Glenn Thomas Jacobs (born April 26, 1967), better known by the
ring name Kane is an American politician and
professional wrestler
Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring o ...
. Jacobs has been signed to
WWE since 1995 and was inducted into the
WWE Hall of Fame in
2021.
He has also been the
Republican Mayor of
Knox County, Tennessee since 2018.
He began his professional wrestling career on the
independent circuit in 1992, wrestling in promotions such as
Smoky Mountain Wrestling
Smoky Mountain Wrestling was a professional wrestling promotion that held events in the Appalachian area of the United States from October 1991 to December 1995, when it was run by Jim Cornette. The promotion was based in Knoxville, Tennessee, wit ...
(SMW) and the
United States Wrestling Association
The United States Wrestling Association (USWA) was a professional wrestling promotion based in Memphis, Tennessee. The company was founded when the Memphis-based Continental Wrestling Association merged with the Dallas-based World Class Wrest ...
(USWA), before joining the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE) in 1995. Jacobs played various
characters until 1997, when he was repackaged as Kane, a
horror-themed personification of
fire
Fire is the rapid oxidation of a material (the fuel) in the exothermic chemical process of combustion, releasing heat, light, and various reaction products.
At a certain point in the combustion reaction, called the ignition point, flames ...
and
juggernaut younger half-brother of
The Undertaker and son of
Paul Bearer. This "hellfire and brimstone" gimmick branches from acts of
arson by The Undertaker as part of their characters'
youth backstory.
Jacobs would alternatively
feud and
team with The Undertaker 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
In sports, a card lists the matches taking place in a title match combat-sport event. Cards include a main event match and the undercard listing the rest of the matches. The undercard may be divided into a midcard and a lower card, according to ...
at
King of the Ring in June 1998. He continued to headline PPV cards through 2018's
Crown Jewel, and has appeared in more PPVs than any other performer in WWF/WWE history other than
Randy Orton.
Within WWE, Kane is a three-time
world champion
A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game, ...
(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
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., d/b/a as WWE, is an American professional wrestling promotion. A global integrated media and entertainment company, WWE has also branched out into other fields, including film, American football, and vari ...
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. 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
Paul Donald Wight II (born February 8, 1972) is an American professional wrestler and actor. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) as an in-ring performer, and as a commentator for its web television show, '' AEW Dark: Elevation,'' under ...
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.
Outside of professional wrestling, 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. He is also a longtime supporter of
libertarian political causes. In March 2017, Jacobs announced that he was running for the mayoral seat of Knox County, Tennessee as a Republican.
He won the Republican primary election on May 1, 2018,
and the general election on August 2, 2018. He was re-elected as Knox County Mayor on August 4, 2022.
Early life
Jacobs was born in the Spanish town of
Torrejón de Ardoz to a
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Si ...
family that was stationed in Spain at the time of his birth. He grew up near
St. Louis, Missouri, and attended high school in
Bowling Green, Missouri, where he excelled in
football and
basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...
. He went on to earn a degree in
English literature at
Northeast Missouri State University, where he played both basketball and football.
Professional wrestling career
Early career (1992–1995)
Jacobs debuted in 1992 under the ring name "Angus King", wrestling for the
Hannibal, Missouri-based Central States Wrestling Association (which was owned and run by his childhood friend Mark Morton).
In December 1992, Jacobs appeared with the
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the seat of Shelby County in the southwest part of the state; it is situated along the Mississippi River. With a population of 633,104 at the 2020 U.S. census, Memphis is the second-mo ...
-based
United States Wrestling Association
The United States Wrestling Association (USWA) was a professional wrestling promotion based in Memphis, Tennessee. The company was founded when the Memphis-based Continental Wrestling Association merged with the Dallas-based World Class Wrest ...
(USWA) as "the Christmas Creature", an "evil Christmas character" who wore a garish costume (made by Jacobs' mother) featuring a green
mask,
candy cane-striped sleeves, and
tinsel
Tinsel is a type of decorative material that mimics the effect of ice, consisting of thin strips of sparkling material attached to a thread. When in long narrow strips not attached to thread, it is called "lametta", and emulates icicles. It was o ...
.
The Christmas Creature unsuccessfully challenged
Jerry Lawler
Jerry O'Neil Lawler (born November 29, 1949), better known as Jerry "The King" Lawler, is an American color commentator and professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, although he has not performed as a full-time commentator since Ap ...
for the
USWA Unified World Heavyweight Championship before leaving USWA later that month.
In March 1993, Jacobs made a one-off appearance with
World Championship Wrestling
World Championship Wrestling, Inc. (WCW) was an American professional wrestling promotion founded by Ted Turner in 1988, after Turner Broadcasting System, through a subsidiary named Universal Wrestling Corporation, purchased the assets of Nati ...
, losing to
Sting
Sting may refer to:
* Stinger or sting, a structure of an animal to inject venom, or the injury produced by a stinger
* Irritating hairs or prickles of a stinging plant, or the plant itself
Fictional characters and entities
* Sting (Middle-earth ...
on an episode of ''
WCW Saturday Night'' filmed in
Macon, Georgia, under the ring name "Bruiser Mastino". Later that year, he relocated to
Tampa, Florida
Tampa () is a city on the Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The city's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and the seat of Hillsborough ...
to further his training.
