The Story Begins

Undertaker had been a dark and menacing force to reckon with in the WWF for nearly 7 years when Paul Bearer revealed that he had a dark, terrible secret regarding Taker, using it as blackmail against The Phenom.  Bearer kept quiet for a while but Taker soon had enough and turned on Paul.  That is when the world came to know exactly what this secret was... Bearer said that Taker had been the one to start the fire, burning down the funeral parlor he grew up in and killing his own parents, but one family member had survived the fire and was thirsting for revenge.  This family member was Undertaker's own brother Kane.  Taker denied all of it calling Paul a liar.  Things were quiet for a while with no one knowing who to believe... all of that would soon change.

On October 5, 1997 at In Your House: Badd Blood, the first ever Hell in the Cell match up took place.  The Undertaker took on Shawn Michaels for the WWF title in the brutal cage.  It was one hell of a match but towards the end Taker was dominating Michaels and had the match won when all of a sudden BOOM!!  out came the 7' monster that would soon be known as Kane ripping the door off the cell to get to his brother.  Kane entered the ring went straight to his brother and the famous "stare down"...one of my all time favorite Kane/Taker moments... occurred, but Kane came for one thing and that was revenge he tombstoned Taker costing him the match.

Kane along with Bearer at his side went on a rampage.  Bringing destruction in his path and beating almost every wrestler on the roster.  But what Kane really wanted was to face his brother, but Undertaker denied saying that he would not fight his own flesh and blood.  It had even started to look like the brothers may have made a reconciliation when they both exchanged a salute as if to symbolize the bond that existed between them... another great moment.  Kane even came to the ring one night to help his brother fight off DX, but it didn't last long..  At the 1998 Royal Rumble Undertaker faced Shawn Michaels, this time in a casket match.  Again Taker had the match won until DX came out to interfere.  BOOM!!  Kane came out to the ring with everyone thinking he was there to help his brother only to be shocked when Kane gave Taker a chokeslam into the casket.  Shawn Michaels steals another victory.  But that wasn't all being instructed by Bearer, Undertaker still inside the casket was taking up the ramp while Kane took an axe and started chopping the casket up, then they covered the casket with gasoline and Bearer gave Kane a match and ordered him to set it on fire.  The casket went up in flames, but Undertaker would not rest in peace.

Undertaker made his return and at Wrestlemania XIV a match was set pitting brother against brother.  The world was eager to see which brother would come out on top.  Undertaker came out the victor but it took three tombstones for his brother to stay down for the 3 count.  After the match Bearer joined Kane in the ring and attacked Taker with a chair Kane signed it off with a tombstone to Taker onto the chair.

The battle between brothers was long from over and at In Your House: Unforgiven Taker and Kane would face each other in the first ever Inferno match.  The ring was surrounded by fire and the first one to set the other on fire would be declared the winner.  This was another great match up in the brother's history together.  Taker came out the victor again when Kane's arm was set ablaze.  This is one of my all time favorite matches even though Kane and Taker are both big guys they have a lot of agility and you can definitely see it in this match.

Not long after this Taker demanded Vince McMahon for a title shot.  McMahon agreed only if Taker could beat Kane in another match.  The brothers faced each other yet again and this time Kane won with help from the interference of Mankind and became the number one contender for the title.

Less than one year after he arrived Kane became the WWF Champion when he beat Stone Cold Steve Austin at the 1998 King of the Ring in a first blood match.  Mankind came out to help Kane and Undertaker came out to help Austin... or so we thought... Taker raised the chair and hit Austin in the head busting him open and giving Kane the win.  Kane had originally said that if he did not win this match he would set himself on fire, Taker later said he interfered in the match because he didn't want to see his brother set himself on fire. Although the reign was short lived Kane had made his mark as one of the most dominant competitors in the WWF.

Not only has Kane been the WWF Champion but he has been a 5 time Tag Team Champion sharing the gold with both Mankind, X-Pac and his brother Undertaker.  Kane became the Hardcore Champion at Wrestlemania X-Seven and just recently added another title to his credits winning Intercontinental gold at Judgment Day.  In the past he's been a member of DX forming a successful tag team with X-Pac but everytime Kane makes a friend or gets close to someone it always seems to end up with Kane getting used and hurt.  But the Big Red Machine will not quit and if anything this has just made him more determined.  To quote Kane, "what doesn't kill you, only makes you stronger...I ain't dead yet."

Throughout his existence in the WWF Kane has been betrayed by many, X-Pac, Chyna, his ex- girlfriend Tori who left Kane for his ex-best friend X-Pac, and worst of all his father Paul Bearer, who kept Kane locked away in a basement his whole childhood and his half-brother Undertaker.  Kane has always shared a bond with Taker but you never know when one may turn on the other.  Taker even unmasked Kane at Summerslam 2000.  Yet their history together only seems to have made the bond between them stronger and the brothers are once again on the same page and working together.  The power of just Kane or Taker alone is amazing but together these two could dominate the WWF.  I'm so proud of them for winning the tag team gold. It's just really special to see them both share that title. I think the brother's accomplishments thus far is just a glimmer of things to come for them and I'll be pulling for them the whole way.  2001 will be the year of Kane.