WWE: 7 Reasons Kane Is Still Valuable to the Company

After a roughly four-month long hiatus, Kane returned to the WWE last month in epic fashion.

The Big Red Monster came back with a new mask, new attire and a newfound fire that he hasn't had since he took his mask off nearly a decade ago.

The WWE's decision to bring back the monster Kane has been welcomed by many fans who felt like he just wasn't the same without his mask.

Count me among those fans.

The real Big Red Monster is back, and though he's certainly near the end of his career, he definitely still brings something to the table.

Here are seven reasons why Kane is still valuable to the WWE.

7. His Name Value

Kane doesn't have the name recognition of someone like John Cena or Triple H, and he isn't the draw that Undertaker or Randy Orton are.

But The Big Red Monster still brings a ton of name value to the WWE.

He was a staple of the Attitude Era, one of the biggest names of the greatest period in wrestling history, and people still know who he is.

Kane is known by fans who watched wrestling in the 1990s, the early 2000s and today, which is something that very few other wrestlers can say about themselves.

Outside of guys like Triple H and Taker, not many wrestlers have the longevity that Kane has had and the name recognition that comes along with it.

Given that there aren't a ton of wrestlers currently in the WWE who are known and loved worldwide by fans of all different ages, Kane brings exactly that to the company.

He can help draw viewers into TV shows and pay-per-views, and he's a good ambassador for the WWE.

6. His Career Has Been Revitalized

Some veterans lose their value in the WWE because their gimmick isn't over, or they're simply stale from being around for so long.

But that's not happening with Kane.

The Big Red Monster spent roughly four months away from the WWE at the end of 2011, and he returned with a revitalized and rejuvenated career.

Kane now has his mask back on, and instead of coming back as the same stale Kane we've seen for the last several years, he's got new life and new energy that should help him immensely over the final few years of his career.

His body and mind are well-rested, and fans who grew sick of his non-masked gimmick can now get behind his totally revamped character.

It's really hard for someone in his mid-40s to tweak his gimmick and make it successful, but Kane has done exactly that.

And it won't just help Kane himself. It will help the WWE as a whole, too.

5. He Can Still Wrestle

Kane isn't and has never been a phenomenal wrestler who will put on five-star matches or show-stealing bouts on every pay-per-view.

But given his incredible size and the fact that he's up there in age (he's 44), Kane can still really go in the ring.

Maybe he's not the Daniel Bryan or CM Punk type of wrestler that some of us Internet fans have learned to love and appreciate so much. But he is a very good wrestler in his own right, one who's still better than most guys on the WWE roster.

Kane's style is much different--he's more of a powerhouse, brawler type--and it's not going to be everyone's cup of tea.

Yet, I think a good portion of the fans reading this can appreciate what Kane is still able to do from a wrestling perspective. 

Although his matches may not be technical classics, they are generally solid, entertaining and better than what we get from most other big men in professional wrestling.

If you need to be reminded of just how good Kane still can be, then go watch this match, and you'll see what I'm talking about.

4. His Mic Skills

Kane might be one of the most underrated talkers in WWE history.

His character and gimmick have really prevented him from getting as much mic time as most other WWE legends, but the few times he has been able to cut promos, I've always been impressed.

Sure, Kane's style and delivery is a bit unorthodox, but he draws me into his promos with his facial expressions, mannerisms and tone of voice.

You can hear and see genuine emotion in Kane's promos, which don't sound recited or rehearsed.

Whereas you can tell that some guys are uncomfortable and/or have memorized their lines from a script, Kane allows me to suspend my disbelief and truly listen to what he's saying.

That's a rare quality that I don't think many fans have really given Kane credit for.

I'm not saying he's one of the top talkers the business has ever seen, but I do think that he can still provide a huge lift to the WWE in one of the biggest aspects of the business—the promo department.

3. His Experience and Veteran Presence

The WWE is in the process of elevating several younger and up-and-coming talents to the main event and World title scenes, and that's exactly how things should be.

But you can't have both of those scenes feature nothing but relatively unproven talent because the fans will not tune into watch them.

You need a number of experienced veterans around to mix in with the WWE's rising stars, and that's precisely where Kane comes in.

Kane is one of the company's longest-tenured superstars, and he's been around three times (or more) as long as guys like Cody Rhodes, Sheamus or Wade Barrett.

As good as those guys may be, they still need to be surrounded by veterans who have been there before, who know what they're doing in high-profile matches and angles and who can help them along the way.

Along with Undertaker, Big Show and Triple H, Kane can do that better than just about anyone else currently working for the WWE.

2. His Ability to Put Others over

To kind of go along with the last slide, still having Kane around is a huge luxury for the WWE.

Why? Because he can put the company's up-and-coming stars over.

While Kane hasn't had very many World title reigns and hasn't quite been viewed as a top-tier talent for most of the last several years, he's someone who gets a lot of respect and has a ton of credibility for everything he's accomplished in the WWE.

Therefore, when a younger star beats him (especially now that he's a monster again), it's actually a really big deal.

Getting a victory over Kane can do wonders for rising mid-carders like Zack Ryder and help them make their way up the card much quicker than they would if Kane wasn't there to put them over.

A loss for Kane isn't really going to hurt him at this point, but on the flip side, it can really help someone else.

1. His Versatility

Much like The Big Show, Kane is still incredibly versatile.

I don't mean that by what he does in the ring. I mean that the WWE could put Kane in almost any role and not miss a beat.

If the company needs him to be a mid-card baby face, then he can fill that role. If the creative team wants him to be a main event-caliber monster heel, then he can do that, too.

And so on and so forth.

The bottom line is that Kane is one of the few superstars on the WWE roster who can be randomly thrust into any role and still get over.

He can be funny, he can be mean and he can be crazy. He can do one thing one week and something totally different the next but still make it work.

That's something that will be hard to replace whenever Kane hangs up the boots for good.

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