During his time in Florida, he wrestled a handful of matches for the International Championship Wrestling Alliance as "Sid Powers". After leaving Florida, Jacobs returned to the USWA as "Doomsday". In October 1993, Jacobs wrestled a
dark match for the
World Wrestling Federation
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., d/b/a as WWE, is an American professional wrestling promotion. A global integrated media and entertainment company, WWE has also branched out into other fields, including film, American football, and var ...
under his real name at a ''
WWF Superstars'' taping in
Burlington, Vermont. In December 1993, Jacobs wrestled in Japan for
Pro Wrestling Fujiwara Gumi under his real name.
Jacobs began 1994 wrestling for the
Central City, Kentucky-based Tri-State Wrestling promotion and the
Indianapolis,
Indiana
Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th ...
-based Championship Wrestling from Indiana promotion as "Doomsday", as well as making a handful of further appearances with Pro Wrestling Fujiwara Gumi in Japan. In May 1994, Jacobs relocated to
Puerto Rico to wrestle for the
World Wrestling Council as "Doomsday", where he feuded with
Invader 1. In November and December 1994, Jacobs wrestled for the
Catch Wrestling Association in
Bremen, Germany as "Spartacus", competing in its Catch Cup tournament.
In January 1995, Jacobs was hired by
Jim Cornette for his
Morristown, Tennessee-based
Smoky Mountain Wrestling
Smoky Mountain Wrestling was a professional wrestling promotion that held events in the Appalachian area of the United States from October 1991 to December 1995, when it was run by Jim Cornette. The promotion was based in Knoxville, Tennessee, wit ...
(SMW) promotion, where he was named "Unabomb" (a reference to the
Unabomber).
He briefly teamed with
Eddie Gilbert before forming a tag team with
Al Snow named the "
Dynamic Duo" and beginning a feud with the
Rock 'n' Roll Express. In April 1995 at the Bluegrass Brawl III event, the Dynamic Duo defeated the Rock 'n' Roll Express in a
coal miner's glove match for the
SMW Tag Team Championship (Jacobs' first
championship). They held the titles until July 1995, when they lost to
the Thugs. Later that month, the feud between the Dynamic Duo and the Rock 'n' Roll Express culminated in a
street fight at Summer Blast 1995, with the Rock 'n' Roll Express victorious. In August 1995 at the SuperBowl of Wrestling event, Jacobs lost to World Wrestling Federation wrestler
The Undertaker, who was making a special appearance with SMW. Jacobs made his final appearance with SMW at the following month's Fire on the Mountain 1995 event, with the Thugs defeating the Dynamic Duo in a
loser leaves town match
Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "concept" or "gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a ...
.
World Wrestling Federation / World Wrestling Entertainment / WWE
Early years (1995–1997)
Jacobs appeared with the
World Wrestling Federation
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., d/b/a as WWE, is an American professional wrestling promotion. A global integrated media and entertainment company, WWE has also branched out into other fields, including film, American football, and var ...
(WWF) as "Mike Unabomb" at the February 20, 1995 ''
Raw'' taping, defeating
Reno Riggins in a dark match. He wrestled intermittently as "Unabomb" through August.
Jacobs made his first television appearance with the company as "Isaac Yankem,
DDS",
Jerry Lawler
Jerry O'Neil Lawler (born November 29, 1949), better known as Jerry "The King" Lawler, is an American color commentator and professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, although he has not performed as a full-time commentator since Ap ...
's private dentist, in a vignette on the June 26, 1995 episode of ''Raw''.
[1995 results](_blank)
The History of WWE. Retrieved December 21, 2011. Placing emphasis on Jacobs' imposing height and weight, Yankem was portrayed as a monstrous figure whom Lawler had hired for the purpose of ridding the WWF of his longtime nemesis,
Bret Hart
Bret Hart (born July 2, 1957) is a Canadian-American retired professional wrestler, currently signed to WWE under a legend's contract. A member of the Hart wrestling family and a second-generation wrestler, he has an amateur wrestling back ...
. The character's in-ring debut occurred at a ''
Superstars
A superstar is a widely acclaimed celebrity.
Superstar or superstars may also refer to:
People
* Warhol superstars, the associates of Andy Warhol
* WWE Superstar, a branding term referring to a WWE wrestler
* Superstar Billy Graham (born 1943) ...
'' taping on August 15, where Jacobs lost to Hart by count-out.
At that month's
SummerSlam event, Yankem was disqualified when he hung Hart by twisting him in the top and middle ropes by his neck. He lost to Hart in a
steel cage match in the
main event
In sports, a card lists the matches taking place in a title match combat-sport event. Cards include a main event match and the undercard listing the rest of the matches. The undercard may be divided into a midcard and a lower card, according to ...
of the October 16 episode of ''Raw'' and finally in a tag team match against Hart and
Hakushi
Kensuke Shinzaki (新崎 健介 ''Shinzaki Kensuke'', born December 2, 1966) is a Japanese professional wrestler and professional wrestling executive, better known by his ring name, Jinsei Shinzaki (新崎 人生 ''Shinzaki Jinsei''). He is curre ...
, in which he was partnered with Lawler on November 6.
After his initial run with Hart, Jacobs was part of an unsuccessful team in an elimination match at November's
Survivor Series and participated in the
1996 Royal Rumble match in January. The remainder of Yankem's televised run through April included losses to The Undertaker,
Jake Roberts
Aurelian Smith Jr. (born May 30, 1955), better known by the ring name Jake "The Snake" Roberts, is an American professional wrestler and actor currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) where he performs as manager to Lance Archer. He is ...
