10 Wrestling Gimmicks That Got Out Of Control

by Jamie Kennedy

1. Kane

Kane Unmasked
WWE

As a counterpoint to The Undertaker, Kane was stunning.

The initial story was outlandish (a burned younger brother was returning to avenge his dead parents), but it followed a neat sibling vs. sibling formula and gave 'Taker another monster to war with. Unfortunately, WWE tampered with Kane's backstory to the point that it became comical.

He was badly scarred, then he wasn't. He couldn't talk without the aid of a voice box, then he could. The Undertaker had murdered their parents, then he hadn't. Paul Bearer was a family friend, then he was their father. Kane didn't undergo painful burn treatments as a youth, he dated a girl called Katie Vick and killed her by drink-driving.

See? It's too much. WWE even added a splash of necrophilia to the party in 2002 by alleging that Kane had molested Vick's corpse. Then, for better or worse, he was reborn under the mask, formed several 'odd couple' tag-teams, is now mayor of Knox County, Tennessee and... returns as his old self when convenient.

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What other wrestling gimmicks do you think spun out of control? For more, check out 10 Gimmicks That WWE Dropped Without Explanation and 10 Things You Learn Binge Watching Every WWE Raw From 1996!

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Contributor

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.