Kane, the 2.13m and 148kg pro wrestler - that's around seven foot and 23 stone - who will be leaping off the top rope and applying choke slams at next week's WWE show at Vector Arena.
KEY POINTS:
As a professional wrestler you have your ups and downs, there's the back stabbing, and the rumours that surrounded the life of Kane. What keeps you getting back in the ring every week?
First, actually, is I like doing it [laughs]. And if you're going to do something right, especially with what we're doing, you have to have a lot of pride in what you do. So that pride keeps me going and wanting to be one of the best at it. And also, going out there in front of the fans is a big rush and being out in the ring is a lot of fun.
So dispel some of the myths around professional wrestling. No matter what way you look at it, if you get hit with a chair it's gotta hurt? Surely?
Yeah, right. And over the years people have discounted the athletic ability and the fact all the guys are athletes - because people have seen the entertainment aspect they forget about the athletic aspect. And that's one of the things that initially attracted me to the industry, the fact that these guys were pretty amazing doing what they are doing. But I love the storytelling aspect too and what we offer is a hybrid of sports entertainment. It's something different and something you won't see any place else. It's a live performance of drama and similar to anything you'd see in any sort of performance art only more violent, of course.
You've been in the game for more than 15 years now. How have things changed for you since you started?
One thing, I used to go to other people for advice - now people come to me. But like all the older guys, when you become the old man in the locker room you set the agenda in there.
That must be an advantage?
Yeah, but also you try to help the younger guys and that's part of what I think my job is now. So that's probably the biggest change for me, it's not just about my position in the ring but also back stage.
Tell us about your signature move, the choke slam.
I stole it from the Undertaker [laughs]. Hey man, if it works, why not?
I grew up in the heyday of professional wrestling with the Ultimate Warrior and Hulk Hogan. But for some people wrestling never went away.
Oh yeah, and it's just like everything else in pop culture, it's pretty much about 'what have you done for me lately'. Things move in and out of fashion really quickly and we are competing with all that sort of stuff, like music, games, and movies.
In general, how has the professional wrestling scene changed?
It's been through a lot and I think right now we're on a pretty good upswing. When I very first came in, business wasn't doing that well and after a couple of years it exploded and did better than anybody imagined. And then it dropped off and now it's recovered and doing quite nicely. I'm looking forward to the next couple of years. And over the past couple of years there has been a movement towards more professionalism and there is just no place for the rock star lifestyle [in wrestling] any more and you have to go out and do the best job you can every night.
