10 Most Shocking WWE Revelations Ever
3. "Kane's Alive!"
Glenn Jacobs had had suffered at the hands of Vince McMahon's creative machine enough when he donned the mask of Kane to portray The Undertaker's long-thought-dead brother in 1997, but the timing and execution of his arrival was such that his tenure came to almost match that of his legendary sibling.
Upgrading the 'Monster Of The Week' booking Undertaker had endured for much of the 1990s (monster enters company, takes scalps, falls at feet of 'The Phenom'), Kane was perfect foil for his brother following a humanising programme with Mankind. 'The Deadman' had his rare physical weaknesses exposed against Mick Foley's alter-ego, particularly when Paul Bearer left him for the 'Deranged One', Their fractured relationship later drove Bearer to reveal the truth about the family of his former charge.
A fire killed the parents, but the deformed and demented sibling remained. Kane was alive.
Jacobs played the gimmick masterfully, and was well-liked and trusted as an affable big man on the roster, but little about his career ever reached the heights of his introduction and reveal. The layered story - before it was destroyed by re-writes - was gothica for the ages, and found an entire organisation in rare form from concept to execution.