Glenn Thomas Jacobs, born April 26, 1967, is an American politician, actor, and professional wrestler. As a Republican, he has been the Mayor of Knox County, Tennessee since 2018. He is currently signed to WWE, where he works under the ring name Kane.
Beyond his wrestling career, Jacobs has made numerous guest appearances in film and on television, including the lead role in the 2006 WWE Studios production See No Evil and its 2014 sequel.
Early Career
He began his professional wrestling career on the independent circuit in 1992, wrestling in promotions such as Smoky Mountain Wrestling (SMW) and the United States Wrestling Association (USWA), before joining the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE) in 1995. Jacobs played various characters until 1997, when he was repackaged as Kane, the younger half-brother of The Undertaker, with whom Jacobs would alternatively feud or team as The Brothers of Destruction.
Following his WWF debut, Kane remained a pivotal component of the company's "Attitude Era" of the late 1990s and early 2000s, defeating the era's "poster boy" Stone Cold Steve Austin for the WWF Championship in his first pay-per-view (PPV) main event at King of the Ring in June 1998. He continued to headline PPV cards through 2018's Crown Jewel, and has appeared in more of such events than any other performer in WWF/WWE history.
Wrestling Achievements
Within WWE, Kane is a three-time world champion (having held the WWF Championship, ECW Championship and World Heavyweight Championship once each) and a 12-time world tag team champion (having held the World Tag Team Championship, WCW Tag Team Championship and WWE Tag Team Championships with various partners). He is also a two-time Intercontinental Champion and a Money in the Bank winner, as well as the third man to complete WWE's Grand Slam.
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The last title Kane won was the 24/7 Championship on September 16, 2019, the only title won under his real name. Veteran wrestler Ric Flair described Kane as "the best in the world", while Big Show dubbed him "the best big man ever". Kane holds the record for the most appearances in a Royal Rumble match at 20 as well as the highest cumulative total eliminations at 46. He headlined the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2021.
Here's a summary of Kane's championships in WWE:
| Championship | Times Held |
|---|---|
| WWF Championship | 1 |
| ECW Championship | 1 |
| World Heavyweight Championship | 1 |
| World Tag Team Championship | 12 |
| Intercontinental Championship | 2 |
| Hardcore Championship | 1 |
Film and Television Appearances
Outside of professional wrestling, Jacobs has made several appearances in both film and television. His most notable role is as Jacob Goodnight in See No Evil.
See No Evil is a 2006 slasher film directed by Gregory Dark, written by Dan Madigan, produced by Joel Simon, and starring professional wrestler Kane. The first major film produced by WWE Films, it was shot at Warner Roadshow Studios, Gold Coast, Australia. See No Evil was released on May 19, 2006, by Lionsgate. The film was panned by critics and grossed $18.8 million against a budget of $8 million.
Jacobs has also made an appearance in the film, MacGruber, alongside fellow WWE wrestlers Montel Vontavious Porter, Chris Jericho, The Great Khali, Mark Henry, and Big Show. Kane appeared on a special WWE episode of The Weakest Link in March 2002, and won by beating out Bubba Ray Dudley in the final round. The money won was donated to Jacobs's chosen charity, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, in Memphis, Tennessee. He also appeared on Smallville series episode "Combat" as Titan alongside former WWE Diva Ashley Massaro. The episode was aired on March 22, 2007.
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The Kane character was featured in the fourteen-issue Undertaker comic book produced by the now-defunct Chaos! Comics in 1999. A book written by Michael Chiappetta detailing the origins of Kane titled Journey into Darkness: An Unauthorized History of Kane was released in 2005. WWE released a three-disc anthology titled, The Twisted, Disturbed Life of Kane on December 9, 2008.
In an October 2014 interview conducted with the Pitch, Jacobs revealed that he has no plans to retire from WWE. Jacobs said "I’m still having fun, I’ve been fortunate in that I haven’t had any really bad injuries. I stay in good shape. I can still perform at a high level. I get in there and hang with guys that are almost half my age. And, in fact, I feel like they have to hang with me rather than me hang with them.
THE EVOLUTION OF KANE TO 1997-2017
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