,
Marc Mero and
The Ultimate Warrior. Jacobs was used on a series of
live events in
Kuwait
Kuwait (; ar, الكويت ', or ), officially the State of Kuwait ( ar, دولة الكويت '), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated in the northern edge of Eastern Arabia at the tip of the Persian Gulf, bordering Iraq to Iraq–Ku ...
in May, as well as a September tour of
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring coun ...
, after which the Yankem
gimmick was retired.
[1996 results]
The History of WWE. Retrieved July 14, 2011.
In September 1996,
play-by-play
In sports broadcasting, a sports commentator (also known as sports announcer or sportscaster) provides a real-time commentary of a game or event, usually during a live broadcast, traditionally delivered in the historical present tense. Radio was ...
announcer
Jim Ross introduced Jacobs as
Diesel
Diesel may refer to:
* Diesel engine, an internal combustion engine where ignition is caused by compression
* Diesel fuel, a liquid fuel used in diesel engines
* Diesel locomotive, a railway locomotive in which the prime mover is a diesel engi ...
, and
Rick Bognar as
Razor Ramon, as part of a heavily criticized storyline mocking the departure of former employees Kevin Nash and Scott Hall respectively, while attempting to portray Ross as a disgruntled employee. The pair competed primarily as a tag team, losing a
WWF Tag Team Championship match to titleholders
Owen Hart and The British Bulldog at December's
In Your House 12: It's Time. As Diesel, he lost to The Undertaker via disqualification in the main event of the December 22 edition of ''
Superstars
A superstar is a widely acclaimed celebrity.
Superstar or superstars may also refer to:
People
* Warhol superstars, the associates of Andy Warhol
* WWE Superstar, a branding term referring to a WWE wrestler
* Superstar Billy Graham (born 1943) ...
'' and defeated Marc Mero on ''
Shotgun Saturday Night'' on January 11, 1997.
Diesel and Ramon last appeared on television at the
1997 Royal Rumble, where Jacobs was the third-to-last participant. Jacobs continued to work sporadic live events as Diesel through April. In mid-1997, Jacobs briefly returned to the United States Wrestling Association as "Doomsday", winning the
USWA Heavyweight Championship.
Emergence of Kane; WWF Champion (1997–1998)
In April 1997, the WWF "slowly and meticulously" began building up to the debut of Jacobs' new character of Kane: a
horror-themed juggernaut and hellish personification of everything
fire
Fire is the rapid oxidation of a material (the fuel) in the exothermic chemical process of combustion, releasing heat, light, and various reaction products.
At a certain point in the combustion reaction, called the ignition point, flames ...
.
The character's theme and persona is rooted in
malevolent
Malevolence may refer to:
* Evil
* Hostility
* Malice (law)
* Sadism, the experience of feeling pleasure from the pain of others.
Other uses
* Malevolence (band), an English hardcore punk band from Sheffield
* ''Malevolence'' (film), a 2003 fi ...
acts of
arson by his older half-brother, The Undertaker, that occurred during their youth.
Rounding out his "
Hellfire and
Brimstone" gimmick,
Kane was combined with a specialty match personalized to him, dubbed the "
Inferno match
Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "concept" or "gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a ...
".
At
In Your House 14: Revenge of the 'Taker, The Undertaker launched a fireball into the face of his former manager,
Paul Bearer, who had previously had his protégé
Mankind
Humans (''Homo sapiens'') are the most abundant and widespread species of primate, characterized by bipedalism and exceptional cognitive skills due to a large and complex brain. This has enabled the development of advanced tools, culture, ...
do the same to The Undertaker prior to the event. On the May 12 edition of ''Raw'', Mankind reintroduced Bearer, who attempted to reunite with Undertaker because of his status as WWF Champion. This was all following a long period of mutual hostility between the two. After The Undertaker's adamant refusals, Bearer used the
ultimatum of revealing The Undertaker's "deepest, darkest secret" to the world in order to coerce him into being his protégé. The Undertaker begrudgingly acceded to Bearer's wishes for a few months but eventually lost his patience with Bearer's abrasive management of him and rejected all association with him. Bearer responded by publicly revealing that his long-lost brother, Kane (later revealed as Bearer's illegitimate son and the Undertaker's
half-brother), was coming to the WWF to challenge him.
In sharing this news, Bearer disclosed that The Undertaker had started a fire at his family's funeral home, in effect murdering his family. Kane, who The Undertaker thought long dead from the incident, was left physically and mentally scarred. Undertaker claimed that Kane, a "
pyromaniac", was the one who started the fire and could not possibly have survived (however, in October 1998 Undertaker confessed to purposefully burning down the home in attempt to murder Kane).
