top of page
Top 50 Kane Rivalries

It's hard to believe, but Kane has been terrorizing WWE rings for close to 25 years. And despite having such unprecedented staying power, the fire still burns for many of these rivalries.

For this list, we're not counting feuds that Kane had before he first donned the mask (e.g. when he was Unabom, Dr. Isaac Yankem or New Diesel). Instead, it's the run he had while making slight tweaks, e.g. The Big Red Machine, The Demon, Corporate Kane and more recently, Mayor Glen Jacobs.

In counting down the Top 50 Kane Rivalries, Wrestling Merchandise and Memories looked at the following criteria:

 

  • How prominent was the rivarly?

  • What type of stage(s) did it play out on?

  • How memorable were the matches and/or segments?

  • How much did the rivalry do to advance either person's career?

 

If you'd like to be a part of this conversation, Tweet us at @canadianbulldog using the hashtag #Top50, or leave a comment below.

 

Ready? Here we go!

50.

R-Truth

R-Truth battled Kane numerous times in the ring over the years, but it was when Kane became an authority figure that Truth had conflicts with The Big Red Machine. In 2019, Truth also lost the 24/7 Championship to alter-ego Mayor Glen Jacobs.

48.

The Spirit Squad

The Spirit Squad - a group of five male cheerleaders - first gained power in WWE when they took on World Tag Team Champions Kane and The Big Show the night after WrestleMania XXII and ended up snagging the championships.

46.

Viscera

Kane and Viscera clashed on many occasions over the years. In 2005, The Big Red Machine did battle with the 400-plus pounder at the Backlash PPV, and a few years later, Viscera (then known as Big Daddy V) feuded with Kane on both SmackDown and ECW programming.

44.

Dolph Ziggler

Kane and Dolph Ziggler crossed paths numerous times over the years, including a tag team title match at WrestleMania XXIX. However, their biggest feud happened in 2014 when Corporate Kane represented The Authority and fought Ziggler in a cage match on SmackDown.

42.

Finlay

Kane and Finlay were among two of the toughest men on SmackDown around 2007, and the two had a rivalrly that led to a match between them at that year's SummerSlam. The two continued to feud after that, including in tag team battles.

40.

Batista

One of the most persistent thorns in Batista's side was Kane, who took on The Animal is his PPV debut, 2002's Armageddon. They have battled many times since then, with both men switching fan favorite and heel roles, including a big lumberjack match on Raw leading into WrestleMania XXI.

38.

The Rock

While The Rock is better remembered for his Attitude Era clashes with the likes of Stone Cold Steve Austin, Triple H and Mick Foley, Kane was also a frequent opponent of The Great One. In 1999 and 2000, The Big Red Machine battled The People's Champion, including in matches for The Rock's WWF World Title.

36.

Mark Henry

As two of the biggest, baddest veterans in their promotion, Kane and WWE Hall of Famer Mark Henry did battle many times over the years. As recently as 2011, Henry challenged The Big Red Machine to an arm wrestling  contest on Raw, ignited another feud between the two men.

34.

CM Punk

CM Punk battled Kane many times during his record-setting World Title reign. At one point in 2012, both men were involved in a feud that also included Daniel Bryan and the affections of AJ Lee. Later on, Punk battled Corporate Kane, who had just joined The Authority and began abusing his power in WWE.

32.

Roman Reigns

Kane has never been one to believe in The Shield, battling the trio over the years with partners such as Daniel Bryan and The New Age Outlaws. Corporate Kane also acted as The Authority's weapon against The Big Dog many times, including a Last Man Standing Match.

30.

Zack Ryder

As part of his 2012 rivalry with John Cena, Kane took his frustrations on Cena's undercard friend Zack Ryder. During a Falls Count Anywhere match on Raw, The Big Red Machine brutalized Long Island Iced Z so badly that he had to taken away in an ambulance. The two battled again at the Over The Limit PPV.

28.

Rob Van Dam

Although Kane and Rob Van Dam celebrated many a victory as an unlikely tag team on Monday Night Raw, their relationship disintegrated after Kane was forced to unmask and The Big Red Machine attacked RVD. This led to a No Holds Barred match between them at SummerSlam 2003, with Kane winning. 

26.

Umaga

Two of WWE's biggest monsters did battle several times in 2006, including two encounters on pay-per-view. At Unforgiven, the two battled to a double-countout, leading to a televised Loser Leaves Raw match, which Umaga won. The two clashed one last time at Cyber Sunday in an interpromotional match.

24.

The Great Khali

The highest-profile match between giants Kane and The Great Khali took place at WrestleMania XXIII.  In a match that shadowed the main event of WrestleMania 20 years earlier in the same city, Kane bodyslammed Khali a la Hulk Hogan slamming Andre The Giant. 

22.

Stephanie McMahon

Much like with her father Vince McMahon, Stephanie McMahon has had an off-again, on-again relationship with Kane over the years. McMahon has sent Triple H and The Alliance after The Big Red Machine, and while Corproate Kane worked for her as part of The Authority, he was eventually fired from it.

20.

