Rating The Champ: Kane – SmarKDown's Blog

Welcome to a new series on the website, called Rating The Champ. This will follow my prior World Title Series, where I reviewed each and every WWE Heavyweight Champion in history from Hulk Hogan’s first title win in 1984 all the way to the current days. Money in the Bank cash-ins will not be included for obvious reasons, unless it was a proper match (ie: Rob Van Dam at One Night Stand 2006). Royal Rumble and battle royales won’t be included as well.

In this new series, I will rate all the PPV matches from each and every WWF/E Heavyweight Champion in history. To be fair, since this is the WWF/E title, I’ll only rate their PPV matches in the WWF/E. In this edition, we’ll be looking back at the PPV career of the one and only, former WWF & World Heavyweight Champion, Kane.

1995

Vs. Bret Hart (SummerSlam) **3/4
W/ The Royals vs. The Darkside (Survivor Series) *1/2

1996

W/ Team Vader vs. Team Yokozuna (Survivor Series) *
W/ ‘Razor Ramon’ vs. Owen Hart & The British Bulldog – WWF Tag Team Championship (IYH 12: It’s Time) **

1997

Vs. Mankind (Survivor Series) ***

1998

Vs. Vader (No Way Out of Texas) *1/2
Vs. The Undertaker (WrestleMania XIV) ***1/2
Inferno: Vs. The Undertaker (Unforgiven) **1/2
Mask vs. Mask: Vs. Vader (Over the Edge) DUD
First Blood: Vs. Steve Austin – WWF Championship (King of the Ring) ***1/4
W/ Mankind vs. Steve Austin & The Undertaker – WWF Tag Team Championship (Fully Loaded) **1/2
Vs. Steve Austin vs. The Undertaker – WWF Championship (Breakdown) **
Vs. The Undertaker – WWF Championship (Judgment Day) 1/4*
Vs. The Undertaker (Survivor Series) DUD

1999

W/ Chyna vs. Triple H & X-Pac (St. Valentine’s Day Massacre) **1/2
Vs. Triple H (WrestleMania XV) *
W/ X-Pac vs. D’Lo Brown & Mark Henry – WWF Tag Team Championship (Over the Edge) **3/4
Vs. Big Show (King of the Ring) DUD
Vs. Billy Gunn (King of the Ring) 1/2*
Vs. Big Show (Fully Loaded) DUD
W/ X-Pac vs. The Undertaker & Big Show – WWF Tag Team Championship (SummerSlam) **1/2
Six Pack Challenge – WWF Championship (Unforgiven) ***1/4
Elimination: Vs. X-Pac vs. Bradshaw vs. Faarooq (No Mercy) **
Vs. X-Pac (Survivor Series) *
Steel Cage: Vs. X-Pac (Armageddon) **

2000

No Holds Barred: Vs. X-Pac (No Way Out) ***
W/ Rikishi vs. DX (WrestleMania 2000) *
W/ Rock & Undertaker vs. Triple H, Vince & Shane – WWF Championship (King of the Ring) **
Vs. The Undertaker (SummerSlam) 1/2*
Vs. Rock vs. Undertaker vs. Benoit – WWF Championship (Unforgiven) ***1/2
Vs. Chris Jericho (Survivor Series) **
Last Man Standing: Vs. Chris Jericho (Armageddon) **1/4

2001

Tables: W/ The Undertaker vs. The Dudley Boyz vs. Edge & Christian – WWF Tag Team Championship (No Way Out) **
Hardcore: Vs. Raven vs. Big Show – WWF Hardcore Championship (WrestleMania X-Seven) ***
W/ The Undertaker vs. Steve Austin & Triple H – WWF Tag Team, IC & World Championships (Backlash) **3/4
Chain: Vs. Triple H – WWF Intercontinental Championship (Judgment Day) ***
W/ Spike Dudley vs. The Dudley Boyz – WWF Tag Team Championship (King of the Ring) **1/4
Inaugural Brawl: W/ Team WWF vs. Team WCW & ECW (InVasion) ***1/2
Steel Cage: W/ The Undertaker vs. DDP & Kanyon – WCW & WWF Tag Team Championships (SummerSlam) 1/2*
W/ The Undertaker vs. KroniK – WCW Tag Team Championship (Unforgiven) DUD
Vs. Test (No Mercy) ***1/4
W/ Team WWF vs. The Alliance (Survivor Series) ****1/4
W/ Big Show vs. The Dudley Boyz – WWF Tag Team Championship (Vengeance) 1/2*

2002

Vs. Kurt Angle (WrestleMania X8) **1/2
W/ Booker T, Goldust & Bubba Ray Dudley vs. The Un-Americans (Unforgiven) ***
Vs. Triple H – WWE IC & World Championships (No Mercy) **1/2
Elimination Chamber Match – World Heavyweight Championship (Survivor Series) ****
Vs. Batista (Armageddon) DUD

