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December
31st, 2002 HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!
Well! We've come to the end of 2002 -
and what a year it was! Filled with action, all out
brawling, more "flesh"; exposure, steamy lip
locks, intrigue, harsh injury and a bit o'controversy,
this year in the life of KANE was the stuff epic novels
are made of!!!! OK - so maybe LifeTime's Movie of the
Week, LOL.
KANE kicked off 2002 in January working though the
roster and even easing 3H back into the squared circle
routine. Some of his most memorable matches that month
were against Kurt Angle, lifting Big Show up and tossing
him over the ropes during the Royal Rumble PPV match, and
the accident riddled matches WITH Show that led to a feud
between the two.
February saw KANE taking on Test and BossMan
alternately in most of the House Shows, and seeing
television action in the ring against Y2J, Mr. Perfect,
and Angle - teaming up with 3H to take on Y2J and Angle
at the last show of the month. His retreat from the
locker-room when Stephanie McMahon showed up for a quite
chat with 3H was priceless - the man knows when to make a
quiet and timely exit! Kane teamed up with 'Taker to
appear on the #1520 episode of America's Most Wanted:
America Fights Back (which aired on the 16th) in an
effort to help bring in information and hopefully the
capture of a man who killed one wrestling fan and left
his young son paralyzed. There was some really excellent
footage of KANE and 'Taker interacting with the
youngster, which served to reinforce a few of the reasons
KANE garners such a strong fan base. Sadly, KANE didn't
appear in the No Way Out PPV.
OMG!!!! March seemed to be the month KANE's fans the
world over had been eagerly waiting for!
THE BIG PUSH began! It was also when the World Wrestling
Federation Entertainment Powers decided to insert a
Roster Split, with Vince keeping the SmackDown! brand,
and Rick Flair heading
up the RAW Brand. Flair was wise enough to grab KANE in
the third round of the drafts. ;) KANE continued his feud
with Angle and Y2J during the House Shows, while building
up his feud with Angle
to WrestlemaniaX8 in Montreal! Finger Eleven's Slow
Chemical would become the new version of KANE's
adrenaline pumping entrance theme - and those guys
actually got to FACE the Masked Muscled Man at WMX8! KANE
also proved there was more behind the mask and flame
licked "suit" than a buffed bod! He
along with a few of his WWE co-horts were featured in The
Weakest Link which aired on March 10th were KANE wowed us
with his raspy wit and quick mind, winning the
competition and a nice contribution for his
favorite charity. We were able to get to at least one of
KANE's autograph signings this year, sponsored at Strauss
Discount Auto in Philly on March 24th. And then
- KANE confronts nWo during their match against Hogan and
Rock - that interruption led to one of KANE's most
memorable backstage promos the next week were he
"Hulked Up" and gave his fans their
"official" name - KANENITES!!!!! The
match that followed was icing on the cake as The
Hulkster, The Rock and KANE kicked some serious butt
around the ring! The fans darned near tore the roof off
the arena with off the chart decibels for the gargantuan
grapplers!
April dawned, catching KANE pitted against X-Pac and
(unofficially - smirk) the nWo, once or twice with the
aide of Bradshaw. There was more of KANE Commentary
backstage, as the fires seemed to build in our Favored
son, and then on the 8th, the awful set up and brutal
ambush and beating to KANE at the hand of the nWo a
couple of shows away from the BackLash PPV. The last time
fans would see KANE for a little over 4 months, would be
unconscious and de-masked at the hands of X-Pac, with
Bradshaw defending and keeping his back. On April 14th,
during a morning workout before the Abilene, TX House
Show, KANE tore his right biceps muscle - a very painful
and precarious injury. Kanenites joined forces in
heartfelt wishes to their hero for a safe and full
recovery, eagerly looking for any word on his prognosis
and recovery. Meanwhile, X-Pac spent the remainder of the
month parading around in ill-gotten trademark mask.
