Although they're not the most consistent part of his mythos, Spider-Man has deep ties to professional wrestling. He answered Crusher Hogan's open challenge in Amazing Fantasy #15, after all. Sam Raimi modernized that scene in 2002's Spider-Man, with pro wrestling icon Randy "Macho Man" Savage playing Bone Saw McGraw.
Spider-Man influenced an ill-fated WWE storyline, in more ways than one. Kane, the monstrous brother of WWE legend the Undertaker, had become a mainstay in WWE. An attempt to shake up his character, and promote his big-screen debut, saw Kane go through his own "Clone Saga." It was as disastrous as Spider-Man's, but thankfully, much shorter.
Kane's version of "The Clone Saga" sprung from the breakup of his tag team with the Big Show. They lost the World Tag Team Titles on the post WrestleMania 22 Monday Night Raw. As is customary for tag teams that break up, especially makeshift duos, they began feuding.
During that feud, Kane began acting erratically. He was being tortured by voices in his head, that the audience could hear, taunting him about May 19th. That caused him to lash out at everyone from Big Show to ring announcer Lillian Garcia.
The date had real-world significance for WWE's Films. It was the release date for See No Evil, a horror movie starring Kane as hook-wielding slasher Jacob Goodnight. He menaced a group of teens that included future Marvel Netflix supporting character Rachael Taylor.
The storyline promoted See No Evil by drubbing its release date into fans' heads. Kane and Big Show provided further synergy by trying to replicate one of Goodnight's signature moves, popping his victim's eyeball out. That put them more than a decade ahead of Seth Rollins and Rey Mysterio's 2020 feud.
During a May 8th Raw match between Kane and Big Show, the arena's lights went out and Kane was taunted by video of his old mask, which he'd lost to Triple H in 2003. The video caused Kane to destroy Big Show with a steel chair. It also hinted at where the story was going.
Kane next appeared on the May 19 WWE Friday Night SmackDown where he squashed Mysterio. He explained the date's significance on the following Raw. It was the day his adoptive family died in a fire. Since the date had come and gone, Kane took it as a sign that he was free to go back to his status quo of tormenting WWE.
Fate had other plans. An imposter, wearing the original's old ring gear and mask, appeared on the May 29 episode of Raw. He was played by a young Luke Gallows, who went on to join popular stable The Bullet Club. He didn't make a good first impression. His gear included an ill-fitting wig and mask. He also struggled to mimic Kane's mannerisms, a big part of playing an imposter wrestler. Kane learned that when he wrestled as the "fake" Diesel.
The duo would wrestle at the Vengeance pay-per-view on June 25. The imposter won the match, which fans greeted with boring chants. Gallows had grown into the role by that point, but his awkward debut sunk the feud. On the following night's Raw, Kane dominated his imposter with multiple chokeslams. He took back his mask and tossed the imposter out of the arena and WWE, ending the storyline.
The consensus among wrestling journalists is that Gallows was going to be revealed as the real Kane. Had things gone according to plan, Gallows would take on the role while its originator either retired or went on sabbatical.
It's similar to what happened in comics' "Clone Saga," where Ben Reilly briefly replaced Peter Parker as Spider-Man. WWE, subject to real-time feedback, quickly scrapped its plans. That puts them one up on Marvel, who dragged "The Clone Saga" out for years. Original Kane Glenn Jacobs played the character for years to come, with some tweaks, before being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame at this year's WrestleMania.