2003

W/ Rob Van Dam vs. William Regal & Lance Storm – World Tag Team Championship (No Way Out) **1/4
W/ Rob Van Dam vs. The Dudley Boyz – World Tag Team Championship (Backlash) **
W/ Rob Van Dam vs. La Résistance – World Tag Team Championship (Bad Blood) 3/4*
No Holds Barred: Vs. Rob Van Dam (SummerSlam) **1/2
Last Man Standing: Vs. Shane McMahon (Unforgiven) **
Ambulance: Vs. Shane McMahon (Survivor Series) *
Vs. Goldberg vs. Triple H – World Heavyweight Championship (Armageddon) *1/2

2004

Vs. The Undertaker (WrestleMania XX) **
Vs. Edge (Backlash) *
Vs. Chris Benoit – World Heavyweight Championship (Bad Blood) ****
No DQ: Vs. Matt Hardy (Vengeance) **1/2
‘Till Death Do Us Part: Vs. Matt Hardy (SummerSlam) *1/2
No DQ: Vs. Shawn Michaels (Unforgiven) ***1/2
Weapon of Choice: Vs. Snitsky (Taboo Tuesday) 1/2*

2005

Vs. Snitsky (New Year’s Revolution) 1/2*
Money in the Bank Ladder Match (WrestleMania 21) ****3/4
Vs. Viscera (Backlash) 1/4*
Vs. Edge (Vengeance) **1/2
W/ Big Show vs. Lance Cade & Trevor Murdoch – World Tag Team Championship (Taboo Tuesday) *
W/ Team RAW vs. Team SmackDown (Survivor Series) ***1/4
W/ Big Show vs. Batista & Rey Mysterio (Armageddon) **

2006

Elimination Chamber Match – WWE Championship (New Year’s Revolution) ***
W/ Big Show vs. Carlito & Chris Masters – World Tag Team Championship (WrestleMania 22) *
Vs. Big Show (Backlash) DUD
Vs. “Kane” (Vengeance) 1/4*
Vs. Umaga (Unforgiven) *1/2
Vs. Umaga (Cyber Sunday) **
W/ Team Cena vs. Team Show (Survivor Series) **1/2
Inferno: Vs. MVP (Armageddon) *

2007

Vs. King Booker (No Way Out) **
Vs. The Great Khali (WrestleMania 23) DUD
Lumberjack: Vs. Mark Henry (One Night Stand) 1/2*
Vs. The Great Khali vs. Batista – World Heavyweight Championship (The Great American Bash) 1/2*
Vs. Finlay (SummerSlam) **1/4
Vs. MVP – WWE United States Championship (Cyber Sunday) *
W/ Team Triple H vs. Team Umaga (Survivor Series) ***
W/ CM Punk vs. Mark Henry & Big Daddy V (Armageddon) *1/2

2008

Vs. Chavo Guerrero – ECW Championship (WrestleMania XXIV) N/R (not rated)
Vs. Chavo Guerrero – ECW Championship (Backlash) **
W/ CM Punk vs. John Morrison & The Miz – WWE Tag Team Championship (Judgment Day) **1/2
Vs. Big Show vs. Mark Henry – ECW Championship (Night of Champions) *1/2
Championship Scramble – World Heavyweight Championship (Unforgiven) **3/4
Vs. Rey Mysterio (No Mercy) **1/2
No Holds Barred: Vs. Rey Mysterio (Cyber Sunday) **1/4
W/ Team JBL vs. Team HBK (Survivor Series) ***

2009

Elimination Chamber Match – World Heavyweight Championship (No Way Out) ****1/4
Money in the Bank Ladder Match (WrestleMania XXV) ***1/4
Vs. CM Punk (Backlash) **1/2
Vs. The Great Khali (SummerSlam) DUD
Singapore Cane: Vs. The Great Khali (Breaking Point) DUD
W/ Team SmackDown vs. Team RAW (Bragging Rights) ***1/4

2010

Vs. Drew McIntyre – WWE Intercontinental Championship (Elimination Chamber) **
Money in the Bank Ladder Match (WrestleMania XXVI) ***1/2
SmackDown’s Money in the Bank Ladder Match (Money in the Bank) ****
Vs. Rey Mysterio – World Heavyweight Championship (SummerSlam) **3/4
No Holds Barred: Vs. The Undertaker – World Heavyweight Championship (Night of Champions) **
HIAC: Vs. The Undertaker – World Heavyweight Championship (Hell in a Cell) *
Buried Alive: Vs. The Undertaker – World Heavyweight Championship (Bragging Rights) *1/4
Vs. Edge – World Heavyweight Championship (Survivor Series) 3/4*
TLC: Vs. Edge vs. Rey Mysterio vs. Alberto Del Rio – World Heavyweight Championship (TLC) ****1/4

