His character terrified children, entertained older audiences and forever changed the history of professional wrestling, but it wasn't supposed to be like this.

Kane - the masked 7-foot monster - wasn't supposed to throw his foes in fire. He wasn't meant to become a World Heavyweight Champion or nine-time World Tag Team Champion. Kane wasn't meant to be a future WWE Hall of Famer, but rather a forgettable character that lasted for merely one match.

In a recent interview on the Dinner With The King podcast (h/t Cultaholic), The Big Red Machine explained what the original plans were for him following one match against The Undertaker.

“Initially, they were going to hot-shot the whole thing and they needed it to be a one-match deal for [Undertaker] to have an opponent,” Kane said. "Vince liked the storyline so much that he didn’t just want to do one match, he thought that he could make it a really good story out of it.”

And WWE history was changed forever. Kane's career got some much-needed momentum after a pair of forgettable gimmicks as Isaac Yankem (an evil and torturing dentist), and Fake Diesel, a clear knock-off of Kevin Nash's character in WWF before he headed over to WCW.

 

Kane and Undertaker would go on to form one of the greatest rivalries and eventual tag teams (Brothers of Destruction), ever. Both superstars brought the creepiness, evil and horror into their characters - which turned out to be an incredibly enticing angle during the Attitude Era.

Now Kane (real name Glenn Jacobs), is running for Mayor in Knox County, Tennessee. Whether he wins or not, the vast majority of folks will forever remember this man as one of the most influential and iconic careers in the history of WWE.

Vince McMahon deserves all the credit in the world for rolling with Kane for more than the one match. Otherwise, it's impossible to imagine just what could have been different in the WWE - for the worst that is.

NEXT: KANE REVEALS IF HE'D STILL WRESTLE IF ELECTED MAYOR