WWE's Kane and the Undertaker: A thesis on the source of their godlike powers.
Eric Schomburg
April 29, 2006
One of the things that I love about professional wrestling is the combination of athletics and theater. While the wrestlers perform the feats of athletic proportion, the writers create characters and broach ideas for the wrestlers to play with.
A salient idea that the WWE presented to the fans of professional wrestling has been an active role (gimmick) for 15 years, and that gimmick is the Undertaker.
The Undertaker’s gimmick has always been riddled with a nefarious atmosphere; the Undertaker was tall, powerful, and stolid all at the same time. The writers for the Undertaker character deem him as “a dead man spawned back to life to retrieve the souls of his victims,” which were the other wrestlers in the WWE.
The Undertaker character escalated with the influx of Paul Bearer and the ominous urn which supposedly had the “source” of the Undertaker’s uncanny power. The Undertaker’s performance in the ring was uncanny as well. Fans, including myself, would be in awe about the Undertaker’s unusual speed; how he can balance himself on the top rope; and how the Undertaker can literally roll his eyes in the back of his head as if he was possessed.
WWE fans never seen a wrestler like the Undertaker, and with the easy defeat of WWE’s “golden boy,” Hulk Hogan, created a credulous belief that the Undertaker was an indomitable force in professional wrestling. The Undertaker would lose the title at an event simply known as “Tuesday in Texas,” but fans still believed that the Undertaker was still a juggernaut that wrestlers of the WWE had to deal with.
What intrigued fans most was the constant riddle of “where does the Undertaker’s source of power come from?” Wrestling fans were aware that the Undertaker “retrieved” his power from Paul Bearer’s urn, because there have been times in which the opposition of the Undertaker would “steal” the urn, and this made the Undertaker’s performance more lackluster and sluggish. It’s as if the urn was the “remote control” to the Undertaker.
The Undertaker would continue to dominate the WWE, and with that dominance more scintillas to the Undertaker’s power surfaced. The Undertaker would play mind games with his opponents. With just a coerced raise of his hands a loud boom would occur along with the lights illuminating; he would be buried-alive and somehow survive; cast a jolt of lighting inside an arena; even make it rain profusely inside an arena.
In 1997, the Undertaker’s uncanny power would be emulated by an even more devastating wrestler, his name is Kane, the Undertaker’s younger stepbrother. After the debacle of Paul Bearer and the Undertaker’s partnership, Paul Bearer was hellbent in destroying the Undertaker in a vengeful way. Paul Bearer would present Kane to the Undertaker, despite the canard tale that Kane was supposedly killed in a horrible fiery accident.
On October 5, 1997, Kane would emerge and reveal to the Undertaker that he also shares the unearthly power that the Undertaker has. Kane would daunt a crimson leather mask that would give a mysterious look to his face; after all, he was supposedly burned alive, yet he didn’t have any burnt skin nor scars on his body.
Kane’s power would be emulated to those of the Undertaker’s. Kane would coerce a jolt of lightning from his hands, literally setting someone on fire, and even having all four of the ring’s posts shoot a blaze of fire. Like the Undertaker, Kane was unstoppable and he was ambitious to destroying his brother, the Undertaker.
Eventually, the Undertaker and Kane would resolve their differences and join forces, but eventually the Undertaker’s character would be subdued into what I believe was the Undertaker’s eminent angle ever, the Ministry.
The Ministry was a coterie of malevolent wrestlers that made the Undertaker their messiah, and with his power he “brainwashed” his sycophants into doing his bidding. During the time that the Ministry was getting over, Kane was relegated into mid-card status and it seemed that the “monster” known as Kane turned into a “human” that happens to wear a mask; in other words Kane was no longer intimidating.
Kane was a travesty compared to the Undertaker. Being a mockery to DX, specifically X-Pac, made Kane an entity that fans wanted no part of. That is until the Undertaker needed surgery, and the revealing of Kane unmasked.
After six years wearing the crimson leather mask, Kane was to face WWE Champion Triple H in a mask vs. title match; in other words, if Kane won, he would be Champion, but if Triple H would win Kane would have to reveal his face and never wrestle with his mask on again. Kane would lose that match, and reveal to the world his face. The face of Kane was an enigma in itself. A man who wore a mask because of his “scarred” face wasn’t scarred at all. The unveiling of Kane was when the proverbial “stuff hit the fan” for Kane. Kane was maniacal once more, and fans were confused yet interested.