Jacobs made his re-debut as Kane at
Badd Blood: In Your House on October 5, 1997, by using The Undertaker's signature "
Tombstone Piledriver" to cost him the victory in the first
Hell in a Cell match against
Shawn Michaels. In keeping with the notion that Kane had been
burned and scarred by the fire—and to conceal Jacobs' identity—the character wore a
mask, sported long hair, and wore red and black ring attire that almost covered his entire body. Kane and The Undertaker
feuded with one another over the following year, during which time their history vis-à-vis one another was expounded. Jacobs won his first match as Kane against Mankind at
Survivor Series. The Undertaker initially refused to face him and adamantly so while Kane humiliated him, The Undertaker claiming he had promised his parents he would never do harm to his own "flesh and blood". After what was thought to be a brief partnership, Kane betrayed The Undertaker by costing him the WWF Championship, Kane
interfering in The Undertaker's title match against Shawn Michaels at the
Royal Rumble. After the match, Kane locked Undertaker in a
casket and set it on fire. After a couple months of absence, Undertaker resurrected on an episode of RAW, in which he was reproduced from a coffin that was struck by lightning, in this moment furiously challenging Kane.
The Undertaker defeated Kane at
WrestleMania XIV on March 29. After the match, Kane and Paul Bearer attacked The Undertaker, hitting him with a steel chair and then giving a Tombstone Piledriver. They continued to feud until
Unforgiven: In Your House on April 26, when The Undertaker defeated Kane in the first ever Inferno match. In this match, Bearer tried to help Kane by attacking Undertaker, but as Kane was retreating backstage, Vader forced Kane back towards the ring, and The Undertaker attacked them both by jumping over the ring ropes surrounded by fire before setting Kane's right arm on fire. At
Over the Edge: In Your House, Kane defeated Vader in a
Mask vs. Mask match.
On the June 1 episode of ''Raw Is War'', Kane defeated The Undertaker to become the number one contender to the WWF Championship. At the
King of the Ring, Kane defeated
Stone Cold Steve Austin in a
First Blood match following interferences by Mankind and The Undertaker to win the WWF Championship. Kane lost the title back to Austin the following night on ''Raw Is War''.
The Brothers of Destruction (1998–2001)
Kane then formed a tag team with Mankind, with whom he won the
WWF Tag Team Championship twice.
After losing the titles and turning on Mankind, Kane allied with The Undertaker, with the duo being known as
The Brothers of Destruction. At
Breakdown: In Your House, Kane, The Undertaker, and Stone Cold Steve Austin competed in a
triple threat match for Austin's WWF Championship; Kane and Undertaker were prohibited from
pinning each other, so they pinned Austin at the
same time. The half-brothers fought one another for the vacant WWF Championship at
Judgment Day: In Your House, with the match ending in a
no contest
' is a legal term that comes from the Latin phrase for "I do not wish to contend". It is also referred to as a plea of no contest or no defense.
In criminal trials in certain United States jurisdictions, it is a plea where the defendant ne ...
when
special guest referee Austin counted a double pinfall and declared himself the winner; during the match, The Undertaker betrayed Kane for Paul Bearer. At
Rock Bottom: In Your House, Kane interfered in the
Buried Alive match between Austin and The Undertaker, attacking Undertaker and costing him the match. As a result,
The Corporation had Kane committed to an insane asylum. In December, Kane joined
The Corporation to stay out of the insane asylum. During this time, Kane aligned himself with
Chyna
Chyna (born Joan Marie Laurer; December 27, 1969 – April 17, 2016) was an American professional wrestler, bodybuilder and television personality.
She first rose to prominence in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE) in 1997, where s ...
and feuded with
Triple H. At
WrestleMania XV, Kane turned
face after being betrayed by Chyna and thrown out of The Corporation.
Kane then formed a tag team with
X-Pac and acquired a girlfriend,
Tori. While teaming with X-Pac, Kane evolved from being
mute
Muteness is a speech disorder in which a person lacks the ability to speak.
Mute or the Mute may also refer to:
Arts and entertainment Film and television
* ''Mute'' (2005 film), a short film by Melissa Joan Hart
* ''Mute'' (2018 film), a scien ...
to aided speech through an
electrolarynx to speaking unaided. He also became associated with
D-Generation X (DX), the faction of which X-Pac was a member. His first unaided words were the DX slogan "suck it".
The duo won the WWF Tag Team Championship twice.
The tag team broke apart when X-Pac turned on Kane and rejoined DX. Kane and X-Pac then engaged in a lengthy feud against each other, which was exacerbated in early 2000, when Tori betrayed Kane and joined X-Pac and DX, leading to Kane briefly reuniting with Paul Bearer. With Bearer once again by his side, Kane proceeded to terrorize DX at every opportunity he could, once forcing the group to send
Rikishi after Kane to stop him. The former partners' feud eventually ended at
WrestleMania 2000, where Kane teamed with Rikishi to defeat X-Pac and
Road Dogg.
Kane returned on the May 29 episode of ''Raw'', when he helped The Undertaker and
The Rock fight off the McMahon-Helmsley Faction. His involvement in this feud culminated in a main event match at
King of the Ring against
Vince and
Shane McMahon, and then-champion
Triple H.
The Undertaker and Kane's rivalry resurfaced during the match,
but they patched their relationship up soon after. Kane later turned heel by assaulting The Undertaker, leading to a match between the two at
SummerSlam. The match ended when The Undertaker removed Kane's mask, causing him to flee the ring, covering his exposed face. Kane stayed in contention for the WWF Championship for the remainder of the year and ended 2000 in a feud with
Chris Jericho; Kane defeated him at
Survivor Series and again at
Rebellion, but he ultimately lost to Jericho in a
Last Man Standing match at
Armageddon.
