Kane vs Mankind (WWF, 11-9-1997)

WWF Survivor Series, Montreal, Quebec, Canada

At Survivor Series 1995, Isaac Yankem DDS was in a tag elimination match. At Survivor Series 1996, “Diesel” was in a tag elimination match. At Survivor Series 1997, we have Kane, the gimmick that would finally put “7 foot monster” Glenn Jacobs on the map for good after several failed attempts to get his career moving in the big leagues.

Kane was new to the WWF and thus basically indestructible as they were on the road to WrestleMania and a matchup with The Undertaker. The very credible and durable Mankind steps in as an early sacrifice here — formerly managed by Paul Bearer, who has cast him aside because now he has Kane.

Mankind jumps Kane in the entrance aisle with the dark red lights on, but Kane chucks Mankind into the steps, picking him up by the throat to do it. The match goes into the ring, Mankind still down, just tossed in there by Kane.

Kane does the fire gimmick and the bell sounds. We will wrestle in red mood lighting. Mankind fights back with his usual brawling, then clotheslines Kane out to the floor, going over with him. But Kane lands on his feet and clotheslines Mankind down on the floor.

Kane grabs the ring steps and tosses them at Mankind’s head; they bounce off and hit the floor again. Back into the ring, Kane in control. Bearer cackles ringside as Mankind pulls his own hair out, gets up, and runs right into a Kane boot.

Mankind rammed into the turnbuckle, now Kane choking or clawing or whatever he’s doing, hard to tell with the lighting. Some right hands and then a choke. Mankind whipped to the corner, he bounces out into a side slam.

“This light is eerie!”

Back out to the floor and Kane continues to slowly dominate with brawling tactics. Mankind whipped into the steps, but he lifts a leg and gets a boot into Kane’s face on the way in, then picks him up and drops his head down onto the steps. Mankind finally fighting back on the supernatural lighting man.

Mankind grabs a chair, and whacks Kane in the head. Back into the ring, Mankind continues to rally. He hits a couple running kicks, then his underpants yanking piledriver. Mankind then reaches through the ropes and gives Paul Bearer the mandible claw, releases that, and screams down at him.

Meanwhile, Kane has sat up and recovered. Kane choke-shoves Mankind off the apron through the Spanish commentary desk. Poor Tito Santana had to bump again. Kane with a chunk of the desk and he hits Mankind with it. But they make their way back to the aisle, where Mankind goes low and hits the double arm DDT on the concrete.

Mankind hits the elbow off the apron. He goes up to climb the corner, but Kane leaps up to the apron and slams him down to the floor. Kane back into the ring, waiting patiently, while Mankind slowly crawls back into the ring. He pulls himself up, using Kane as a post, and Kane grabs him — tombstone. 1, 2, 3.

Rating: 2.5/5. It’s a little slow in spots, but that’s Kane for you, along for the ride like he was 85% of his career. But Foley is great here, heroically sacrificing his hips in particular to make Kane look like a monster. There was really nobody better to serve up to make Kane look like an indestructible force of nature; Foley’s credibility and superhuman efforts to make opponents look good were the absolute best fit for that task.