KANE vs. VADER

The feud between these two giants began on the January 26, 1998 edition of WWF Monday Night RAW, when Kane interfered in a match between Goldust and Vader, dropping the 450-pounder in a Tombstone Piledriver. On the next week's edition of RAW, the night after the Royal Rumble Pay-Per-View, "The Big Red Machine," Kane, along with his manager, Paul Bearer, come out to an eerie enterance, interrupting WWF official Wink Collins, who's hyping that year's WrestleMania, which was taking place in Boston at the famed Fleet Center. Bearer immediately got on the microphone and threatened Collins that Kane was gonna teach him a lesson. Kane's massive hand then locked around the neck of Collins, ready to deliver his trademark Chokeslam from Hell. As he's about to lift him several feet above his head, the music of the 458 lb. "Rocky Mountain Monster," Vader, hit, signaling that, "It's Vader Time!" Vader walks toward the ring and gets up onto the ring apron, microphone in hand. "Kane, you stuck your nose in my business. You drew first blood. Come February 15th no way out, your big **** ass is mine," he yelled straight at "The Big Red Machine." Bearer and Kane nodded their heads in compliance, agreeing to the challenge. Vader proceeded to grab a fire-extinguisher from ring-side, and sprayed it straight at Bearer at Kane until the two eventually high-tailed it to the backstage area.

The stage was set, so, come WWF No Way Out of Texas in Houston, TX at the Compaq Center, the two massive titans faced off. The match began with the two brawling in the ring, getting in punches, headbutts, and chops at every chance they got. It didn't take long for them to move to the outside ring area, where Kane whips Vader into the metal-guardrail and bash the steel ring-steps into the goliath's forehead. Vader gains the advantage with a low-blow kick, and proceeds to ram Kane's head into the ring-turnbuckle. They climb back into the ring, where Kane climbs to the top-rope and dives onto Vader. He picks him back up and uses a chokehold, before suplexing the massive body of his opponent. A couple more chokeholds aren't enough to control Vader, as he powers back with a stiff clothesline-lariat, followed by a gigantic body-splash, before climbing to the top-rope and using his spectacular balance and agility to deliver a 458 lb. Moonsault to the Big Red Machine, but, monster that he is, Kane sits up. Vader tosses him to the outside, where they brawl for a while before Vader grabs a fire-extinguisher from under the ring and spraying Kane with it. The two climb back into the ring, where Vader Piledrives the 326-pouner, only to realize that that's still not enough. Kane fought back, locking his hand above the massive neck of Vader and delivers the Chokeslam from Hell to him. Just to be sure, he stands Vader back up once again, before picking up all 458 lb's of him and dropping him to the ring-mat with a Tombstone Piledriver. Kane gains the win with the 1-2-3 pin, but that's still not enough for him. He steps over the top-rope and grabs a wrench, which he uses to brutally bash into the forehead of Vader. Kane had pinned Vader.

Their feud was put on the shelf for a few months, as Kane and his returning brother, The Undertaker, wrestled eachother at that year's WrestleMania, while Vader received eye surgery. Undertaker defeated his younger brother with a Tombstone Piledriver. The feud between Vader and Kane then continued from where the two had left off at No Way Out. At the April "Unforgiven" PPV, Vader made his return in an Inferno Match (where the ring-ropes are burning, so the only way to get out of the ring is to jump over the ropes) between Kane and Undertaker. He helped screw Kane out of the win, allowing Undertaker to toss his younger brother toward the fire, lighting his arm on fire and gaining the win. Kane and Vader feuded over the next few weeks, eventually leading to a match between the two at Over The Edge Pay-Per-View. It was a "Mask vs. Mask Match," meaning that the loser had to remove their mask. Nobody really cared about the notion of Vader unmasking, due to the fact that his current mask barely covered his face, and it wouldn't be a big deal if he was unmasked; They were all hoping to finally see the face of "The Big Red Machine," Kane. However, after the two mammoth goliaths were done fighting, it was obvious that this was not to be.

They brawled through most of the match, until the six-minute mark when Vader grabbed a wrench and bashed it into Kane's face, gaining some retribution for Kane's reckless assault of him months earlier with the same weapon. However, Vader made a mistake when he climbed to the top-rope and went for a Vadersault, Moonsaulting all 458 lb. of his onto...the ring-mat. Kane moved out of the way just as Vader's body crashed down onto the mat. Kane eventually got to his feet, and lifted Vader upside down, and dropped him in the Tombstone Piledriver, and pinning Vader for the 1-2-3 count win. After the match, Kane did the honors himself when he ripped the mask off of Vader and gave it to Paul Bearer, who put himself and mocked the beaten goliath. Kane had, single-handedly, put an end to "Vader-Time."

That was the Kane-Vader feud. Their first Pay-Per-View match at No Way Out was twice as good, if not even better, than their match at Over The Edge. Kane obviously won the battle of the two goliaths

Pay-Per-View One-On-One Match Results:

1. In Your House: "No Way Out of Texas" (2/15/98): Kane d. Vader
2. In Your House: "Over The Edge" (5/31/98): Kane d. Vader in a "Mask vs. Mask Match"; Vader os therefore forced to remove his mask