Kane turned face once again by reforming his alliance with The Undertaker immediately after the
Royal Rumble in which he eliminated 11 wrestlers and was the runner-up, after being eliminated by Stone Cold Steve Austin. In early 2001, Kane competed for the
Hardcore Championship, defeating Raven for the title at
WrestleMania X-Seven
WrestleMania 17 (stylized as WrestleMania X-Seven) was the 17th annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE). It took place on April 1, 2001, at the Reliant Ast ...
in a triple threat match that also featured
Big Show
Paul Donald Wight II (born February 8, 1972) is an American professional wrestler and actor. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) as an in-ring performer, and as a commentator for its web television show, '' AEW Dark: Elevation,'' under ...
, later losing the title to
Rhyno on an episode of ''SmackDown!''.
Kane and The Undertaker began teaming as The Brothers of Destruction, and in the course of the year they feuded with
Edge and Christian, Rikishi and
Haku, and
The Two-Man Power Trip. At
Judgment Day, Kane defeated Triple H to win the
Intercontinental Championship.
Kane lost the title to
Albert on an episode of ''SmackDown!'' following interference from
Diamond Dallas Page. During
The Invasion, Kane and The Undertaker feuded with Page and
Kanyon
The Poseidon (russian: Посейдон, " Poseidon", NATO reporting name Kanyon), previously known by Russian codename Status-6 (russian: Статус-6), is an autonomous, nuclear-powered unmanned underwater vehicle under development by Ru ...
after Page began stalking The Undertaker's wife Sara. The feud culminated at
SummerSlam, where they defeated Page and Kanyon in a steel cage match, resulting in them holding both the WWF Tag Team
and the
WCW Tag Team Championships.
Kane and The Undertaker defeated
KroniK at
Unforgiven and both participated in the ten-man
Winner-Takes-All match at
Survivor Series as members of the victorious Team WWF.
Unmasking (2002–2004)
On March 25, 2002, the WWF was
divided into two brands, Raw and SmackDown!, with Kane being drafted to Raw. Kane shortly feuded with the
New World Order and began acting human by talking through his mask and referring to his fans as "Kanenites". Kane returned to the renamed WWE as part of the Raw roster in August 2002, with a new outfit and half-mask. On the September 23 episode of ''Raw'', Kane and
The Hurricane won the
WWE Tag Team Championship
WWE (formerly the WWF, the WWWF, and Capitol Wrestling) has maintained at least one primary tag team championship for its male performers since 1958 (except for a two year interim between 1967 and 1969). During periods of brand division, separat ...
after defeating
The Un-Americans (
Lance Storm and
Christian).
The following week on ''Raw'', Kane won the Intercontinental Championship from
Chris Jericho, despite interference from
Triple H and
Ric Flair.
On the October 7 episode of ''Raw'', Kane successfully single-handedly defended the World Tag Team Championship in a four-team
Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match, as The Hurricane had been attacked earlier that evening by Triple H and Ric Flair and was unable to compete. That match was later nominated as WWE's 2002 "Match of the Year". Kane and The Hurricane lost the World Tag Team Championship to Chris Jericho and Christian the following week on ''Raw''.
Also in October, Kane began feuding with Triple H, leading to a match at
No Mercy on October 20 in which both Kane's Intercontinental Championship and Triple H's
World Heavyweight Championship were at stake. In the weeks preceding the match, Triple H claimed that, several years earlier, Kane had an
unrequited relationship with a woman named Katie Vick.
He claimed that after Vick was killed in a
car crash, Kane
had sex with her. Triple H later threatened to show video footage of Kane committing the act in question; however, the footage that finally aired showed Triple H (dressed as Kane) simulating mock sex with a
mannequin
A mannequin (also called a dummy, lay figure, or dress form) is a doll, often articulated, used by artists, tailors, dressmakers, window dressers and others, especially to display or fit clothing and show off different fabrics and textiles. ...
in a casket;
Kane's tag team partner The Hurricane responded the following week by showing a video of Triple H (rather, someone wearing a Triple H series of masks) getting an
enema. The
angle
In Euclidean geometry, an angle is the figure formed by two rays, called the '' sides'' of the angle, sharing a common endpoint, called the ''vertex'' of the angle.
Angles formed by two rays lie in the plane that contains the rays. Angles ...
was very unpopular with fans, and was de-emphasised before the title match. Triple H defeated Kane at No Mercy, due to Triple H and Flair cheating, unifying the two titles. On the October 28 episode of ''Raw'', Kane defeated Triple H in a non-title Casket match to end their feud. At
Survivor Series, Kane participated in the first-ever
Elimination Chamber match for the World Heavyweight Championship, which was won by
Shawn Michaels.
Kane then formed a tag team with
Rob Van Dam, with the duo eventually winning the World Tag Team Championship from
Chief Morley and Lance Storm in a triple threat elimination match (also involving
The Dudley Boyz) on the March 31 episode of ''Raw''.
After they lost their World Tag Team Championship to
La Résistance at
Bad Blood, Triple H offered Kane a spot in his stable
Evolution
Evolution is change in the heritable characteristics of biological populations over successive generations. These characteristics are the expressions of genes, which are passed on from parent to offspring during reproduction. Variation ...
