WWE: Why Kane Still Has Several Good Years Left

It likely won’t be long until we see a mass exodus of talent from the WWE. 

No, I’m not talking about superstars being “future endeavored.” I’m talking about the very real possibility that several major stars hang up their boots for good within the next few years.

At least a handful of future Hall of Famers might be nearing the end of the road, a list that includes guys like The Undertaker, Triple H and Big Show. 

Also on that list is none other than “The Big Red Monster,” Kane. 

Kane made his WWE debut way back in 1995 (as “Dr. Isaac Yankem”) and is now 45 years old, which has led many to believe that he’s in his final days as an active WWE superstar. 

I beg to differ. 

My stance on Kane has almost always been a rather neutral one. I liked him, but at the same time, I was never really all that crazy about him. 

But in 2012, he’s showed that—even as he nears two decades in the WWE—he still brings some tremendous value to the company. 

Although never really viewed as “the guy” in the WWE, Kane has always been someone who makes his situation work, no matter how high or low he is on the card. 

If the creative team makes him an unstoppable monster, we believe it. If creative makes him a comedic character, we believe it. 

This has a lot to do with Kane’s incredible versatility, but it might have even more to do with his ability to withstand the test of time. 

Despite the fact that Kane is a lot closer to 50 than he is to 20, he hasn’t lost nearly as much of a step in the ring as some people tend to think he has. 

Of course, Kane isn’t as agile or athletic as he was in the late 1990s and early 2000s. But he’s kept himself in great shape and has been a very good in-ring performer even in his early-to-mid-40s. 

Though I can’t stand when the WWE puts Kane in matches with guys like Big Show or The Great Khali (those big-man battles were never good), Kane has been awfully impressive recently when he’s in the ring with the right guys. 

Aside from his poor feud and lackluster matches against John Cena, Kane has actually delivered plenty of good-to-great performances over the course of 2012. 

He had a very entertaining Falls Counts Anywhere match against Randy Orton at Extreme Rules back in April and then was at his absolute best when he moved on to a feud with both CM Punk and Daniel Bryan during the summer months. 

Kane has faced Bryan and/or Punk on a number of different occasions throughout the year, and he’s delivered some of his best performances in years against those two guys. 

I know what you’re thinking: “Yeah, that’s because he’s in there with arguably the top two workers on the planet.” 

But that’s exactly my point. When Kane isn’t facing someone else who is limited physically, he typically delivers the goods in the ring. 

Kane has had a number of above-average bouts with guys like Orton, Bryan, Punk, Alberto Del Rio and Sheamus recently, proving that the right opponent still makes him a very valuable in-ring competitor. 

I don’t want to pretend like Kane should be a world-title contender or that he is going to put on phenomenal, must-see matches every week. But even at 45 years old, he can still go and is able to outwork plenty of guys who are in their 20s and 30s. 

You also get an added bonus with Kane: his abilities as a performer. 

Kane has always been an above-average performer/actor, and just like being in the ring, he thrives when he’s in the right situation. 

I think that’s been evidenced by his recent comedic work in the “anger management” skits with Daniel Bryan as well his “hug it out” segment on last week’s Raw. 

Kane has proven to be one of the WWE’s top comedic performers, which is a quality that separates him from some of the more vanilla workers who lose their appeal when they aren’t wrestling. 

We could criticize Kane all day because he’s lost some mobility, athleticism and agility. But that’s expected as he gets there up in age. 

What Kane hasn’t lost, however, are his ability to be a ring general and put on matches that highlight his strengths and hide his weaknesses and his ability to be entertaining no matter what type of situation he’s put in. 

There’s no doubt that the chatter about Kane needing to calling it quits will stick around, because not everyone is crazy about the Big Red Monster’s in-ring style. 

But even though his time as a bona-fide superstar has passed, Kane has a lot of value and a lot more left to give to this business. 

So, don’t be surprised if Kane outlasts the vast majority of superstars who thrived during the same era that he did.

Drake Oz is a WWE Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter!