Daniel Bryan and Kane created tag team magic when the joined forces to form Team Hell No. The duo won tag team titles and always entertained whenever they were on screen together. Kane recently spoke with Sports Illustrated and praised his former tag team partner for helping him embrace the comedic side of wrestling.
A big shift in character
Before Team Hell No, Kane was usually a serious and dangerous character in the WWE. He was always referred to as a monster and was always booked as such. The best performers adapt and change themselves to keep from becoming stale. When Team Hell No came to exist, it required the Big Red Monster to dip his toes into a type of wrestling he wasn't known for. He credited Bryan's professionalism in helping the transition.
“Working with Bryan was probably the most fun I had in my entire wrestling career. That was because I was working with Daniel Bryan. I can’t say enough about the guy and his talent. Kane was a very dark, serious character, but Daniel Bryan changed all that. That was such a refreshing change for me."
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"If you told people in 1999 that Kane was going eventually going to be in some of the funniest segments of the show, they wouldn’t have believed you. I was able to show off a side of Kane that wasn’t so dark, and that was all due to Bryan.”
Another aspect that worked with Team Hell No is that it reflected that Kane and Daniel Bryan were both performers. It also showed that their characters were not necessarily the same men that they were off-screen. While Bryan did bring some of his real-life characteristics into his characters, like caring for the planet as the Planet's Champion during his recent WWE Championship run, there was always a separation between the wrestler and the human.
The sign of a true performer
The fact that both Bryan and Kane were able to have long, successful careers is a testament to their willingness to try something new. If they had portrayed the same characters throughout their time in WWE, it would have been boring. They would not have created some of the memorable moments they forged together as Team Hell No.