The Undertaker would make his return, but the story was changed. No longer was the Undertaker a “phenomenon” that possessed saturnine powers; the Undertaker was now an “American Badass.” The Undertaker had human qualities to his character; he chewed tobacco; rode a motorcycle; did more talking that had nothing to do with gothic jargon; and even presented that he had a wife named Sara.
It seemed the roles inverted each other; now the Undertaker was human, and Kane was the “phenomenon” once again. Eventually, the Undertaker would be buried by his maniacal brother, Kane. The act would lead to one of the most important promo’s that Kane would present about the Undertaker.
On an inconspicuous appearance on Smackdown, Kane would claim that the Undertaker and he were never intended to be “human,” and lately the Undertaker would be “human” and weak. Eventually, this would resurrect the “deadman” gimmick of the Undertaker. At WrestleMania XX, Kane and the Undertaker would meet again, the maniac versus the deadman. However, with the eventual retirement of the Undertaker the question still bears repeating, “what is the source of the Undertaker and Kane”s power?”
I’ve had an idea in my mind for quite a while, and it’s a storyline that eventually reveals the source of the power, while presenting new storylines and possibly new characters into the realm of professional wrestling. The subtle hints make it obvious that there is an entity that possesses these two brothers of destruction; however, what possible entity could it be? A spiritual one? A physical one? A pact with a demon? What could be the source?
Let me go ahead and say that I’m not affiliated with the WWE, and I have no strings attached to this thesis. In fact, if the WWE has any interest in this story they could use it, and if they are not interested then it’s okay as well. This is just a simple idea from an avid fan of both Kane and the Undertaker presented in an article for deft minds to ponder on.
The idea starts from the beginning of the Undertaker’s character. The Undertaker is only a shell when it comes to the source of his power; in other words, think of his power being a parasite that dwells inside the Undertaker’s corrupted body. This source is only temporary, because the “driver” of the parasite was in the urn in a nebulous form. This is evident at the Royal Rumble of 1994 when Yokozuna opened the urn and a green mist escaped from the urn.
The enigma that is the “source” of the Undertaker’s power is more evident than the timing of both Kane and the Undertaker’s “human” roles.
It seems that the source of both Kane and the Undertaker’s power can only go to one entity, and the other is just a mere-mortal. For example, when Kane first arrived and showed his power to strike lightning, and set people on fire with the swift of his hand, the Undertaker was contemplating whether or not he should fight his brother. The Undertaker’s love for Kane proved to be “human,” while Kane’s inexorable hatred for his brother proved to be possessive and mechanical. Kane was obviously possessed by the “source” of the family curse, and the Undertaker was relinquished as its host.
Another example is after WrestleMania XX, Kane was technically in “love” with Lita and showed human emotions after he realized that their “child” miscarried after an attack from wrestler Gene Snitsky. The Undertaker, however, was still raising hell and continuing to be the “deadman,” there was even a point in which the Undertaker some how “possessed” a human to talk exactly like the Undertaker and even roll his eyes in the back of his head. This would further the theory that both Kane and the Undertaker are possessed, but only one can be possessed by the evil intentions of the “source.”
What if the “source” came to the WWE in human form. With Vince McMahon presenting “God” at Backlash, why not have the “source” be presented in a wrestler or a manager?
The thesis for this “source” in a human body would be nothing like the body of a wrestler. The person would be thin, pasty, and have the most evil intentions that would even set Vince McMahon into trepidation. Obviously the source would be more suitable in being a manager, or a valet, because this source doesn’t really specify whether or not it’s a male or female the source can work for both sexes; however, as a wrestler the “source” can be in pain, and since the “source” is supposed to be a parasite it would make more sense to have he or she possess the body of Kane or the Undertaker.
Right now would be perfect for this “source” to emerge into a human form, because of Kane hearing the voices of his movie’s release date. The “source” may be the voices that are haunting Kane. In fact, Kane’s affliction with his belief that he was once burned and the Undertaker was the man who burned him could have been the “source” fooling Kane. The story of the “source” could escalate in having the “source” fooling Kane by having Kane looking in the mirror and only he seeing a charred, scarred, and degenerated face; however, other people would see Kane unscarred.
The “source” would obviously not work as a wrestler, because since the “source” is supposed to look nothing like a wrestler it wouldn’t make much sense to have a skinny man or woman bodyslam Triple H; however, the “source” is supposed to be the uncanny power of both the Undertaker and Kane; therefore, wrestlers like Triple H and Big Show isn’t supposed to stand a chance against the source. Besides, if the source was to prove how powerful he or she is they would simply possess the body of Kane or the Undertaker and fight whomever they were opposed to.
