During a recent interview with Sports Illustrated, Kane discussed working with The Undertaker, the origin of his character, and more. You can check out some highlights from the interview below:
On being pitched the character: “Undertaker needed an opponent for an upcoming pay per view. I was working in USWA at the time for Jerry Lawler, and I can’t remember if it was Bruce Prichard or Jim Cornette who called me, but I was told to stand by. I got another call later that week and I was told Vince really liked this idea and it wasn’t going to be a one-off, that it’s was going to be a storyline. From there, we were off to the races. The original name of the character was Inferno. I didn’t like that very much. I though it sounded cartoonish. Bruce Prichard always liked the name Kane, and I liked it, too. It played off Cain and Abel in the Bible, the good brother and the bad brother, and we pitched that. The name got changed, we finally figured out the outfit, and then I had my debut at the [Badd Blood] pay per view. I was really excited. I felt I wasn’t going to be successful in my other characters, but this was one where, if I couldn’t be successful as Kane working against The Undertaker, then that was on me. This was my big break, the one everyone dreams about.”
On being nervous before his debut as Kane: “I was scared to death. It’s not only Undertaker in the ring, but also Shawn Michaels, two top guys. This is also the first time a Hell in a Cell match had ever been done. We walked to the ring earlier in the day—myself, Vince, Bruce Prichard, Jim Cornette and Mark—and we talked about how we wanted it to go down. I didn’t really say much, I listened. Mark was the one who came up with the idea of throwing my hands up and igniting the ring posts. As The Undertaker, Mark would bring his hands up to bring light to the arena. Kane was supposed to be the opposite of The Undertaker, so everything The Undertaker would do, Kane should do the opposite. That’s how we came up with the idea for pyro. I was cool by that point, but as I started watching their match, that’s when I saw it was a classic and I stood a really good chance at spoiling this awesome match. I was really nervous about it. Luckily, like you said, I had a mask on and you couldn’t see my face. But there was a pretty high heart rate and a lot of heavy breathing, believe me.”
On Tombstoning Pete Rose: “I actually don’t know whose idea it was. I assume it was Vince’s. I didn’t know anything about it until that day. It was funny, Paul Bearer’s argument was, ‘Wait. Kane is the heel. This is going to turn him babyface before his match with The Undertaker.’ But we were pretty sure the crowd would still look at Undertaker as the good guy and Kane as the bad guy. It was one of those deals where it was a moment of levity and added to the entertainment value.”
On when he initially bonded with Undertaker: “It happened before I became Kane. We had a match when I was Isaac Yankem, D.D.S. and it was horrible. It was all my fault, and it was a terrible match. I was having a lot of trouble. I wasn’t happy and it showed. Mark pulled me aside after the match and basically said, ‘Look dude, Vince likes you. I like you. But unless you get your butt in gear, you’re going to be out of here. You belong here, now starting act like it.’ That lit a fire under me, and it’s probably the most important moment of my wrestling career.”
On similarities between Undertaker and Daniel Bryan: “A lot, actually. They’re both very passionate about what they do, and they’re both very dedicated. Each, in his own way, has been able to take the gifts they have been given and utilize those, maybe more so than anyone else ever has. In Mark’s case, it’s his size and his athleticism. Daniel’s the opposite. He’s obviously a great athlete, but he’s been able to take that underdog approach, being a smaller guy, and make the absolute most of that. They’re kind of mirror opposites, but in the end, they’re the same—they are both consummate professionals who always do the best they can.”
On the moment in Undertaker’s career that most stands out to him: “I remember a night when we were backstage in Chicago. This is back when Austin was champion, and me and Undertaker, we beat him at the same time to become co-champions [at In Your House in September of 1998]. That blew up, so at the next month’s pay per view, it was Kane vs. The Undertaker, with Austin as the special guest referee. I remember Mark’s hips and back were really bothering him. After the match, I saw him collapse on the stairs and get right back up. You would have never known he was in so much pain during the match. Another night in Houston, Texas, which is Mark’s hometown, and he had some of his family there. We’re having a match and he’d broken his ankle a few days before at TV. I don’t think we knew his ankle was broken at this point, and we’re trying to have this match but he can barely move, so I’m trying to move around him. Despite the fact that he was in a lot of pain, he tried to get me as over as he possibly could. I’ve seen that happen on a number of occasions, even when Mark couldn’t perform at the level he wanted. But in his heart, he was out there doing everything he could. The Undertaker always gave everything he had, and that’s the epitome of Mark Calaway as a performer.”