. Raw co-general manager Stone Cold Steve Austin offered Kane the opportunity to face Triple H for the World Heavyweight Championship if he rejected Triple H's offer; however, co-general manager
Eric Bischoff insisted that if Kane lost the match, he would unmask. Kane accepted Austin's offer and challenged Triple H the following week in
Madison Square Garden. Triple H won the match following interference from his stablemates, and on the June 23, 2003, episode of ''Raw'', Kane removed his mask. The unmasking rendered Kane emotionally unstable, and in an interview with
Jim Ross, Kane attacked Ross and set him on fire. He later attacked
Linda McMahon on the Raw stage. This action sparked a feud between Kane and Shane McMahon, Linda's son, with Kane defeating Shane in a Last Man Standing match at
Unforgiven and an ambulance match at
Survivor Series.
During the latter event, Kane also interfered in a
Buried Alive match between Vince McMahon and The Undertaker, helping McMahon bury The Undertaker and win the match.
In January 2004, Kane took part in the
Royal Rumble match; he was eliminated when he heard the bell toll from The Undertaker's entrance music, distracting and distressing Kane, and enabling
Booker T to eliminate him. Over the following weeks, Kane repeatedly insisted that The Undertaker was "dead", only to be met with various paranormal incidents such as a rainstorm localized over the ring in which he stood. The Undertaker finally returned at
WrestleMania XX
WrestleMania XX was the 20th annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). It featured professional wrestlers from both of the promotion's two brands divisions – Raw a ...
(again sporting his "Deadman" persona) with Paul Bearer at his side, defeating Kane.
Storyline with Lita (2004–2005)
After losing at WrestleMania XX, Kane fell in love with
Lita, but was spurned. This led to him kidnapping Lita in May, and on the same night, Kane won a 20-man
battle royal for a World Heavyweight Championship match against
Chris Benoit
Christopher Michael Benoit (; May 21, 1967 – June 24, 2007) was a Canadian professional wrestler. He worked for various pro-wrestling promotions during his 22-year career including most notably the World Wrestling Federation/World Wrestlin ...
at
Bad Blood. Six days before Bad Blood in a handicap tag team match between Kane and La Resistance against Edge and Benoit, Kane pinned Benoit. However, Kane lost to Benoit at Bad Blood. Lita later announced that she was pregnant, with
Matt Hardy her then-boyfriend both on- and off-screen, assuming that he was the child's father. On the June 21 episode of ''Raw'', Kane claimed that he was the father. The next week, he explained that he had impregnated Lita to continue his legacy and justified an attack on Shawn Michaels a week earlier by claiming that Michaels had stood in the way of him winning the World Heavyweight Championship. To appease Kane, General Manager Eric Bischoff gave Kane a rematch with Benoit, instructing Benoit that he could only win by submission, whereas Kane could win the title by any means. Kane again lost to Benoit, and following the match, Lita came to the ring and low-blowed Kane, who initially went to chokeslam her in revenge, but stopped when he realized that she was trying to force him to cause her to miscarry their child.
Kane and Matt Hardy faced one another in a "Till Death Do Us Part" match at
SummerSlam, with Lita obliged to wed the victor. Kane defeated Hardy at SummerSlam, and "married" Lita on the August 23 episode of ''Raw''. Although he was attacked by Hardy during the ceremony, he gained the upper hand and ultimately chokeslammed Hardy off the stage. A week after the wedding, General Manager Eric Bischoff gave Kane and Lita the wedding gift of choosing any match that Kane wanted at
Unforgiven. Shawn Michaels was chosen and defeated Kane in a no-disqualification match at Unforgiven. The next night, on the September 13 episode of ''Raw'', Kane accidentally fell on Lita during a match with the debuting
Gene Snitsky, who hit him on the back with a steel chair, ostensibly causing Lita to miscarry. Kane sought revenge against Snitsky for causing the death of his child but lost to Snitsky in a steel chain match (which was selected by the fans) at
Taboo Tuesday. Kane was sidelined for several months after Snitsky crushed his
larynx with a chair during the match. This storyline gave Jacobs time to complete his role in the film, ''
See No Evil''.
Kane returned in January 2005, defeating Snitsky at
New Year's Revolution
WWE New Year's Revolution was a professional wrestling event produced by WWE, a professional wrestling promotion based in Connecticut. The event was created in 2005 and its name was a play on the Western tradition of New Year's resolutions, ...
. After
WrestleMania 21, Kane and Lita reconciled with one another and began antagonizing Lita's rival
Trish Stratus. This led to a match between Kane and Stratus' hired bodyguard
Viscera at
Backlash that was won by Kane. Lita later turned on Kane and started an on-screen relationship with her real-life boyfriend at the time
Edge. This led to a feud between Kane and Edge, whom Kane defeated at
Vengeance despite interference from Snitsky. The feud ended when Edge defeated Kane in a
Stretcher match on the July 25 episode of ''Raw''.
Teaming with Big Show (2005–2006)
Kane returned to WWE television on the October 17 episode of ''Raw'', winning an 18-man battle royal. As a result of his victory, he, along with Big Show and Shawn Michaels, was featured in an Internet poll to decide who would receive a shot at the
WWE Championship
The WWE Championship is a World championship (professional wrestling), world heavyweight championship created and promoted by the American professional wrestling promotion WWE, representing the Raw (WWE brand), Raw WWE brand extension, brand di ...
at
Taboo Tuesday. In the weeks before Taboo Tuesday, Kane and Big Show teamed together on several occasions. The poll was won by Michaels, and Kane and Big Show teamed together to face
Lance Cade and Trevor Murdoch, defeating them for the World Tag Team Championship.