2011

Elimination Chamber Match – World Heavyweight Championship (Elimination Chamber) ****1/4
W/ Show, Kofi & Santino vs. The Corre (WrestleMania XXVII) 1/4*
Lumberjack: W/ Big Show vs. The Corre – WWE Tag Team Championship (Extreme Rules) 3/4*
W/ Big Show vs. The New Nexus – WWE Tag Team Championship (Over the Limit) **
SmackDown’s Money in the Bank Ladder Match (Money in the Bank) ****

2012

Vs. John Cena (Royal Rumble) **
Ambulance: Vs. John Cena (Elimination Chamber) **1/2
Vs. Randy Orton (WrestleMania XXVIII) **
Falls Count Anywhere: Vs. Randy Orton (Extreme Rules) ***
Vs. CM Punk vs. Daniel Bryan – WWE Championship (No Way Out) ***1/4
RAW’s Money in the Bank Ladder Match (Money in the Bank) ***1/2
Vs. Daniel Bryan (SummerSlam) **
W/ Daniel Bryan vs. Kofi Kingston & R-Truth – WWE Tag Team Championship (Night of Champions) **1/2
W/ Daniel Bryan vs. Team Rhodes Scholars – WWE Tag Team Championship (Hell in a Cell) **1/2
W/ Team Foley vs. Team Ziggler (Survivor Series) ***1/4
TLC: W/ Daniel Bryan & Ryback vs. The Shield (TLC) ****1/2

2013

W/ Daniel Bryan vs. Team Rhodes Scholars – WWE Tag Team Championship (Royal Rumble) **1/2
Elimination Chamber Match (Elimination Chamber) ****
W/ Daniel Bryan vs. Dolph Ziggler & Big E Langston – WWE Tag Team Championship (WrestleMania 29) **3/4
Tornado: W/ Daniel Bryan vs. The Shield – WWE Tag Team Championship (Extreme Rules) **3/4
Vs. Dean Ambrose – WWE United States Championship (Payback) ***
Ring Of Fire: Vs. Bray Wyatt (SummerSlam) *

2014

W/ The New Age Outlaws vs. The Shield (WrestleMania XXX) **
Extreme Rules: Vs. Daniel Bryan – WWE World Heavyweight Championship (Extreme Rules) ***1/2
Ladder Match – WWE World Heavyweight Championship (Money in the Bank) ***3/4
Vs. John Cena vs. Randy Orton vs. Roman Reigns – WWE World Heavyweight Championship (Battleground) ***1/4
W/ Team Authority vs. Team Cena (Survivor Series) ****1/4
Chairs: Vs. Ryback (TLC) 1/2*

2015

W/ The Authority vs. Ziggler, Ryback & Rowan (Fastlane) *1/2
Money in the Bank Ladder Match (Money in the Bank) ***1/2
Vs. Seth Rollins – WWE World Heavyweight Championship (Hell in a Cell) ***
W/ The Undertaker vs. The Wyatt Family (Survivor Series) **3/4

2016

W/ Big Show & Ryback vs. The Wyatt Family (Fastlane) *1/2
No Holds Barred: Vs. Bray Wyatt (Backlash) **1/2

2017

Handicap TLC: W/ Miz, Braun & The Bar vs. Angle, Ambrose & Rollins (TLC) ****

2018

Vs. Brock Lesnar vs. Braun Strowman – WWE Universal Championship (Royal Rumble) *
W/ Daniel Bryan vs. The Bludgeon Brothers – WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championship (Extreme Rules) ***
W/ The Undertaker vs. DX (Crown Jewel) **3/4

TOP FIVE

5. The Undertaker (WrestleMania XIV)

4. Money in the Bank 2010

3. Chris Benoit (Bad Blood 2004)

2. Edge, Rey Mysterio, Alberto Del Rio (TLC 2010)

1. The Shield (TLC 2012)

Average rating per year

1995 – 2.13
1996 – 1.5
1997 – 3
1998 – 1.72
1999 – 1.59
2000 – 2.04
2001 – 2.27
2002 – 2.4
2003 – 1.71
2004 – 2.14
2005 – 2.04
2006 – 1.41
2007 – 1.34
2008 – 2.06
2009 – 2.21
2010 – 2.39
2011 – 2.25
2012 – 2.82
2013 – 2.67
2014 – 2.88
2015 – 2.69
2016 – 2
2017 – 4
2018 – 2.25

Overall average rating

2.23/5

Don’t miss the next article here on Rating The Champ, where we’ll be looking back at former World Heavyweight Champion, Jack Swagger.