PWInsider - WWE News, Wrestling News, WWE

WWE NETWORK'S BROTHERS OF DESTRUCTION SPECIAL RIGHTLY CELEBRATES THE UNDERTAKER AND KANE - AND IS WELL WORTH WATCHING

The first minute of WWE Network’s Brothers of Destruction special opens with The Undertaker and his long-time storyline brother, partner and rival Kane heading towards the same destination, where once again they will meet face to face.  For a moment, there is almost a flicker of nostalgia for one of WWE’s longest running, strangest yet one of the most fulfilling storylines in company history - and then when the two arrive, on stage in an empty theater, they hug, laugh and ask each other what they want to talk about.

In that moment, there is a realization that these are two men who went to war, sometimes together, sometimes against the other, in order to entertain the masses, and through that blood, violence and even Inferno matches, there are equal parts brotherhood and peace that bond them together.

At one point, The Undertaker marvels at how their storyline has run over 23 years and the realization cascades over you that with a 45 minute runtime, there is no way they can do a deep dive into everything that has happened between them, but to the credit of both men and the production team that put this project to rest, they do a hell of a job and even viewers with the most passing interest in either performer will come away pleased.

This is a great, engrossing conversation that allows all sort of insights that most fans have never had the opportunity to have access to, including Undertaker’s first thoughts on Kane when they crossed paths in Smoky Mountain Wrestling, their unified disappointment in the initial character Kane was cast as, Dr. Isaac Yankem, DDS (it was the 90s), Undertaker’s excitement when the Kane character was first pitched for him, lessons Kane learned being in the ring with Undertaker at the time and much more.

Perhaps the best and most fascinating part of the documentary is the back and forth conversation between the two as it turns into each of them asking the other questions about different facets of their career and storylines that the other wasn’t privy to in the moment.  When Kane questions Undertaker about the night the Wrestlemania streak ended, Undertaker explains what the plan was the night he walked backstage at the Superdome in New Orleans and how it changed.  When the finish to that bout with Brock Lesnar goes down, Kane recounts exactly where he was, what he thought happened and what his reaction was when he realized that it was actually part of WWE’s plans.

Over the course of the discussion, they touch on Paul Bearer, the insanity of working the first-ever Inferno match without any rehearsals and even some of the stranger plot twists of their storylines together.  Perhaps most telling is that when Kane was unmasked in Madison Square Garden, he saw it as a new lease on life as a character because once his scars were revealed to be psychological, he had freedom to do many things as a performer and wrestler that before weren’t allowed, since it made no sense for the character.

If fans want insight into Undertaker’s early inspirations for the initial version of his on-screen persona when he debuted at Survivor Series 1990, they’ll see that here as well as tons of early concept artwork for each character.  There's also training footage of Kane perfecting his original persona, coached by then-WWF official Jim Cornette. 

Another early highlight is Kane’s reaction, as a fan, to the early Undertaker character and how, the night of his first-ever WWE tryout, he was actually scared when he came across Undertaker backstage.  Little did he know how often they would cross paths again.

As always, WWE’s production puts together some great montages and highlight reels that accentuate and bookmark the conversation, but make no doubt about, having these two stars narrating their intertwined careers together is nothing short of fun to watch.  Instead of pulling the best out of each other in the ring, they are pulling knowledge and insight from the other thanks to their long-time association and curiosity about the other.

Undertaker and Kane have risen from the dead many a time over the last several decades, and one can only hope that this special rises from the depths of the WWE Network to spawn many a sequel.  It’s that good, almost as if you are privy to a conversation at the bar with two really unique personalities who have walked through the oddest life experiences together.

If there's one negative to the special, it's the slow realization watching it that these two have probably wrestled each other for the last time.  If that is the case, this special is a fitting tribute to one of WWE's most twisted, unique, spooky alliances of all time.

Mike Johnson can be reached at MikeJohnsonPWInsider@gmail.com.

The WWE Network's Brothers of Destruction special is now streaming.  WWE provided an advance screener for this review.

 

If you enjoy PWInsider.com you can check out the AD-FREE PWInsider Elite section, which features exclusive audio updates, news, our critically acclaimed podcasts, interviews and more by clicking here!

• Tweet