The duo successfully retained their championship throughout the remainder of 2005, during which time they engaged in an inter-promotional feud with members of the
SmackDown! brand. On the December 12 episode of ''Raw'', Kane defeated Triple H in an Elimination Chamber qualifying match, then Kane participated in the Elimination Chamber match for the WWE Championship at
New Year's Revolution
WWE New Year's Revolution was a professional wrestling event produced by WWE, a professional wrestling promotion based in Connecticut. The event was created in 2005 and its name was a play on the Western tradition of New Year's resolutions, ...
but he was eliminated by
Carlito and
Chris Masters. He and Big Show feuded with Carlito and Masters throughout early 2006, culminating in a successful title defense at
WrestleMania 22 on April 2. The following evening, Kane and the Big Show lost the World Tag Team Championship to
Spirit Squad members
Kenny
Kenny is a surname, a given name, and a diminutive of several different given names.
In Ireland, the surname is an Anglicisation of the Irish ''Ó Cionnaith'', also spelt ''Ó Cionnaoith'' and ''Ó Cionaodha'', meaning "descendant of Cionnaith". ...
and
Mikey.
One week later, Kane and Big Show faced Spirit Squad members
Johnny
Johnny is an English language personal name. It is usually an affectionate diminutive of the masculine given name John, but from the 16th century it has sometimes been a given name in its own right for males and, less commonly, females.
Varia ...
and
Nicky in a rematch for the title, but were disqualified after Kane "snapped", ostensibly due to "voices in his head".
In subsequent weeks, Kane began attacking anyone who mentioned the date May 19. During the match between Kane and Big Show at
Backlash, Kane's voice began echoing throughout the arena saying "May 19th", "It's happening again" and "They're all going to know", leaving Kane visibly shaken. Big Show then struck Kane with a chair, resulting in a no contest. On May 19, Kane appeared on ''SmackDown!'' as
John "Bradshaw" Layfield (JBL)'s hand-picked opponent for
Rey Mysterio.
After the aforementioned voices and mask video began playing, Kane chokeslammed JBL and Mysterio, before leaving the ring.
On the following episode of ''Raw'', he claimed that May 19 was the date on which his mother and adopted family were killed in a fire. The voices continued to the May 29 episode of ''Raw'', when Kane was confronted by the source of the voice, an
impostor Kane; wearing Kane's old mask and ring attire, he chokeslammed Kane during his match against
Shelton Benjamin
Shelton James Benjamin (born July 9, 1975) is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand under his real name.
He is also known for his work in New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) and Pro Wres ...
for the Intercontinental Championship. Kane and the look-alike continued to fight one another in subsequent weeks, leading to a match between the two being scheduled for
Vengeance, in which the real Kane lost to the impostor. On the June 26 episode of ''Raw'', Kane threw the impostor out of the arena and removed his mask, saying "I believe that this is mine". Kane was absent from WWE television for two months thereafter as he toured Europe to promote ''See No Evil''.
Kane returned at
SummerSlam, attacking
Umaga, who was interfering in the D-Generation-X versus Mr. McMahon and Shane McMahon tag team match. Upon his return, he faced his former partner Big Show for the
ECW World Championship in a losing effort. Soon after, Kane would engage in a major feud with Umaga that concluded on October 9 in a Loser Leaves Raw match, which he lost.
Various feuds (2006–2007)
On the October 13 episode of ''SmackDown!'', Kane moved to the SmackDown! brand. On the November 3 episode of ''SmackDown!'', Kane reunited with The Undertaker as The Brothers of Destruction to defeat
Montel Vontavious Porter (MVP) and
Mr. Kennedy. Kane continued a feud with MVP competing in several gimmick matches. The result of the feud was an Inferno match at
Armageddon; Kane won by setting MVP's back on fire which resulted in first degree burns. On the ''SmackDown!'' before the
Royal Rumble, Kane was involved in a six-man elimination over-the-top-rope battle royal, with King Booker, MVP,
The Miz, Chris Benoit, and
Finlay. This match went to a no-contest as The Undertaker interrupted after Kane had been eliminated and punished by the remaining opponents.
At the Royal Rumble, Kane eliminated King Booker, but Booker re-entered the ring and eliminated Kane.
On the February 2 episode of ''SmackDown!'', while receiving the key to the city in his hometown of Houston, Booker was attacked by Kane starting a feud between the two. At
No Way Out, Kane defeated King Booker. On the February 23 episode of ''SmackDown!'', Kane lost to King Booker in a Falls Count Anywhere Money in the Bank Qualifying match after interference from
The Great Khali
Dalip Singh Rana (born 27 August 1972) is an Indian professional wrestler and wrestling promoter better known by his ring name The Great Khali. He is best known for his tenure in WWE where he became the first Indian-born WWE World Heavy ...
, sparking a feud between the two. Before
WrestleMania 23, Kane started to walk around with a hook, similar to the hook he used as Jacob Goodnight in ''See No Evil''. At WrestleMania, Kane lost to Khali. During the match, in homage to
Hulk Hogan slamming
André the Giant twenty years earlier at
WrestleMania III, Kane picked up Khali for the first time and body-slammed him to the mat.
