Why did WWE Superstar Kane 'hate' May 19th?
If you were a fan of WWE in 2006, you knew not to say May 19th in front of Kane! Any mention of the date would lead to an unprovoked and vicious attack by The Big Red Machine.
While the Hall of Famer never truly needed a formal reason to randomly inflict pain on unsuspecting opponents, the date May 19th caused him to go into a chaotic frenzy. So what exactly caused this date to evoke such a vicious response from the former world champion?
To start, we have to go back to the RAW after WrestleMania 22. That night, Kane and the Big Show lost their World Tag Team Championships to The Spirit Squad, which led to a rematch the following week. Before the bout, Kane was seen stumbling around the backstage area, repeating "May 19th" to himself repeatedly, adding, "It's happening again."
It's May 19th, and means @KaneWWE is NOT having a good day...much like when these Superstars dared to impersonate him! @WWEGraves https://t.co/mnLYWK3pej
The Big Show tried to thrust his partner back into reality, and the two eventually made their way to the ring. However, their rematch was cut short as The Big Red Machine eventually snapped and caused a disqualification, attacking the referee and his own partner in the process.
The Devil's Favorite Demon would later reveal that May 19th was the date his mother and adopted family were "killed in a fire." It also happened to be the release date of See No Evil, a film where Kane acted as the main villain.
th to everyone but @KaneWWE.Happy May 1️⃣9️⃣th to everyone but @KaneWWE. https://t.co/MalZgu9rQO
The Hall of Famer spent the next several weeks attacking anyone who dared to utter the words "May 19th." The storyline took a shocking turn when an imposter Kane - played by Doc Gallows - attacked the real one on Monday Night RAW, sporting his old theme music and ring gear. Thus, the future Mayor of Knox County was forced to face his past, literally!
The two ended up squaring off at WWE Vengence 2006 with the fake version winning. The Big Red Machine finally vanquished the imposter the following night on RAW, removing the latter's mask and throwing him out.
WWE Hall of Famer Kane recently won the primary vote for Knox County mayor election
The Big Red Machine earned his place in the WWE Hall of Fame in April 2021, having been inducted alongside Rob Van Dam, The Great Khali, Molly Holly, and Eric Bishoff.
The Big Red Machine has held multiple championships as a WWE Superstar and still holds the record for the most Royal Rumble appearances (20) and the most cumulative Royal Rumble match eliminations (46).
Wow! This is the greatest honor that any @WWE superstar could hope for. Perfect that @undertaker delivered the news. THANK YOU!! twitter.com/WWE/status/137…
After retiring from WWE, Kane (real name Glenn Jacobs) became heavily involved in politics. In August 2018, Jacobs was elected as the Mayor of Knox County, TN, defeating his Democratic opponent Linda Haney by a wide margin.
Earlier this month, he won the primary election to once again earn the opportunity to serve as the Republican candidate. He will now go head-to-head with Democratic nominee Debbie Helsley later this summer.