enough of em

[@Nomad-Rogers]

My favorite Kane storyline is the Kane & Lita saga it was the WWE 's version of Hades & Persephone.

[@shauntalbot6904]

I was literally scared shitless of Kane in my younger days and Mankind when he debut. They're the only characters thats ever struck that fear out of me tbh. Good memories :)

[@andrewhagan7788]

Kane added a lot more mystique and creepy validity to The Undertaker, as a 10 year old boy that I was around Kane's debut. It also helped steal my attention more over WCW because at the time I was more of a WCW guy. The Undertaker vs Kane, the feud between Stone Cold vs Mr. McMahon, the electrifying personalites of the Rock and DX is what ultimately made me a WWF guy over a WCW guy. That and the monotonous storylines of the WCW and the NWO was getting old and stale

[@benziescha5438]

Papa Shango surely

[@DrMurdercock]

Loving the bloopers. Keep em coming.

[@Perfection_Personified]

Another informative and entertaining video, the blooper at the end was also pretty funny.

[@MrSkullHead1250]

I was 7 years old when Kane came into the WWF. Yeah he was a total badass. I'm 31 now, and to this day, his debut is one of the best ever. Not only that, but the story behind it. It just worked so well.

[@daviejohnstone12]

I love the intros. Yet another awesome video. Keep it up.

[@alexleonedotcom]

Thanks for the upload. Great work.

[@TheBlacGhost2093]

Yes! My request was granted!

[@VerifiedThug]

gotta say u have the best intros on youtube.. u the man!

[@taylormademyself89]

Knew this one was coming and glad it did 😎🤘

[@gavinexton8665]

I love the outtakes after the videos it brings a comedy side to a serious video which is fun to have

[@jdivitt]

Great video again!! Not sure if the end was a mistake but I love the blooper.

[@wolfieform9514]

Another great wrestling bio keep up the brilliance 👍😎👍

[@eklypised]

The best buildup to a character ever

[@7th.trumpet]

Good video, brought back many good memories 👍🏻

[@g-dub5272]

HELL TO THE YES.....can’t watch the video yet because of work lol but I already know this is gonna be good. Back then Kane used to scare the piss out of me, I had to turn off the tv lol

[@yeezynapkins2970]

I forgot Mankind was with Paul Bearer. I wonder if they intended to have Kane stay on the show, a masked character who goes into a casket seems like a temporary but he must have gotten a good pop

[@85Zeroangel]

As always a great video, I just always click like at the start of the video, because I know it will be that good.

[@alesele20]

The original Kane was terrifying and that was some really great storytelling. I do wish they pushed him a little more though and he got a belt.

[@culturedivined2949]

did anyone else think Kane looked abit like Jeffery dahmer in his school photo at 2:24 ? lol

[@bryantc2899]

Kane was my favorite wrestler. Big red mayor of Knoxville, Tennessee. Glenn Kane Jacobs.

[@georgetaylor2024]

Thank you for sharing brother great content

[@imogenaris1697]

Brilliant vid. Kane's build up & debut was one of the best storylines of all time. For gimmicks that normally would be hard to believe, all 3 men did a tremendous job keeping all of us intrigued. Nothing was better than Kane's original mask- wwf creative did an amazing job, & Glenn more specifically pulled off making his character legit scary & seemingly unbeatable. This was an interesting period. The Undertaker had been the most dominant badass in the co. for yrs, & then Mankind & Kane both brought equal game & a new dimension to mysteriousness & brutality. Wasn't a fan of the original costume, but he killed it in the black suit with red trim much better. Met Glenn & Spike Dudley in the 2000's at a public rally when they were promoting the importance of voting. You don't realize how big some of these guys are 'til you see them close up- Glenn is one big dude, & a very nice guy.