As I said before, I’m sure the Undertaker has contemplated on when he should retire from the ring and maybe retire the character; however, the question has to be answered, and I believe that this thesis is a great catalyst and idea in putting the puzzle together of both the Undertaker and Kane’s source of power.
A salient idea that the WWE presented to the fans of professional wrestling has been an active role (gimmick) for 15 years, and that gimmick is the Undertaker.
The Undertaker’s gimmick has always been riddled with a nefarious atmosphere; the Undertaker was tall, powerful, and stolid all at the same time. The writers for the Undertaker character deem him as “a dead man spawned back to life to retrieve the souls of his victims,” which were the other wrestlers in the WWE.
The Undertaker character escalated with the influx of Paul Bearer and the ominous urn which supposedly had the “source” of the Undertaker’s uncanny power. The Undertaker’s performance in the ring was uncanny as well. Fans, including myself, would be in awe about the Undertaker’s unusual speed; how he can balance himself on the top rope; and how the Undertaker can literally roll his eyes in the back of his head as if he was possessed.
WWE fans never seen a wrestler like the Undertaker, and with the easy defeat of WWE’s “golden boy,” Hulk Hogan, created a credulous belief that the Undertaker was an indomitable force in professional wrestling. The Undertaker would lose the title at an event simply known as “Tuesday in Texas,” but fans still believed that the Undertaker was still a juggernaut that wrestlers of the WWE had to deal with.
What intrigued fans most was the constant riddle of “where does the Undertaker’s source of power come from?” Wrestling fans were aware that the Undertaker “retrieved” his power from Paul Bearer’s urn, because there have been times in which the opposition of the Undertaker would “steal” the urn, and this made the Undertaker’s performance more lackluster and sluggish. It’s as if the urn was the “remote control” to the Undertaker.
The Undertaker would continue to dominate the WWE, and with that dominance more scintillas to the Undertaker’s power surfaced. The Undertaker would play mind games with his opponents. With just a coerced raise of his hands a loud boom would occur along with the lights illuminating; he would be buried-alive and somehow survive; cast a jolt of lighting inside an arena; even make it rain profusely inside an arena.
In 1997, the Undertaker’s uncanny power would be emulated by an even more devastating wrestler, his name is Kane, the Undertaker’s younger stepbrother. After the debacle of Paul Bearer and the Undertaker’s partnership, Paul Bearer was hellbent in destroying the Undertaker in a vengeful way. Paul Bearer would present Kane to the Undertaker, despite the canard tale that Kane was supposedly killed in a horrible fiery accident.
On October 5, 1997, Kane would emerge and reveal to the Undertaker that he also shares the unearthly power that the Undertaker has. Kane would daunt a crimson leather mask that would give a mysterious look to his face; after all, he was supposedly burned alive, yet he didn’t have any burnt skin nor scars on his body.
Kane’s power would be emulated to those of the Undertaker’s. Kane would coerce a jolt of lightning from his hands, literally setting someone on fire, and even having all four of the ring’s posts shoot a blaze of fire. Like the Undertaker, Kane was unstoppable and he was ambitious to destroying his brother, the Undertaker.
Eventually, the Undertaker and Kane would resolve their differences and join forces, but eventually the Undertaker’s character would be subdued into what I believe was the Undertaker’s eminent angle ever, the Ministry.
The Ministry was a coterie of malevolent wrestlers that made the Undertaker their messiah, and with his power he “brainwashed” his sycophants into doing his bidding. During the time that the Ministry was getting over, Kane was relegated into mid-card status and it seemed that the “monster” known as Kane turned into a “human” that happens to wear a mask; in other words Kane was no longer intimidating.
Kane was a travesty compared to the Undertaker. Being a mockery to DX, specifically X-Pac, made Kane an entity that fans wanted no part of. That is until the Undertaker needed surgery, and the revealing of Kane unmasked.
After six years wearing the crimson leather mask, Kane was to face WWE Champion Triple H in a mask vs. title match; in other words, if Kane won, he would be Champion, but if Triple H would win Kane would have to reveal his face and never wrestle with his mask on again. Kane would lose that match, and reveal to the world his face. The face of Kane was an enigma in itself. A man who wore a mask because of his “scarred” face wasn’t scarred at all. The unveiling of Kane was when the proverbial “stuff hit the fan” for Kane. Kane was maniacal once more, and fans were confused yet interested.
The Undertaker would make his return, but the story was changed. No longer was the Undertaker a “phenomenon” that possessed saturnine powers; the Undertaker was now an “American Badass.” The Undertaker had human qualities to his character; he chewed tobacco; rode a motorcycle; did more talking that had nothing to do with gothic jargon; and even presented that he had a wife named Sara.