The World Wrestling Federation Entertainment, Inc.
became World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. in May, a fact
KANE jokingly remarked on during his May 13th ByteThis!
interview with Kevin Kelly and Tom Pritchard. Also during
the interview, KANE told his fans of his injury, his
recovery plans and eagerness to get back into the thick
of things, and thanked his Kanenites for their well
wishes and
support. The interview was a much looked for and very
rewarding interaction, as was his first last year. While
good ole JR did his level best to keep fans informed on
KANE's progress through that month, KANE attended the May
19th Judgement Day PPV and gave a quick interview to Matt
Duda while there.
KANE's stellar work ethic is a singular characteristic
that has long been remarked on, both inside the WWE and
out. It's something he proved, with out doubt, was no
rumor during the next few months. Having been given, by
his doctor, the green light to begin training with light
weights - KANE seemed to launch into working toward the
ring with all the fervor of a tortured soul. He also
co-hosted RAW at The World with DDP on June 10th, made an
fan signing appearance to promote an upcoming show on
June 15th in Atlantic City on the Boardwalk, and gave a
shout out to fans in Cleveland, Ohio while promoting the
WWE there on June 21.
KANE and Terri went to Australia between July 9th -
13th to kick off FanFrenzy for the August Global Warning
PPV event. He and Terri were available for at least two
fan signings, interviews and KANE even did a promo with
ROVE for ROVE LIVE! On the 17th KANE flew on to Seattle
Washington for a fan signing at the Key Arena. Over in
Vancouver, KANE met with fans before the July 19th
Motorfest at Molson Indy. HIS was the voice hear
delivering the famous start words "GENTLEMEN - START
- YOUR - ENGINES!!!!". On July 27th, JR writes that
KANE is cleared to return to the ring probably by the end
of July.
The dog days of August were upon us as JR teases with
promises of KANE's imminent return, and a
question of whether he'd go to RAW or SmackDown! On the
6th, we are titillated with an ominous THE FIRE STILL
BURNS TitanTron promo. The 10th sees KANE's youngest
Kanenites' dreams come true as they meet with the Hulking
Hero at KB Toys grand opening of their OutLet in
Wilmington, Delaware. Through out the month, we are
teased further by continued firey messages on the
TitanTron's screen during both brand House and televised
shows. NIIIICE touch! FINALLY!!!! On August 26th (post
SummerSlam), at Madison Square Gardens in NY, KANE RETURNS,
and the first thing he does is put his big boot down on
the flag dissin' UnAmericans - LITERALLY! During his May
ByteThis! interview, KANE told us he wanted to use the
time out of action to accomplish a few things - one of
which was to improve on his body! This he did - so well
in fact there were some that didn't believe the svelte,
muscle defined, near seven, foot curly-haired ADONIS was THE
KANE!!!! That night, KANE also displayed his new mask
sans mouth covering and look - more on the "cutting
edge" as he'd described shortly before his return,
and better able to show off the results of his hard work!
Though his firey kick-butt attitude was still in tact, he
also had a surprise for fans, friends and foes alike -
The KANEROONI!!!!!!!!!!
Indian Summer faded into Fall as KANE brawled against
the UnAmericans leading up to September
22nd's Unforgiven PPV where he, along with GoldDust,
Bubba Ray and Booker T, put pain in the butts of the
UnAmerican's and ended their USA bashing. Another AWESOME
No Mercy commercial featuring some very funny kids, Pete
Rose and KANE began airing during that PPV too. KANE
teamed up with The Hurricane the next night to win the
Tag Team Titles from Christian and Storm, and produced
some delicious backstage promos with Terri and the
"SuperHero"! Terri sure was the lucky one to
get not one but TWO kisses from KANE's now freed lips!
WHOOOOW!! On September 24th, KANE, along with WWE
Champion SuperStars and management, announced at
SafecoField in Seattle, Washington that WMX9 would be
hosted at that location. Six days later, KANE wins the IC
Championship from Y2J on RAW September 30th, after which
he gets a second lip lock with Terri (that we SEE - LOL)
and tells us . . ."Chicks dig the Mask!"
