The Devil's Luckiest Demon

The Undertaker getting injured many months ago had a heavy hand in the WWE's decision to end the big push of Jack Swagger and give the World Heavyweight Championship to Kane. More recently, Taker once again getting injured and requiring some time off has benefited Kane once again. Kane retained his title against his brother in three consecutive PPVs, which included two gimmick matches. If you count that Kane even got the better of Taker at Summerslam, where Taker returned, Kane has owned him four PPVs in a row. How many wrestlers can come up and say that?

Obviously, had Taker not been injured again, the story being told right now would be different. Aside from this being the second time this year the WWE has had to write off Taker due to injury, he also took a semi-hiatus after Wrestlemania. The reason I do not say it is a full hiatus is because they did have to call him up at least once when they needed him. This has not been a good year for him when it comes to amount of time being used on TV. As I have said before, this is working for Kane's benefit.

Now Edge is going for the title. I do not want to see Kane's reign end yet. I do not say this because Kane is one of my favorites, but I think they can still do more to make this title reign rich. Kane and Edge can feud for Survivor Series and TLC. Both Kane and Edge have won TLC matches, so there can be a good build there. After that, have him feud with Big Show. Elimination Chamber will come after that. Just pull together a few names. Easy. The WWE can also substitute a midcarder on the rise instead of Big Show. Kofi Kingston? They can also choose Rey Mysterio again. Fact is, after Elimination Chamber, Wrestlemania comes. If Taker is good to go by then, Undertaker vs. Kane III, and for the title and with Paul Bearer there, could be epic. If Taker's recovery hits a snag, the WWE can take the belt from Kane at Royal Rumble or Elimination Chamber. I cannot picture anyone else who could take the title from Kane in a great build for Wrestlemania. They can just give Kane a midcard match. I do not feel they should keep the title on Kane for what might be 8 months or more. They screwed Swagger once already. Edge has been the face of Smackdown before and should get it back eventually. They just cannot keep the title on Kane in hopes of having him drop it to Taker. I just feel now is not the time to kill Kane's fun.

How Long Can Kane Last On Top?

This is the best Kane has ever looked against The Undertaker in his entire career. That is saying a lot. A lot of men come and go in the WWE without even getting to look half as good against Taker in a 1-month feud. Kane is not only the one who put Taker in that "vegetative state", he has looked better than Taker at every PPV since Taker returned at Summerslam. Recently, Paul Bearer did indeed turn heel and side with Kane. Undertaker is once again on the ropes.

I am surprised that they have developed so much in making Kane look strong. I was happy the first time he retained the title against Undertaker, but was not expecting to win at Hell in a Cell too. Do they feed him to Taker now? It would be nice if they invested one more title feud for Kane against someone else first. But who? And why? Just to make his title reign seem a little bit more full, as if he really could be considered the centerpiece for this time. He has been definitely getting the promo time and focus.

Why should Taker still eventually go over Kane? Why not? Taker is the face. This is obviously what the WWE is leading up to. Unless the face gets injured, decides to retire, or some combination of that and anything else, this is the kind of story in which it is only logical that the face eventually wins against the well-developed heel. Taker bringing in Paul Bearer could have been a way to get his "power" back. That backfired. That creativity is in the WWE's hands. How can Taker get it back together to get his revenge against Kane, and also Paul Bearer to some degree? That is a question that can draw for Smackdown. It would be funny if that does a better job at getting a 2.0 for the show than Cena hype. I doubt it will. Still, got to give WWE credit for the attempt.

Paul Bearer Rises From The Dead

While Nexus seems to be losing steam on Raw for the time, the story between Kane and Undertaker really picked up recently. Paul Bearer, "father" of Kane and manager to Undertaker is back to support Undertaker.

For the worth of nostalgia, this is a great move. What's more, you are bringing back a guy with an actual gimmick and legacy in the WWE. There is entertainment value in that. It also adds a great new dimension in the storyline. Intrigue is back again. There was a bit of intrigue over who attacked Taker a few months ago, although most people guessed it was Kane. Now people can talk about what Paul Bearer will do in this feud. Will he turn on Taker eventually? Will Taker turn on him again? That would be funny.

One thing has to be admitted. None of this would have happened if Undertaker was not injured a few months ago. Jack Swagger (God, rest his main-event push) would have probably still been near the main event at this time, whether he lost the belt eventually to Taker or not. Kane would have probably still been a face jobber, putting over Cody Rhodes. Swagger definitely did get screwed, so I hope even more that the storyline does pay big in terms of entertainment.