[2004-09-12-WWE-Unforgiven] Kane vs Shawn Michaels (No Disqualification)

[cactus]

HBK carries Kane to a satisfying brawl. This was happening right in the middle of that godawful Kane/Lita forced wedding storyline. Thankfully, Snitsky hasn't yet came into the picture. Despite the horrific material Kane has to work with, he's great at being an evil, despicable bastard. I wish that would translate better to his in-ring skills, as this is rather bland when Kane is working over Michaels. This picks up as soon Michaels hits his kip-up. He shoots up to his feet just a few seconds after Kane does his sit-up.  Michaels keeps trying to make a comeback, but Kane cuts him off every time. It's common knowledge at this point, but Michaels is fantastic when he's working as the underdog. HBK bleeds (always a sign of a good Michaels match!), and both guys keep attempting their finishes. After being distracted by Lita, Michaels gets the win after a Sweet Chin Music and a jackknife pin. 

★★★¼

[ohtani's jacket]

Man, this Kane/Lita storyline hasn't aged well during the past 20 years. I'm not sure it aged well at the time. At least Kane throws himself into it with gusto. I don't think this was a carry job by Michaels. In fact, it felt like a fairly average performance from Shawn. It was a typical WWE match that was probably laid out by a road agent prior to the PPV. Despite the controversial angle, it's a predictable and boring fight, and Shawn's performance is nothing special. It picks up during the finishing stretch, but all WWE matches pick up during the finishing stretch. It's debatable whether this is better than Kane/Benoit, but I will say that the video package was better than the Triple H/Orton one.