The Big Show

While Kane and The Big Show are perhaps better known as tag team partners over the years (capturing three sets of tag team titles), they were also bitter rivals. In 2006, Kane turned against Show when he turned heel, and they also battled many times during The Authority angle.

18.

Bray Wyatt

When Bray Wyatt brought his Wyatt Family into WWE in mid-2013, their very first target was Kane. An attack on The Big Red Machine led to a Ring of Fire match at SummerSlam, which Kane won. 

16.

Edge

As mentioned in the previous entry, Lita orchestrated an alliance with WWE Hall of Famer Edge to dump Kane, beginning a brief rivalry between the two. Years later, Edge was World Champion and used Kane's "father" Paul Bearer to further taunt him, leading to a Last Man Standing Match between the two.

14.

Seth Rollins

As members of The Authority, Corporate Kane and Seth Rollins were constantly at each other's throats, with his alter-ego Demon Kane attacking Rollins at the conclusion of Night of Champions. They had a match at that year's Hell In A Cell.

12.

Chris Jericho

The rivalry between Chris Jericho and Kane began in 2000 over a cup of coffee. Yes, that's what literally started a feud between the two, cultimating in a match at Survivor Series that Kane won. The two have had numerous matches since then, including for the Intercontinental and World Titles.

10.

Matt Hardy

As referenced in the aforementioned feud with Lita, Kane targeted Matt Hardy's girlfriend and forced her to get married following a victory over Hardy at SummerSlam in 2004. Hardy made an attempt to get revenge on The Big Red Machine, crashing his demonic wedding on Raw.

8.

X-Pac

Kane's first angle as a fan favorite was teaming with WWE Hall of Famer X-Pac and becoming Tag Team Champions. Soon, X-Pac turned on him, leading to their steel cage match at Armageddon in 1999. X-Pac eventually stole Kane's girlfriend Tori and the two rekindled their rivalry when X-Pac rejoined the nWo three years later.

6.

Shane McMahon

After Kane attacked Linda McMahon in 2003, her son Shane McMahon quickly came to her rescue. This led to a series of brutal attacks, including Kane electrocuting Shane O-Mac's testicles with a car battery! The two had an intense pair of brutal matches at 2003's Unforgiven and Survivor Series PPVs.

4.

Mankind

In his WWF debut (at least, under the Kane persona), Kane faced WWE Hall of Famer Mankind at the 1997 Survivor Series. Following that feud, the two began teaming, although Kane later turned against the Hardcore Legend, leading to yet another brutal series of matches between them.

2.

Triple H

Kane and WWE Hall of Famer Triple H battled many times over the years, including a double-turn following their contest at WrestleMania XV. By 2002, World Champion Triple H revealed to the world that Kane had "killed" his girlfriend Katie Vick, leading to the one of the most distasteful angles in history.

49.

Vader

In the lead up to battling his brother The Undertaker for the very first time, Kane was signed to battle another huge man in Vader. At No Way Out Of Texas in 1998, The Big Red Machine handily destroyed The Mastadon. The two also collided in a mask vs. mask match at Over The Edge.

47.

Alberto Del Rio

Alberto Del Rio and Kane never engaged in a lengthy feud, although they constantly faced each other on SmackDown and Raw. When Del Rio injured The Big Show in 2011, Kane came to The Big Show's aid. 

45.

Hardcore Holly

In 1999, Hardcore Holly was calling himself "The Big  Shot" and acted as a referee between The Big Show and Kane at the Fully Loaded PPV. Holly abused his position and helped Show get a victory, placing himself on The Big Red Machine's most wanted list.

43.

Booker T

In 2007, Kane eliminated WWE Hall of Famer Booker T (at the time, King Booker) from the Royal Rumble leading to a rivalry between the two that culminated in a match between the two at No Way Out. The two also battled in tag team competition, when Booker and Test battled The Brothers of Destruction.

41.

Shawn Michaels

In 2004, Jim Ross attempted to mend fences with WWE Hall of Famers Triple H and Shawn Michaels. But the reunion never took place because Kane came on the scene and crushed Michaels' throat with a chair, leading to a No Disqualification Match at Unforgiven.

39.

Christian

The bad blood between Kane and Christian goes back to when Christian was teaming with Edge and Kane with The Undertaker in a battle of faux "brothers." Captain Charisma continued to target Kane when he was with The UnAmericans; the two even clashed as recently as 2013 on Monday Night Raw.

37.

The Dudley Boyz

Kane battled WWE Hall of Famers The Dudley Boyz many times over the years. In 2001, Bubba Ray and D-Von upset Kane and The Undertaker for the WWF Tag Team Titles. Later on, Kane enlisted partners as diverse as Spike Dudley and Seth Rollins to take on Dudleyville's favorite sons.

35

Imposter Kane

One of the strangest Kane storylines  happened in 2006, when The Big Red Machine was haunted by a voice in his head. The voice turned out to be Imposter Kane, who battled himself (?) in a match at that year's Vengeance PPV. The Imposter later resurfaced in WWE as Luke Gallows.

33.

