[1998-01-12-WWF-Raw] DX, The Undertaker and Kane

[Loss]

Talk about it here.

[soup23]

Shawn announces Kane as the newest member of DX. Taker foregoes all the mind games with the casket and comes directly down the aisle to confront Michaels. Taker says Shawn shouldn't be concerned with his brother but him putting a 6 inch hole into his forehead. Taker teases chokeslamming Chyna to a huge pop but HHH uses the crutch to gain the advantage for Dx. Shawn hits the SCM and DX gives a big time beatdown. The crowd starts chanting we want Kane and the lights dim. Kane's music fires up to a big pop and Kane comes down to save his big brother. They do the iconic hand gesture to a huge pop from the crowd in an extremely powerful moment that JR calls with brilliance.

[Kevin Ridge]

Michaels introduces Kane as the newest member of DX. Undertaker comes out instead. Taker wants to talk instead and asks that Michaels leave his family out of it. DX attacks Undertaker but Kane makes the save. Would have been a massive pop if Taker had chokeslammed Chyna. Crowd loved it big when Kane did Undertaker’s pose and Taker responding the same.

[bradhindsight]

Awesome moment when Kane and Undertaker posed together to end the show. This was my first live show and that entire segment pretty much cemented that I was hooked for life as a fan. I remember marking out huge for Undertaker (who also got to beat around Rocky in the dark match after) during all this.

[Loss]

Michael Cole looks like an idiot not selling Shawn purposely throwing his hair in his face. Shawn announces that Kane will be joining DX and calls for him to come out, but Undertaker comes out instead. Shawn is awesome showing fear - I can't believe it! He goes for a chokeslam and almost gets Chyna, which gets everyone going crazy, but Shawn cuts him off with the superkick before using HHH's crutch as a weapon to attack Undertaker. Then the lights go out and Kane's music starts all while DX continues their beatdown. Kane ends up running them both off. HHH can't do much in this because of his injury, which makes his presence awkward. Undertaker and Kane then connect as the crowd erupts in what was a great moment made better by Jim Ross calling it.

[Zenjo]

That was one of my all time favourite JR lines to end the show.

[PeteF3]

Shawn has ridiculous white-boy cornrows that make him look like an even bigger douchebag than usual. He quickly gets to the point: Kane apparently split from Paul Bearer last week out of loyalty to his brother, and he's inducting Kane as the newest member of DX. We've finally reached the point where the announcers aren't buying these anymore and looking like morons. Undertaker comes out instead. He nearly chokeslams Shawn and then Chyna, but takes a crutch shot from Triple H and a superkick from Shawn and gets beaten down. Instant "WE WANT KANE!" chants--crazy! The Observers were really hammering how there was big money in Kane as a babyface, even before this "turn." The lights finally go out to a MONSTER pop and Kane sends DX running, and does the kneel-and-arm-raise gesture towards Undertaker.

 

I think we all really knew where this was going to go, but this crowd is absolutely buying into these two in an alliance, so good on them. The "fake turn that's not really" would get played out to death by Russo in the months and years to come, but here it functions as an effective way to keep these two from having to wrestle just a little bit longer. It was clear that it was going to take a truly despicable act to get Undertaker to agree to a match.

[TravJ1979]

A very good segment even if I don't like the darker feel of Attitude Era WWF. Obnoxious Shawn will be gone in a couple of months, but the downside is out will come even more obnoxious Triple H.

 

RATING: Are you ready? No. Not at all.

[Exposer]

Tremendous segment. DX come out & mention Kane splitting from Paul Bearer the previous week. Shawn introduces Kane as the newest member of DX, but Taker comes out instead. Taker says instead of bringing family into the conversation they should start fighting now & grabs Shawn's throat. The pop he gets for lifting Chyna for a chokeslam is nuts. DX overcome him though & beat him down until Kane's theme hits to a massive pop. Kane comes to the ring & DX thinks he's there to help but he grabs Shawn by the hair. HHH saves Shawn & gets out of dodge too as Kane stalks them to the back. Kane stops at the ramp & puts his hand out as a sign of friendship & brotherhood to Taker. Taker responds with the same. Great moment with JR doing a tremendous job of calling it. One of the best RAW segments of all-time. Classic stuff.