This angle took place just a few weeks into SmackDown's run, on the fifth episode of the show; AKA right around the peak of the Attitude Era. While WWE has brought back fire in the last year or so, it's been limited to pay-per-view events (the Ring of Fire Match at SummerSlam 2013 and the main event of Extreme Rules 2014) and in both matches, nobody was set on fire, even with flame-resistant gel. This was different. It was Kane vs. Triple H in the precursor to the Ring of Fire match, the Inferno Match, so the loser was going to be set on fire. The finish saw The Undertaker, then a devilish heel feuding with Kane, bring out a bloody X-Pac, who was Kane's best friend and tag team partner. Kane SETS HIMSELF ON FIRE to end the match and runs up the ramp to help X-Pac. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9rHjVzEYJPg While that's a scene that we'd never see on WWE programming today, it was even more extreme live: While the YouTube video isn't the best quality, you can see that just before the 30 second mark, the picture slows down and the commentary sounds weird. That's how it actually aired: There was a hasty edit to remove The Undertaker licking X-Pac's blood (one of the few times WWE has used stage blood).
Formerly the site manager of Cageside Seats and the WWE Team Leader at Bleacher Report, David Bixenspan has been writing professionally about WWE, UFC, and other pop culture since 2009. He's currently WhatCulture's U.S. Editor and also serves as the lead writer of Figure Four Weekly and a monthly contributor to Fighting Spirit Magazine.
