The Absurd Imposter Kane Story, Explained

After over 20 years as the Devil's Favorite Demon, Kane has seen his fair share of pretty crazy storylines in WWE. Whether it be impregnating Lita and then inadvertently causing her miscarriage, or the downright disastrous Katie Vick situation, Vince McMahon hasn't been afraid to spring some outlandish ideas at Kane and see what he can do with them.

One of the strangest storylines Kane suffered through though, was the emergence of the Imposter Kane in the summer of 2006. Yeah, 12 years after WWE tried to introduce The Undertaker's doppelganger in a story that failed miserably, they tried it again, but this time with the Deadman's storyline brother.

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The story, while initially holding a lot of promise on paper, would end up being a major disappointment, falling flat for audiences, and was quickly canned as WWE realized it just wasn't working. Despite not lasting all that long, there are still plenty of incredible facts to tell about the absolutely absurd storyline that was the imposter Kane.

It Was Luke Gallows Under The Mask

Before he was a member of the Straight Edge Society, and before he was the lovable idiot Festus, Luke Gallows took on the role of imposter Kane and made his main roster debut under the mask.

WWE was impressed with Gallows' size and that played a huge part in the company choosing him for the role. Known for his roles among factions and his partnership with Karl Anderson, Gallows' time as the imposter Kane was the only real semblance of a singles push he experienced in WWE. While the storyline fell flat, the future Festus' identity was kept under wraps throughout, ensuring he suffered no damage following the disappointing run.

His time as imposter Kane didn't last long, with WWE cutting it short after it failed to garner any interest with fans, and just over a year after his debut, he re-emerged on the main roster as the lovable Festus.

It Only Lasted One Match

As previously mentioned, the entire imposter Kane storyline — while holding initial promise — failed to garner any interest from fans, and it was a major disappointment. Audiences just weren't interested in the story and couldn't care less about the identity of the mysterious figure or what his intentions were.

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This led to WWE pulling the plug on the storyline just over a month after imposter Kane's debut, meaning he only actually wrestled one match on the main roster during the run. Gallows' only match during his run under the mask would take place at Vengeance 2006, where he managed to beat the real Kane with a chokeslam.

Imitating the real Big Red Machine, Gallows was forced to mimic Kane's wrestling style, and it led to a drab affair between the two which resulted in fairly audible chants of 'boring' from the audience in attendance. The fans' disdain for the match was largely responsible for WWE quickly moving on from the feud and is why the imposter Kane was removed from television on the very next night.

A Bad Wig Turned Vince McMahon Off The Character

After weeks of mysterious segments, WWE had hyped up something memorable was going to happen to Kane in the lead-up to Gallows' debut as the imposter. Fans were intrigued about what could possibly be on the horizon for the Devil's Favorite Demon, but just seconds into the characters' arrival, a dodgy-looking wig quickly ruined any menace about the imposter Kane.

Sporting Kane's old mask and ring attire, Gallows' outfit was accompanied by a really cheap and fake-looking wig that really stood out like a sore thumb. It was clear to anyone watching that the hairpiece was a complete fake and as a result, WWE chairman Vince McMahon was incredibly unhappy.

Kane revealed McMahon thought the wig made a terrible first impression on the character and even, as a result, made the Big Red Machine himself look bad. While it can't be proven that the poor wig is what caused fans to care so little about the gimmick and what led to the storyline being such a major disappointment, first impressions are everything, and having this mysterious new figure arrive in the WWE with such a comically bad looking hairpiece certainly didn't do the character any favors whatsoever.

The imposter Kane storyline was one that had high hopes heading in and could have gone a lot better for all involved, but it was a stark reminder that some stories just read better on paper.