9. vs. Kane (WrestleMania XIV)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dDkdFu2pP5U Through the first several years of Undertaker's career, his most emotionally engaging matches were with his storyline brother, Kane. Since 1991, the WWE had conditioned its audience to believe that Taker would not just defeat his opponents, but dominate them. Even the likes of Yokozuna and Mankind who pushed Taker to his limits - needed the physical aid of others to gain their advantage over The Deadman. Kane was a different beast. He matched Taker's size and overpowered him with his strength. The Big Red Machine was also just as agile. The moment that still stands out to this day, from the fan perspective, about the original Taker-Kane match was when Kane dropped Taker's body across the middle of the top rope. He then proceeded to do a standing leap to the top turnbuckle, vault backward, and come crashing down with his arm along the back of Taker's neck. At that moment, Kane vs. Taker was more than just an excuse to put Taker in a high profile situation (as were Taker vs. Giant Gonzalez, King Kong Bundy, and fake Undertaker) it was the realization that a true rival for The Phenom was born. Kane furthered accentuated that realization when he kicked out of the Tombstone Piledriver on two separate occasions. Even though Taker won, Kane looked like the better man throughout their storyline. As much as The Phenom had seemed impervious to harm, Kane was just a little more impervious. Kane even equaled Taker's "powers," creating for a feud full of the greatest era-specific theatrics ever seen in sports entertainment. Bursts of flames, indoor lightning bolts, and an unusual command of the WWE production team (wink, wink) characterized the visuals on display while a deeper backdrop of brother vs. brother played out beautifully on TV. Kane used the reputation that he earned from his first WrestleMania match to parlay an up-and-down career full of silly gimmicks into one of the most memorable acts of the Attitude Era and beyond. For 16 years, he has lived off of it.
Chad Matthews
Contributor
"The Doc" Chad Matthews has written wrestling columns for over a decade. A physician by trade, Matthews began writing about wrestling as a hobby, but it became a passion. After 30 years as a wrestling fan, "The Doc" gives an unmatched analytical perspective on pro wrestling in the modern era. He is a long-time columnist for Lordsofpain.net and hosts a weekly podcast on the LOP Radio Network called "The Doc Says." His first book - The WrestleMania Era: The Book of Sports Entertainment - ranks the Top 90 wrestlers from 1983 to present day, was originally published in December 2013, and is now in its third edition.
Matthews lives in North Carolina with his wife, two kids, and two dogs.
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