Chris Benoit

Shortly after Chris Benoit captured the World Championship at WrestleMania XX, Kane won a battle royal on Raw to become number one contender to the championship. The Big Red Machine got his title match at the Bad Blood PPV and while he wasn't able to capture the gold, the two battled many times after.

31.

Dean Ambrose

In addition to the aforementioned Shield matches , Kane specifically targeted United States Champion Dean Ambrose. The two had a title match at the Payback PPV in 2013, with Ambrose narrowly winning the match by countout. 

29.

Vince McMahon

Kane has always had a love-hate relationship with WWE Chairman Vince McMahon. During his days as a member of The Corporation, Kane was constantly being threatened by McMahon to be sent back to the insane asylum. Later, when Kane piledrove Vince's wife Linda, there was another confrontation.

27.

Mr. Kennedy

In late 2006, Kane was feuding with MVP, while The Undertaker had a rivalry with Mr. Kennedy. On many occasions, their rivalries were combined, with The Brothers of Destruction taking on the brash newcomers in tag matches. Kane also battled Kennedy one-on-one in a No Disqualification Match on SmackDown.

25.

The New Age Outlaws

WWE Hall of Famers The New Age Outlaws first faced off with Kane and Mankind at SummerSlam 1998 (although Kane no-showed the match). They battled many times since then, though, including with Mankind, X-Pac and other partners throughout The Attitude Era.

23.

Chavo Guerrero

During the WrestleMania XXIV pre-show, Kane won a battle royal to become number one contender to Chavo Guerrero's ECW Championship. Kane pinned Guerrero in just 11 seconds to win the gold. The two began feuding on ECW television, leading to a match at 2008's Backlash, where Kane retained the belt.

21.

Kurt Angle

When Kane and WWE Hall of Famer Kurt Angle first matched up in 2000 on SmackDown, Angle was afraid to battle The Big Red Machine. The two would go on to have several matches, including a WWF Hardcore Championship match and a bout at WrestleMania XVIII, which Angle won.

19.

Montel Vontavious Porter

One of the biggest rivalries on SmackDown in late 2006 was between Kane and newcomer Montel Vontavious Porter. MVP further angered Kane by interfering in The Undertaker's feud with Mr. Kennedy. The two settled their score in an Inferno Match at the Armageddon PPV, with Kane actually setting MVP on fire.

17.

Lita

In 2004, Kane decided he wanted to be with WWE Hall of Famer Lita and impregnated her while she was with Matt Hardy. Kane then "won" Lita in a match at SummerSlam and married her against her will. Lita dumped The Big Red Machine in favor of Edge later that year.

15.

Randy Orton

The first major interaction between Kane and Randy Orton took place in 2004, when Orton was World Champion and Kane was challenger, a feud that included a Steel Cage Match. They also battled in a match at WrestleMania XXVIII. where Kane won. Later, Orton turned on Kane on SmackDown.

13.

Paul Bearer

While WWE Hall of Famer Paul Bearer brought Kane into the WWF (and later announced he was The Big Red Machine's father), the duo have also found themselves as rivals. In 1998, Bearer dumped his "son" in favor of The Undertaker and in 2004, appeared once again with The Dead Man against Kane.

11.

Snitsky

Snitsky made an enemy of Kane during his very first match on Monday Night Raw in 2004, attacking The Big Red Machine and allegedly causing Lita to lose her unborn baby. A rivalry between the two big men played out for both men in the coming months, ending in a Weapons of Choice Match at Taboo Tuesday.

9.

Rey Mysterio

Rey Mysterio and Kane engaged in several feuds over the years, including a short-lived one on Raw. Their biggest angle was on SmackDown in 2010, after Kane cashed in his Money In The Bank contract and took Mysterio's World Championship.

7.

Stone Cold Steve Austin

Kane's first World Championship came at the hands of WWE Hall of Famer Stone Cold Steve Austin, when the two met in a First Blood Match at the 1998 King of the Ring PPV. Kane only held onto the championship for one day, although Austin targeted Kane years later when he was Raw General Manager.

5.

Daniel Bryan

Daniel Bryan and Kane formed one of the most popular "unlikely" tag teams in 2012 and 2013. But before, during and after their reign as WWE Tag Team Champions Team Hell No, Bryan and Kane were constantly feuding. Even after they had parted ways, Corporate Kane made life miserable for his ex-partner.

3.

John Cena

When  Kane returned to WWE in late-2011, he turned heel and immediately targeted John Cena, encouraging The Champ to "embrace the hate." Cena refused to do so, and the two had a pair of matches on PPV in 2012, culminating in an Ambulance Match at the Elimination Chamber PPV, in which Cena won.

1.

The Undertaker

When Kane entered the WWF in 1997, it was specifically to create an evenly-matched enemy for The Undertaker. They did battle at WrestleMania XIV and against WrestleMania XX. The two had one last (for now?) go round in 2010 after Kane was found to have left The Dead Man laying in a "vegetative state", leading to a Hell In A Cell match between the two, in which Kane was finally victorious.

Learn More About Canadian Bulldog

  • Email
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • YouTube
bottom of page