If finally pinning The Undertaker was massive for Kane, bagging the WWF Heavyweight Title was even bigger. It's unlikely that management viewed Kane as a potential champion when he debuted in late-1997, but the fearsome character had connected well with fans. For that reason, it was decided that Kane would end Steve Austin's title reign at King Of The Ring. The 1998 edition of the event is perhaps more famous due to the insane bumps taken by Mick Foley. During his Hell In A Cell match against Undertaker, Foley put himself through incredible punishment. However, it's important to remember that the Pay-Per-View was also a big night for Glenn Jacobs too. Facing Austin in a 'First Blood' encounter, Kane emerged as WWF Champion. The match itself was pretty unique. Kane's all-over costume meant that only one of his hands was really exposed. It'd therefore be difficult to tell if he was bleeding, but that didn't stop the main event from being exciting. Kane would lose the title back to Austin the following night on Raw, but this was a show of confidence from company officials in the success of the character.
Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.