October 5th was the anniversary of five years in the
WWE for KANE. That night Confidential showcased his No
Mercy Commercial with some insightful behind the scenes
spots by KANE and Pete Rose. The RAW in Las Vegas Table
Ladders and Chairs match where KANE defended the Tag Team
titles alone against Bubba Ray and Spike, Christian and
Y2J, and RVD and Jeff Hardy, was one of the best matches
of the year - KANE retained the titles to the cheers and
accolades of the crowd. KANE would make fan appearances
in Sacramento to promote SmackDown! Your Vote, in Topeka,
Kansas just before the show, a guest appearance at Spooky
World in Massachusetts, and on ByteThis! to the delight
of his fans. During this month, a storyline was begun
where 3H made some decidedly ugly accusations against
KANE and had a great many Kanenites scratching their
heads and wondering on the sanity of the writing team at
RAW. At No Mercy in Little Rock Arkansas, we were privy
to a brief few moments of the BROTHERS sitting side by
side - a treat we were not expecting and dearly
treasured. Much to the dismay of KANE's followers, KANE
was the victim of foul sportsmanship at No Mercy in an
ALL or NOTHING match, and another title was stripped away
from the WWE and from around KANE's waist. The end of the
month closed much as the casket KANE slammed shut on 3H
during a memorable and hard fought Casket Match. This
month saw some excellent showcasing of KANE as an
entertainer and it's hoped we see more in the coming
months.
The WWE gave us KANE on the cover and in a wonderfully
written piece of the November issue of
WWE Magazine. It's the first photo shoots we get of KANE
in his new attire since his return! A "Mini
Mag" is also leased to the public which features
some insightful articles and mostly unknown tidbits on
the Masked Man, one of which is that Marketing loves to
use KANE as a spokesman for the WWE. We see this - On the
4th, he is in Boston at Northeastern U to put in one
final rally for SmackDown! Your Vote with Al Snow,
Hurricane an Spike. On the 16th KANE appears on CNN's
'NewsNight with Aaron Brown" to chat about the state
of the WWE and his feelings on where it's headed. KANE
also went to India with the RAW Brand for a three day
stint, getting huge pops and some good press there too.
November hosts a serious build up toward the Survivor
Series PPV Elimination Chamber Match on the 17th, which
pits KANE, RVD, Y2J, Booker T, HBK and 3H against each
other at Madison Square Garden. Another well thought out
and powerful delivery of a match by the grapplers and the
creative team with a peek into their thoughts after the
PPV has many clamoring for more of the same. Again, KANE
is showcased backstage in some hilarious spots with
Hurricane, Booker T and Goldust, with a running theme of
getting KANE to chill out!!!! ROFL! Ric Flair decides to
bait KANE while 3H is away, and ends up siccing Batista
on the Big Red Monster for a while. At month's end, KANE
has gained another "little buddy" in RVD.
The Holiday Season had KANE continuing his feud with
Batista, with Flair in tow, leading up to the Armageddon
PPV on the 15th in the warm climes of Ft. Lauderdale,
Fla. More priceless backstage spots with KANE were
presented, interacting with Cheif Morley, RVD and Coach.
While he is constantly being blindsided by Batista, he
teaches the meaning of pain when given Three Minute
Warning. KANE leaves us in the old year with reminders of
what his past was like for him - by giving HIS
perspective of what the world at large is like, and where
he spent most of his childhood. RVD presented KANE with a
present on RAW's final LIVE show of the year, a game KANE
didn't seem to appreciate - since he didn't like
Christmas OR games.
Yes, it was a year in the life of KANE we will not
soon forget - packing away the injury segment, along with
our Holiday decorations and baubles, lets hope for as
prosperous and rewarding a year in 2003.
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