The WWE Universe was surprised to a great extent after not seeing the Kane in the 2017 Royal Rumble match. He is said to be the greatest performer ever in the history of the prestigious battle royal and was a consistent present over the years. After making his debut in the year 1996, he has made a total 19 appearances in the match which is at least seven more than his fellow performers.
He is the one with a record of 42 eliminations under his name combined in the entire Royal Rumble match history. Plus, Kane held the record of eliminating 12 persons in a single rumble match until Roman Reigns broke it back in the year 2014. With such accolades under his belt, the big red machine is an automatic choice to enter into the annual match to decide the main event of Wrestlemania.
However, this year, he was not present in the match for some unknown reasons. Dave Meltzer has given the news that the veteran is dealing with some injuries which forced him from competing in this year’s Royal Rumble match. He is almost 50 and the wounds from his entire career started to make their presence felt, at this point.
The same reason also barred him from doing appearances on Smackdown Live, as well. There were no specific injuries stated by Meltzer as he said that the scars of battle are quite natural at this age of 50. He was seen competing in matches with Wyatt and Orton in his very last stint and turned out be a valuable asset for the Smackdown roster.
But, soon he was sidelined due to these injuries. He will be turning into 51, next year and hence chances are less to see him into the 2018 Royal Rumble match unless he is 100 percent fit. He has always been a trusted employee of the company and deserves a proper ending to his illustrious career. It’s up to the creative whether he gets one or not.