Kane's Versatility Will Allow Him to Thrive During 'Dual Personality' Angle

It doesn't matter whether he is coaxing fire to shoot up from the ring posts or speaking corporate jargon while wearing an executive's smile—Kane flourishes.

WWE is putting him into too high-profile a spot at this point in his career, and Kane vs. Seth Rollins is a sigh-inducing title match, but rest assured that Kane will nail his performances. The company's utility player is one of the few wrestlers on the roster who can handle a gimmick that requires him to have a split personality.

Kane's past is as much evidence for that as his output on Monday's Raw was.

Just hours after Kane returned at Night of Champions with piercing eyes poking through his mask, Rollins bumped into him backstage. Kane had already reverted to the corporate, suit-wearing version of himself.

His unsettling grin and coffee-fueled chipper attitude felt especially unnerving thanks to the fact that he seemed to not remember attacking Rollins and Sheamus. Kane's alter egos had merged. He was both Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

The phrase "Didn't you get the email?" never sounded so creepy.

Kane has always played this role well. It will be far more interesting, though, if it is a symptom of his madness—if the corporate Kane is a reminder of the powerhouse's mental instability.

Before Raw came to a close, Kane's darker second self emerged again. With red light painting the scene, he tore out of the canvas and grabbed Rollins by the ankles. The show ended with Kane dragging Rollins into a dark cavity in the ring.

Critics will point to how similar this narrative is to when TNA had Chris Parks play both a masked monster named Abyss and his attorney brother Joseph Park. Naysayers will wonder why WWE is going to so much trouble to showcase a star at the tail end of his career.

All of those folks have valid points. WWE is making an odd choice in having Kane slide into the world title picture while a guy like Cesaro spins his wheels closer to the bottom of the card.

Still, count on Kane making the most of this opportunity.

WWE Creative Humor joked about Kane's ability to pull off even ill-advised angles:

There's truth to that. He has been one of WWE's most valuable performers over the past 15 years. A big part of that has been his ability to turn junk-shop ideas into something worthy of the showroom.

Remember that he and Daniel Bryan were asked to be at the center of a story that began with a hug and turned into the hottest thing WWE had going.

As one half of Team Hell No in 2012, Kane blossomed in a comedy role. Whether he was asked to roleplay in a restaurant, make an anger collage or squeeze stress balls in front of a live audience, Kane made it work each time.

WWE portrayed him as a silent Michael Myers-like monster in his early career, a demented, cackling pyromaniac and, more recently, a short-tempered administrator in a suit and tie. He's been a babyface and a heel, a second banana, an underling, a dentist and a replacement Diesel all en route to a surefire Hall of Fame induction.

After The Big Red Machine displaying that kind of range, it's not surprising that WWE would ask him to deliver two roles at once.

And if WWE is going to force Kane into the spotlight, this is the best way to do it. It's a twist on two previous gimmicks, a chance for him to steal the show as a man with divergent personalities.

Kane embracing his insanity, playing with the dichotomy of his two gimmicks is going to be compelling—even if the bout it leads up to disappoints.

Ringside Xcess is on board:

Folks like well-known superfan Brock Lesnar Guy are intrigued by what's to come:

They should be. The timing is odd, as is Kane's placement on the card, but the big man is going to make this memorable.

Count on him deftly juggling two gimmicks as he becomes WWE's version of Two-Face.