Entering the 1998 Royal Rumble, it appeared as though Kane and Undertaker had put their sibling rivalry and past issues behind them in a concentrated effort to battle D-Generation X's Shawn Michaels and Triple H. If it was true, if the brother of destruction had reconciled, there was no chance in hell that Michaels would be able to retain his WWE Championship in the night's Casket match main event. But Kane's reunion with The Undertaker was nothing more than a sham, a ruse to give he and Paul Heyman a psychological advantage over the Deadman and, more importantly, an opportunity to end him permanently. The Big Red Monster trapped his brother inside the casket, chopped it with an ax and proceeded to douse it in gasoline. From there, he used a pack of matches to ignite what he thought was his brother's final resting place, watching from mere feet away as flames engulfed it. More shocking than Kane's betrayal was the fact that, when crew members opened up the still-smoking casket, there was no sign of the Phenom.
Erik Beaston is a freelance pro wrestling writer who likes long walks in the park, dandelions and has not quite figured out that this introduction is not for Match.com. He resides in Parts Unknown, where he hosts weekly cookouts with Kane, The Ultimate Warrior, Papa Shango and The Boogeyman. Be jealous.
