10 Things We Learned From Kane On Stone Cold's Broken Skull Sessions Podcast

9. Vader's Kuwait Troubles Almost Led To His Debut

unabomb kane
WWE.com
"That's... that's gotta' be Kane!"

Nobody who watched it will ever forget Kane's debut back in 1997. His creepy music, the emotionless appearance, that red outfit and Vince McMahon's call on commentary made it timeless as soon as it happened. All that history would've come crashing down had McMahon not shown some restraint.

Around six months before his debut, Kane was almost called up as a last-minute replacement for Vader in his feud with The Undertaker. Vader had got into a spot of trouble with the authorities during a WWF tour of Kuwait in April '97, and wasn't allowed to leave the country until things were sorted out. That left 'Taker without an opponent on house shows.

Kane nearly got the nod, but not as The Undertaker's masked brother. He was close to bagging the role under a different mask (Unabomb, maybe?) before Vince decreed that he had way more potential beyond playing placeholder for Vader and doing some quick jobs.

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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.