Ranking Kane’s Tag Team Partners

With the return of Team Hell No on SmackdownLive, now is as good a time as any to take a look back on Kane’s tag team career. The Big Red Machine is pretty much the master of teaming up with random superstars over the years, and a lot of them are well remembered, and fondly so. With that being said, here is the ranking for all seven of Kane’s tag team partners he has had over the years.

7. Mankind

A largely forgettable team comprised of two of the best the Attitude Era had to offer. While Kane is pretty much the king of make-shift tag teams, his first didn’t bring anything to the table. Their biggest moment as a team was when they were scheduled to face Steve Austin and The Undertaker in a Hell in a Cell match on RAW. The match never even happened, and not many people know that Kane and Mankind were teaming at this point. Oddly enough, Steve Austin and The Undertaker were the ones to take the titles off them, which is a far more strange tag team now that I think about it.

6. Hurricane

This is the kind of team you put together in a video game. One would think that kind of random union would be more memorable. But this comedic team is overshadowed by the charisma of other smaller partners that will be touched on later in this list. That being said, there was some fun to be had here. Kane had some good comedic moments, Hurricane got off to a great start after recently debuting, and Kane singlehandedly defeated three teams in a wonderful TLC match. It just goes to the show the value of the other teams on this list.

5. X- Pac

A lot of people have fond memories of this pairing, despite the fact the team was short lived. While their second championship reign is most forgettable, their first was a nice payoff for a makeshift team. Kane has always worked well with smaller men, and this was what kicked it off. While nothing new, Kane and Pac were a great contrast of styles that made for some entertaining matches. Making Kane more human will always be a controversial topic, but putting that aside, this was a fun tag team.

4. Big Show

Kane and Big Show were two guys who won tag team gold with just about everyone they could possibly team up with. So it’s no surprise to see that they made a good tag team together as well. Their first run near the end of the Ruthless Agression Era was a remarkable depiction of a monster tag team, the likes of which we rarely see today. And even though both men were nearing veteran status at the time, both characters felt fresh in this role. Their second run during the PG Era was less than stellar, bringing the team down to the fourth spot.

3. RVD

Kane is like a chameleon, able to adapt to his surroundings. One look at this gem of a tag team is all the prof that is needed. Like Edge and Christian, this team was the perfect mix of seriousness inside the ring and silliness backstage. The initial brand split made way for some creative choices, this being one of the best in terms of the tag team division. This is a case of a truly thrown together team reaching unexpected heights. But looking at Kane’s tag team resume it isn’t much of a shock.

2. Daniel Bryan

As Kane’s partner in his longest tag team championship run, Daniel Bryan already surpasses most of the teams on this list. Add in the chemistry the two had and one can clearly see how memorable this team is. At a time where the Shield was all anyone could talk about, Team Hell No carved out a niche and ran with it. From their comedic antics with Dr. Shelby to the exciting matches they put on together, there will be a place in history for this odd duo. It brought Kane back into the spotlight, maybe for the final time. If so, it is a note worthy for such a legendary figure to go out on. Let’s just hope they’re reunion doesn’t sour the fond memories we have of the duo.

1. Undertaker

Of course the Brothers of Destruction top the list. The Undertaker is such a large part of Kane’s career that it would be a crime to put anyone else here. A common criticism is that Kane didn’t contribute much to the team, as Undertaker was always depicted as the better of the two, which is unfortunate. How is anyone suppose to compare to the Deadman? Even so, Glenn Jacobs and Mark Calaway had, and still possess, a great chemistry together. But seeing as how both are two of the greatest big men of all time, that isn’t a stretch. If any of the teams on this list make it to the Hall of Fame, it’ll be this one, and to many, it will be well deserved.