Jim Ross Says Undertaker Took An Active Role In Helping To Get Kane Over

Jim Ross recalls that the Undertaker was hands-on in his feud with Kane in order to get the Big Red Machine over in the storyline. The two began their feud with Kane’s debut at Badd Blood in October of 1997, and JR looked back at their early rivalry on the latest Grilling JR. You can see highlights below, per Wrestling Inc:

On not airing vignettes before Kane’s debut: “It was a matter of not force-feeding Kane to the audience. It was very strategic booking — I thought it was done correctly. In hindsight, I couldn’t have booked it any better than it was. It was easy to get into, an easy story to tell, and right on point.”

On the Undertaker taking an active role in the storyline: “A lot of ‘Taker’s fingerprints were all over this storyline. He had a vested interest in it, he knew where it was going, and he knew what he needed to do to make it happen — and he did everything he needed to do. Undertaker was very, very … he had the ability to share. A lot of the top talents would not give so much of themselves because they were insecure. Taker was not insecure and he knew that Glenn [Jacobs] was a keeper of this deal.”

On Taker putting together gimmick matches like the Inferno and Buried Alive matches for the feud: “‘Taker was the guy that had the visual ideas. [The visuals] were striking and so memorable — another booking hit for ‘Taker if nothing else. Because you can bet your ass he’s gonna be deeply involved in the creative of getting buried alive or burned alive.”

On the visual effects used in the storyline: “It fit the Undertaker’s character. He’s supposed to do the unknown and the unpredictable, so it just kept fitting; creative just kept fitting. Credit to the guys involved in doing it. I’ve spoken so much about ‘Taker here, but when you’ve got a star like him, he’s got to cooperate, he’s got to be involved and invested — and he was. That’s what made this thing successful.”