Kane provided the world with one of the most shocking Royal Rumble moments of all time in 1998.
This year’s edition of the beloved PPV takes place on January 29, and the hype is off the charts. The yearly spectacle is one of the most popular events in the WWE calendar for one reason alone: the two Royal Rumble matches.
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Across the two matches, a total of 60 WWE Superstars enter the ring with one mission in mind—to launch their opponents over the top rope and claim their place in a world title match at WrestleMania. The matches themselves have become the stuff of legend, with many superstars creating legacy-defining moments.
One wrestler who is a testament to this is none other than the ‘Big Red Machine’ himself.
In 2001, Kane broke the record for the most eliminations in one match (11). He shocked the world by disposing of legendary names, including The Rock and Tazz, before eventually being eliminated last when he was flung over the top rope by ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin.
Despite not winning, the giant’s record-breaking run impressed wrestling enthusiasts around the globe. Although Brock Lesnar now holds the accolade of ‘most eliminations’, Kane’s performance still has a special place in the WWE history books.
Read: The Undertaker once launched ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin through a glass window
But as good as this epic display was, the most extraordinary moment involving ‘The Big Red Machine’ at the Rumble arguably came three years earlier.
One of the most shocking Royal Rumble moments of all time
The Undertaker vs Kane is one of the most notorious rivalries in wrestling history.
As the story went, ‘The Big Red Machine’ arrived in the company as the half-brother of ‘The Deadman’, having suffered a scarred face when The Undertaker set fire to his family’s funeral home.
Kane appeared at WWF In Your House: Badd Blood 1997 during a Hell in a Cell match between The Undertaker and Shawn Michaels. Out of nowhere, a fiery explosion and eerie red light transfixed the crowd. Kane was here. And he was terrifying.
He entered the cell and performed a Tombstone Piledriver on his brother, kicking off one of the best feuds in the business.
Read: WWE fans debate the greatest Hell in a Cell matches of all time
By 1998, the still unsettled rivalry reached boiling point. The Undertaker took on Michaels in another one of their terrific contests. In a Casket Match, ‘The Phenom’ performed a Tombstone on ‘The Heartbreak Kid’ into the casket. However, before he could shut the lid, he was attacked by multiple assailants, led by Road Dogg and Billy Gunn.
Then, suddenly, the crowd erupted as Kane’s music blasted into the arena. He entered the ring, battered the assailants and appeared to have saved the day. That was until he attacked his brother himself.
He then performed a Chokeslam on The Undertaker into the casket before bolting it shut and smashing it with a sledgehammer. But if that wasn’t already brutal enough, what he did next left the world open-mouthed.
He poured petrol all over the casket. Kane then set the casket alight in one of the most unbelievable sporting moments of all time. The crowd could not believe what they were witnessing.
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