10 Wrestling Gimmicks That Weren’t Supposed To Last Long

'The Big Red Machine' 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.

'The Deadman' had laid countless nobodies to rest over the years in a dark upgrade to the 'Monster Of The Week' booking that served Hulk Hogan's house show loops well in the 1980s. A monster would enter the company, take a few scalps, then fall at the feet of 'The Phenom'. The matches were nothing to write home about (unless that home was a foster one you were looking to escape to because your parents were still allowing you to watch such drivel), but the story reliably propped up The Undertaker's gimmick during the organisation's darkest days.

Following on from an electric rivalry with Mankind in 1996, Kane was perfect foil for his humanised brother. Undertaker had already shown physical weakness against Mick Foley's deranged alter-ego and would now have his emotions checked by his demonic brother.

Glenn Jacobs played the gimmick masterfully, and was well-liked and trusted as an affable big man on the roster. Though the character morphed beyond recognition at points (Corporate Kane in his school trousers remains a living nightmare on par with the actual fires of hell), the man behind - and occasionally free from - the mask has carved out an admirable 21-year tenure in the role.