Is Kane and Undertaker the best long term booking in wrestling history?

[Hanso Amore]

They have had their battles. They have been partners. They have been in and out. They have established a lore.

To today, anytime you have them together fans will react and yet it still could go either way.

Is the relationship between Kane and the Taker the best booking in wrestling history?

[sean the killer]

Their relationship had nothing on billy and chuck's

[Swiss Ultimate]

I'm going to have to say yes. Young fans are actually pretty aware of the relationship, they've had really great moments together, good matches and there really isn't anything quite like it unless we're both having a giant brain-fart. The closest thing to it was on a much smaller scale: Raven and Tommy Dreamer.

[#1-norm-fan]

Raven and Dreamer was fucking GOLD.

I loved how they built the story of the face who can't overcome his biggest obstacle and didn't just blow through the whole story in 2 months. It became a legit obstacle for Dreamer for years.

[Tom Guycott]

It has quite a bit to do with chemistry as well; not just betwixt the two, but the abilities of both performers. Much like how 'Taker took what could have been a trainwreck gimmick in the hands of someone else and made it into iconic badassery, the feud- hell, the entire character of Kane- could have been a one-off throwaway opponent like Bossman/Nailz... seriously, there was NOWHERE ELSE they were going with Nailz. But Kane took on his own lore. His mythos was rooted in being intertwined with The Deadman, but he grew into his own monster. When they clash, it's epic. When they unite, they're nigh unbeatable. Either way, when they're both in the same ring at the same time, you just KNOW shit's about to go down.

The best part is, unlike so many other pairings of tag teams or rivals, WWE feels free to bring up that they *do* have history for those that don't know. They don't just gloss over it or act like none of it ever happened.

[Bad News Gertner]

What are we considering "long-term"? Like over a year?

[Tom Guycott]

I'm guessing he meant since the debut of Kane... and how long they have been known/associated with eachother. That's been a long time. Remember, WWE are the same people who killed The Major Brothers because "nobody would buy Zack Ryder and Kurt Hawkins as brothers", but were still touting'Taker/Kane as such.

[JimmyMess]

the booking of evil Mr. McMahon was pretty golden

[Brigstocke]

No...Rikishi doing it for the Rock was better... Clearly..because it involved Rikishi..

[Maluco]

Think Hogan has to get a mention here too. He was booked brilliantly in his first runs in the WWE, making millions upon millions with numerous opponents. Then he went to WCW and Bischoff took the massive gamble in making him a heel (even though he wasn't getting the same reactions, it wa still a risk). So after being the man in WWE for so many years, he became the man to hate in WCW and was key to WWE's only real challenger.

You can even add on his return to WWE and the way WWE caught on so quick to the nostalgic reactions. Hogan is often criticised for looking after himself, but on thing it has ensured is that he was rarely badly used. Massive money feuds and big time storylines for what amounts to over two decades. Idea being, that Hogan has booked himself well long term...prob just as valid as talking about Taker/Kane because I doubt there was any long term booking plan at any stage, they just got, and managed to stay, popular.

[Nicky Fives]

yes.

[Rammsteinmad]

I'm not bothered about seeing any more matches between them, but it'd be interesting for them to have some kinda interaction, just to see how Undertaker takes to Kane's corporate gimmick.

[Emperor Smeat]

Yes.

[screech]

Kane is the best, so yes.

[Shisen Kopf]

Fake Kane and Fake Undertaker were solid too

[Hanso Amore]

I'm guessing he meant since the debut of Kane... and how long they have been known/associated with eachother. That's been a long time. Remember, WWE are the same people who killed The Major Brothers because "nobody would buy Zack Ryder and Kurt Hawkins as brothers", but were still touting'Taker/Kane as such.

You are killing it in this thread. You get what I was going for, alberit maybe not the clearest sense.

There are duos that are synonymous. Austin and the Rock. Flair and Dusty. Flair and Sting.

Guys where their history is long and interwoven and like someone else said, anytime they are together or against each other its special. They have so much history that you can kind of know what they are going to do or how they would react.

the WWE is so bad at that these days. They ignore history so much.

