Kane Reveals Real Reason WWE Created His Character For The Undertaker

The Kane character is one of the most iconic figures in WWE history, but Glenn Jacobs recently revealed that the Big Red Machine almost never existed in the way fans know him today. According to Jacobs, the original idea for Kane was born out of a sudden backstage problem that forced WWE to come up with a quick solution for The Undertaker.

Speaking during a panel via Going Ringside, Jacobs explained that the entire concept started when The Undertaker was feuding with Big Van Vader. During a tour in Kuwait, Vader got into an incident with a television host that quickly escalated into a legal situation, leaving WWE unsure how long the powerhouse would be out of action. Jacobs recalled the bizarre situation and how it forced WWE to scramble for a replacement opponent.

“So what had happened was Undertaker was in a rivalry with Big Van Vader and they were in Kuwait. Some of you guys remember this — the talk show host in Kuwait. So which is a Middle Eastern country, probably not the most progressive criminal justice system. The talk show host said something to Vader like, ‘Is wrestling fake?’ So Leon kind of roughed him up a little. Not terrible, but kind of grabbed him and said it was fake, blah blah blah, which led to his arrest in Kuwait.”

With Vader suddenly detained overseas, WWE needed a quick solution for The Undertaker’s storyline.

“A Middle Eastern country is probably not the place you want to be in jail. So anyway, Leon’s literally out of the picture and we don’t know for how long. Like if they’re going to have to send in airborne troops to get him out or what’s going to happen there.”

That uncertainty led WWE to pitch the concept of a mysterious masked brother for The Undertaker. The idea was originally intended to solve a short-term problem, but it quickly turned into something much bigger.

“So they needed an opponent for Undertaker and that was where the original idea for Kane came from. They came up with this idea of Kane, who was the Undertaker’s long-lost brother, putting me under a mask because obviously I’d had those two characters that we should not talk about.”

What was supposed to be a one-time idea soon caught the attention of Vince McMahon, who saw long-term potential in the character and the storyline involving The Undertaker.

“And then the backstory was you have this dude that was the Undertaker’s brother that got burned in the fire and all that stuff. What ended up happening though is Vince liked the idea so much. He said, ‘Why are we wasting this on one match? This is much more of a storyline than that.’”

From that moment forward, WWE committed to the Kane character, eventually turning him into one of the most recognizable figures of the Attitude Era and beyond.

“That’s kind of where the whole thing took a very good turn. They decided to really invest in the Kane character and make it, in the end, a standalone character. Even though Undertaker obviously was a very important part of that, it wasn’t just as an opponent for Undertaker. It became much more than that.”

Jacobs also recalled the moment he learned about the opportunity, which came in a way that feels almost impossible in today’s wrestling world. At the time he was working in Jerry Lawler’s USWA promotion and didn’t even have a cell phone. After being told to call the WWE office, he ended up making the call from a payphone while traveling through Tennessee.

“I was actually working for Jerry Lawler in USWA when all this was going on. I got a call that they wanted to put me under a mask for this new deal to wrestle The Undertaker. Obviously that was huge news for me.”

“But that was back in the day before pagers, I think before pagers, but before cell phones anyway. So I remember someone told me, ‘Hey, you need to call the office.’ So I’m literally stopping at a gas station, calling from a pay phone somewhere between Memphis and Jackson, Tennessee.”

That phone call ended up changing the entire trajectory of Jacobs’ career.

“And they told me, ‘Hey, we have a really good opportunity for you.’ And it turned out to be the break of a lifetime, obviously.”

Kane would go on to become a cornerstone of WWE programming for decades, capturing multiple championships and forming one of the most famous rivalries in wrestling history with The Undertaker. What began as a quick fix for a missing opponent eventually turned into a character that defined an entire era.

It’s wild to think that the Big Red Machine only existed because WWE suddenly needed someone to step into a storyline. Yet that moment ended up creating one of the most memorable characters the company has ever produced.

What do you think about Kane revealing the real story behind how his character was created? Did you ever imagine the entire Kane storyline started because WWE suddenly needed an opponent for The Undertaker? Let us know your thoughts and share your feedback in the comments.