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Most fans remember the real-life saga of the Matt Hardy/Edge/Lita love triangle - which began with a case of road infidelity between Edge and Lita - in 2005, but it might be easier to forget about the all-time horribleness of the angle that immediately preceded and was mercifully prematurely cut-off by it: the Kane-Lita "relationship."
RELATED: Every Wrestling Pregnancy Storyline, Ranked Worst To BestWhile it undoubtedly had all the twists and turns one would expect from a twisted soap opera, WWE in the early 2000s was not a place where taste and nuance found favor. The Big Red Machine was certainly no stranger to lousy angles, so it's notable that his and Lita's "love story" is truly one for the ages - and not in a good way.
Kane Falls In Love With Lita
After being soundly defeated by The Undertaker at WrestleMania 20, Kane decided to look for fulfillment of a different type: finding love and starting a family of his own! Of course, the Devil's Favorite Demon had a warped idea of the concept. When he set his sights on Lita in May 2004, it would be nearly an entire year before she became free from his grasp (albeit under the most unexpected of circumstances).
RELATED: Every Lita Romantic Angle, Ranked From Worst To Best
Kane began stalking and eventually kidnapped Lita, and when it was revealed that he'd involuntarily impregnated (ugh) her, it began a months-long feud between the Big Red Machine and her then boyfriend (both in reality and on-screen), Matt Hardy. While Kane was also engaged in matches centered around the World Heavyweight Championship on Raw, he often used his cruelty toward Lita to negotiate favorable conditions for himself.
Matt Hardy Fails To Rescue Lita From Kane
Finally, at that July's Vengeance PPV, Hardy gained a measure of revenge - with a pregnant Lita's help - against the future Mayor of Knoxville County, TN in a No Disqualification match, but that was of little deterrence to the monster Kane. When Hardy needed to be written off television to have knee surgery, a "'Til Death Do Us Part" rematch between the two was scheduled for August's SummerSlam PPV with an added stipulation: if Kane won, Lita would be obligated to marry him.
In what became a recurring theme for him, Hardy failed in his attempt to be the hero and lost the encounter. On the following Monday's episode of Raw, Kane and Lita were "wed," despite another futile attempt from Matt to rescue his "Damsel in Distress." While a chokeslam off the stage during the ceremony would mark the future "Broken" one's last WWE appearance for over a year, the story between Kane and his unconsenting bride was far from finished.
Gene Snitsky Causes Lita To Have A Miscarriage
Most likely, nobody outside a small handful of followers of Pennsylvania-based indies had heard of presumed jobber Gene Snitsky upon his September Raw debut. However, during his debut match against Kane, a chair shot caused the monster to inadvertently fall on his pregnant hostage wife, causing Lita to miscarry and immediately redirecting Kane's rage and blame. RELATED: 10 Wrestlers Who Are Only Famous For Something Embarrassing
Some fans might have assumed that Snitsky's strange pre-recorded promo on the following week's episode - which also spawned his hilarious catchphrase "it wasn't my fault!" - was going to be the end of it. However, by the time the future foot enthusiast infamously punted a babydoll into the audience that fall, his heel antics somewhat bafflingly began turning the one who kidnapped a woman and forcibly impregnated her (Kane, in case we forgot) into a babyface.
Lita's Real Life Affair With Edge Ends The Kane Storyline
A months-long feud ensued between the two - beginning with a kayfabe injury to Kane at October's Taboo Tuesday PPV and concluding with his consecutive victories over Snitsky at January 2005's New Year's Revolution PPV and in a Steel Cage Match on Raw. Meanwhile, Lita - no longer "pregnant" - began a separate feud (still as a babyface) with archrival Trish Stratus, unfortunately resulting in a torn ACL at the same event.
By the time the estranged bride and groom reconciled immediately following April's WrestleMania 21, however, things had drastically changed - both on and off-screen. Ironically - and especially to the interest of internet savvy fans - Hardy took to his blog later in the month to reveal that while he was convalescing the prior year from knee surgery, Lita and his longtime close friend Edge had an affair, all while she played the unwitting victim on TV.
Soon, fans at live events began booing and chanting (frequently unpublishable) things at Lita, causing the company to pivot their booking plans that May. While it might have seemed like a mercy-killing of an all-time weird angle, simply turning Lita heel with her on-screen "divorce" from the Brother of Destruction while somehow simultaneously acknowledging the real-life drama was a sign that perhaps what was to follow would be even worse.
