The red background and eerie music, accompanied by fireworks around the ring, marked the intimidating presence of Kane. Respected as one of the most iconic figures during the Attitude Era, he got involved in some prominent storylines in the WWE and was largely appreciated by the fans for the kind of development the character had.
However, the conflict between the two Kanes in the WWE was a major standout point in the Kane character arc. An “Impostor Kane” storyline in 2006 introduced a plot twist that the fans weren’t ready for, and it bombed massively. As the two Kanes engaged in showdowns, the mystery over who the Impostor Kane was remained unanswered on screen for a long time. Several years later, the WWE universe got to know from the man himself as to why the gimmick failed.
Luke Gallows revealed why the imposter Kane role failed miserably
Luke Gallows, the wrestler who donned the role of ‘Imposter Kane, revealed the reason behind the failure of his character. During a verbal interaction at his RF video shoot segment, he talked about the entire storyline with the real Kane and why his persona eventually didn’t turn out to be successful. Gallows shared:
I think what killed it was the first appearance on RAW because I told them the wig wasn’t right. The f*****g thing was awful.
Additionally, he said that while the matches were fine, the people did not understand what was going on between him and real Kane, and eventually, WWE decided to skip the storyline altogether. For the company, it was probably the worst WWE storyline ever written by its creative heads.
Gallows was apparently reassured by former WWE Executive VP John Laurinaitis that the storyline’s failure wasn’t his fault and that WWE intended to bring him back. Gallows also shared his view that the entire angle was poorly conceived and lacked proper planning on WWE’s part.
The brutal showdown between Kane and Imposter Kane reached its peak during Vengeance 2006, where Imposter Kane defeated the original Kane, shocking the WWE universe. However, the real Kane, who by then had ditched his mask, took his revenge during a subsequent edition of Monday Night Raw, unmasking the imposter Kane backstage (still, the man playing the character was not revealed in front of the cameras) and leaving him in a heap.
How did Luke Gallows’ career in WWE pan out?
Even though Luke Gallows’ time as the Imposter Kane did not turn out to be beneficial for him in the long run, he did have a long and successful career in the WWE. The standout point in his career came when he became the enforcer of CM Punk‘s much popular Straight Edge Society, gaining widespread popularity amongst fans.
After a highly encouraging run in Japan with the Bullet Club, Luke Gallows returned to WWE in 2016 alongside his tag team partner Karl Anderson. The two quickly reunited with AJ Styles to form The Club, later known as The O.C. (Original Club).
They found success, winning the Raw Tag Team Championships twice and taking home the WWE Tag Team World Cup. After a few years away, Gallows and Anderson came back to the company in 2022 to back up AJ Styles in his feud with The Judgment Day. They stayed active in the tag team division until 2025, when Gallows decided to return to New Japan Pro Wrestling, closing one chapter and opening another in his career.
While there are only a handful of wrestlers who somehow managed to fight another version of the same character inside the ring, the Imposter Kane was probably the one most memorable for wrestling fans, for all the wrong reasons, even though the gimmick was short-lived.
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