I cant think of any duo that has been consistently booked as they have for 16 years.

[Hanso Amore]

Edge and Christian stopped being brothers. Outside of the end run of Edge there wasnt a ton of connection between them when Christian came back.

Even HHH and Steph....On Screen Married and Divorced then now adays they just act like they have been together forever. Not much mention of the fact that HHH turned face and divorced her and left her at the alter or whatever.

Ric Flair was part owner of the fucking WWE in storylines...Forgotten.

[Seth82]

I would also mention Jerry Lawler and Bill Dundee.

These two were gold in the Memphis territory and later USWA. Either as enemies or tag team partners the fans ate it up.

They feuded off an on from the mid 70's til the early 90's.

It was always booked real well imo.

[Hanso Amore]

I would also mention Jerry Lawler and Bill Dundee.

These two were gold in the Memphis territory and later USWA. Either as enemies or tag team partners the fans ate it up.

They feuded off an on from the mid 70's til the early 90's.

It was always booked real well imo.

Im surprised you didnt pull out Kenta Kobashi and Misawa or some jap shit.

[Seth82]

Im surprised you didnt pull out Kenta Kobashi and Misawa or some jap shit.

Kobashi & Misawa were two of the very best wrestlers in the 90s.

Sadly a lot of folks never took the time to watch their matches.

[Hanso Amore]

They are Japanese Flair. SAme fucking match over and over

[Tom Guycott]

You are killing it in this thread. You get what I was going for, alberit maybe not the clearest sense...

...I cant think of any duo that has been consistently booked as they have for 16 years.

Yeah, I just wasn't being concise on the point of you meaning "long term booking" being how WWE has handled both of those guys over time as opposed to "long term booking" meaning some angle/feud/program being run longer than the span of a PPV cycle.

[Mr. Nerfect]

On the topic of history being forgotten: I find it really fucking awkward when Rey Mysterio and Cody Rhodes are in a ring together as tag team partners. I don't mind them finding themselves on the same side against common foes and making the best out of it because they are professionals and want that win, but it feels like that EPIC feud they had over the WrestleMania season a few years ago has been forgotten.

Rey Mysterio broke Cody's nose and shattered his entire world. Cody came out of the other side of that injury warped and deranged. How do he and Rey simply put this behind them like a title match they had a few years beforehand?

[Mr. Nerfect]

I think Cesaro and Sami Zayn could have a relationship that lends itself to amazing long-term booking. In NXT, it is acknowledged their history goes back to their battles all over the world prior to being in the WWE. Cesaro just won a match and Zayn just won Cesaro's respect. There are still ways to take that into the future.

I've said this before, but I'd be in complete support of Cesaro & Sami Zayn getting a tag team run together in NXT. Have them defeat The Ascension to win the titles and then take on all-comers. You can even begin to mention Sami Zayn in Cesaro's main roster TV matches. Eventually, the two are bound to cross paths in singles competition again, and then you can do something epic between them. Imagine if Zayn cheated to beat Cesaro, because the need to win overrides his sense of honor? Zayn losing the respect of Cesaro and then pointing out that this isn't about respect anymore, could be a pretty deep storyline with lots of history behind it.

[Hanso Amore]

Cesaro is so far above a "NXT" run as tag chamnps

[Mr. Nerfect]

I agree that he's at a higher level, but him working down there could help polish some other guys he works with and perhaps even get more and more people interested in the NXT product as a whole.

[Hanso Amore]

They need to make a choice. Do they want to build Cesaro or everyone else. Being on nxt does nothing for him as a character. So if he's the focal point he needs to be removed from nxt as a regular.

If they decide someone else is the next big deal then yes, it certainly helps the new guys.

I think a guy who hasn't been in a main event recently makes more sense, like kofi

[ron the dial]

i just wish they would have had cesaro spend more time on the mic in his feud with sami zayn. he had a few decent showings and he's definitely improved, but he's still not quite there.

[XL]

Yeah, that's exactly his they should use NXT when it comes to the main roster guys; a place in which to fine tune the elements they haven't quite nailed.