[2004-06-13-WWE-Bad Blood] Chris Benoit vs Kane

[ohtani's jacket]

Chris Benoit defends the WWE World Heavyweight Title

So after a couple of months of Benoit vs. Evolution, and Benoit vs. Michaels, we get Kane as the number one contender. Still, if Eddie can turn his matchup with JBL into one of the feuds of the year then surely Benoit can do something with Kane. There's a surprisingly strong wrestling focus to this match. Instead of brawling like Eddie and JBL did, the match is built around the fact that Kane had powered out of the Crippler Crossface on RAW and that he was too strong for Benoit to submit. Benoit channeled his performance against Sid in WCW, and classic Bret Hart performances against big men. He tried to take Kane's legs from under him to set up the Sharpshooter, and so on and so forth. Kane used his strength to focus on Benoit's surgically repaired neck. It was decent stuff, but they couldn't quite put it over like Eddie and JBL, who managed to produce magic. The commentary was decent, and I enjoyed a few of the digs Lawler took at JR,. Lawler was trying to sell some kind of promo Kane had cut about wanting to step out of the shadows and have his moment in the sun. I don't know who booked the finish, but it was straight out of Bret Hart's playbook. Kane had a weird reaction where he cried. The match was devoid of dramatic nearfalls, and needed extra intensity and better selling from both men, but it was better than a Benoit vs. Kane match sounds in theory. It just wasn't great. 

[Makai Club #1]

I think it's best to look at this match along with the earlier tag team title match where Benoit also wrestled. It adds a little more stakes to the match, which is good since Kane is a weak PPV challenger even for Benoit.