It seemed the roles inverted each other; now the Undertaker was human, and Kane was the “phenomenon” once again. Eventually, the Undertaker would be buried by his maniacal brother, Kane. The act would lead to one of the most important promo’s that Kane would present about the Undertaker.
On an inconspicuous appearance on Smackdown, Kane would claim that the Undertaker and he were never intended to be “human,” and lately the Undertaker would be “human” and weak. Eventually, this would resurrect the “deadman” gimmick of the Undertaker. At WrestleMania XX, Kane and the Undertaker would meet again, the maniac versus the deadman. However, with the eventual retirement of the Undertaker the question still bears repeating, “what is the source of the Undertaker and Kane”s power?”
I’ve had an idea in my mind for quite a while, and it’s a storyline that eventually reveals the source of the power, while presenting new storylines and possibly new characters into the realm of professional wrestling. The subtle hints make it obvious that there is an entity that possesses these two brothers of destruction; however, what possible entity could it be? A spiritual one? A physical one? A pact with a demon? What could be the source?
Let me go ahead and say that I’m not affiliated with the WWE, and I have no strings attached to this thesis. In fact, if the WWE has any interest in this story they could use it, and if they are not interested then it’s okay as well. This is just a simple idea from an avid fan of both Kane and the Undertaker presented in an article for deft minds to ponder on.
The idea starts from the beginning of the Undertaker’s character. The Undertaker is only a shell when it comes to the source of his power; in other words, think of his power being a parasite that dwells inside the Undertaker’s corrupted body. This source is only temporary, because the “driver” of the parasite was in the urn in a nebulous form. This is evident at the Royal Rumble of 1994 when Yokozuna opened the urn and a green mist escaped from the urn.
The enigma that is the “source” of the Undertaker’s power is more evident than the timing of both Kane and the Undertaker’s “human” roles.
It seems that the source of both Kane and the Undertaker’s power can only go to one entity, and the other is just a mere-mortal. For example, when Kane first arrived and showed his power to strike lightning, and set people on fire with the swift of his hand, the Undertaker was contemplating whether or not he should fight his brother. The Undertaker’s love for Kane proved to be “human,” while Kane’s inexorable hatred for his brother proved to be possessive and mechanical. Kane was obviously possessed by the “source” of the family curse, and the Undertaker was relinquished as its host.
Another example is after WrestleMania XX, Kane was technically in “love” with Lita and showed human emotions after he realized that their “child” miscarried after an attack from wrestler Gene Snitsky. The Undertaker, however, was still raising hell and continuing to be the “deadman,” there was even a point in which the Undertaker some how “possessed” a human to talk exactly like the Undertaker and even roll his eyes in the back of his head. This would further the theory that both Kane and the Undertaker are possessed, but only one can be possessed by the evil intentions of the “source.”
What if the “source” came to the WWE in human form. With Vince McMahon presenting “God” at Backlash, why not have the “source” be presented in a wrestler or a manager?
The thesis for this “source” in a human body would be nothing like the body of a wrestler. The person would be thin, pasty, and have the most evil intentions that would even set Vince McMahon into trepidation. Obviously the source would be more suitable in being a manager, or a valet, because this source doesn’t really specify whether or not it’s a male or female the source can work for both sexes; however, as a wrestler the “source” can be in pain, and since the “source” is supposed to be a parasite it would make more sense to have he or she possess the body of Kane or the Undertaker.
Right now would be perfect for this “source” to emerge into a human form, because of Kane hearing the voices of his movie’s release date. The “source” may be the voices that are haunting Kane. In fact, Kane’s affliction with his belief that he was once burned and the Undertaker was the man who burned him could have been the “source” fooling Kane. The story of the “source” could escalate in having the “source” fooling Kane by having Kane looking in the mirror and only he seeing a charred, scarred, and degenerated face; however, other people would see Kane unscarred.
The “source” would obviously not work as a wrestler, because since the “source” is supposed to look nothing like a wrestler it wouldn’t make much sense to have a skinny man or woman bodyslam Triple H; however, the “source” is supposed to be the uncanny power of both the Undertaker and Kane; therefore, wrestlers like Triple H and Big Show isn’t supposed to stand a chance against the source. Besides, if the source was to prove how powerful he or she is they would simply possess the body of Kane or the Undertaker and fight whomever they were opposed to.
As I said before, I’m sure the Undertaker has contemplated on when he should retire from the ring and maybe retire the character; however, the question has to be answered, and I believe that this thesis is a great catalyst and idea in putting the puzzle together of both the Undertaker and Kane’s source of power.