After WrestleMania, he began to feud with
William Regal and Dave Taylor.
The Boogeyman then joined the feud, teaming up with Kane. On the May 4 episode of ''SmackDown!'', Kane competed in a number one contender's match for the United States Championship against MVP. Kane lost due to interference by Regal and Taylor. On the May 25 episode of ''SmackDown!'', Kane competed in a fatal four-way number one contender's match for the World Heavyweight Championship which was won by Batista. Kane then entered a short feud with
Mark Henry, losing to him in a
Lumberjack match at
One Night Stand due to interference from lumberjacks Kenny Dykstra and
Chavo Guerrero Jr.
Salvador Guerrero IV (born October 20, 1970) better known by his ring names Chavo Guerrero and Chavo Guerrero Jr., is an American professional wrestler. He has previously worked for World Championship Wrestling (WCW), World Wrestling Federatio ...
and then took a short hiatus. On the July 6 episode of ''SmackDown!'', General Manager
Theodore Long announced that Kane would face Edge for the
World Heavyweight Championship at
The Great American Bash. After Edge was attacked and injured by Kane and the title was vacated,
Batista faced Kane in a number one contender's match on the July 20 episode of ''SmackDown!''. During the match, new World Heavyweight Champion The Great Khali interfered by attacking Batista; the match was ruled a no-contest and both men were ruled the number one contenders and were scheduled to face Khali in a triple threat match at The Great American Bash. Khali retained the title after pinning Kane for the win at The Great American Bash.
Kane later teamed up with Batista on the August 18 ''
Saturday Night's Main Event XXXV'' to defeat Khali and Finlay. Kane then entered a storyline with Finlay, which led to a match at
SummerSlam, which Kane won after chokeslamming Finlay. They continued to feud, which included Kane losing to Finlay in a number one contender's tournament on the August 31 episode of ''SmackDown!'' after interference from
Hornswoggle.
ECW Champion (2007–2010)
Kane then made an appearance on the October 16 episode of ''
ECW'' as the hand-chosen partner of
ECW Champion CM Punk, helping him defeat John Morrison, The Miz, and
Big Daddy V in a three-on-two handicap match. In retaliation, Big Daddy V attacked Kane on the October 19 episode of ''SmackDown!'', igniting a feud between the two. The two continued to battle in the following weeks. Kane was voted to face the defending champion MVP for his United States Championship at
Cyber Sunday, which Kane won by countout and thus did not win the title. After this, he continued to feud with Big Daddy V, with the two ending up on opposite teams at
Survivor Series, where Kane's team won. Big Daddy V eventually began to team with Mark Henry, while Kane teamed with CM Punk. The feud concluded at
Armageddon, where Kane and Punk lost to Big Daddy V and Henry after Big Daddy V pinned Punk.
In a battle royal before
WrestleMania XXIV, Kane won by last eliminating former rival Mark Henry, earning a match for the
ECW Championship against Chavo Guerrero later that night. Kane defeated Guerrero in the second fastest WrestleMania match with a record-setting
eleven seconds to win the ECW Championship.
Shortly after winning the championship, Kane officially joined the ECW brand. At
Backlash, Kane successfully defended the ECW Championship against Guerrero. He then continued teaming with CM Punk to earn a
WWE Tag Team Championship
WWE (formerly the WWF, the WWWF, and Capitol Wrestling) has maintained at least one primary tag team championship for its male performers since 1958 (except for a two year interim between 1967 and 1969). During periods of brand division, separat ...
match at
Judgment Day,
which they lost to
John Morrison and The Miz. As part of the
2008 WWE Draft, Kane was drafted to the Raw brand, making the ECW Championship exclusive to Raw. Kane lost the ECW Championship to Mark Henry at
Night of Champions
Night (also described as night time, unconventionally spelled as "nite") is the period of ambient darkness from sunset to sunrise during each 24-hour day, when the Sun is below the horizon. The exact time when night begins and ends depends on ...
in a triple threat match that also involved Big Show.
On the July 7 episode of ''Raw'', Kane lost a number one contender's fatal four-way match to Batista (Batista would advance to the
World Heavyweight Championship match at
The Great American Bash), leading him to attack commentators
Michael Cole and Jerry Lawler, thus turning heel in the process. At The Great American Bash, Kane interfered and attacked both the champion CM Punk and the challenger Batista, causing the match to end in a double disqualification. In September, Kane began a feud with Rey Mysterio that lasted through
Survivor Series. On the March 2 episode of ''Raw'', Kane pinned
Mike Knox in a triple threat match, also involving Rey Mysterio, to earn a spot in the
Money in the Bank ladder match
The Money in the Bank ladder match is a multi-person ladder match held by the professional wrestling promotion WWE. First contested at WWE's annual WrestleMania event beginning in 2005, a separate Money in the Bank pay-per-view was establish ...
at
WrestleMania 25
WrestleMania 25 (also marketed as The 25th Anniversary of WrestleMania and written as WrestleMania 25th Anniversary) was the 25th annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment (WW ...
, a match ultimately won by CM Punk. During the
2009 draft Kane beat The
Brian Kendrick for a draft pick and, later in the night, was drafted to the SmackDown brand. There, Kane feuded with CM Punk and defeated him at
Backlash. He then took a break to tour India and also heal injuries, returning at
The Bash to assist
Dolph Ziggler in his match with The Great Khali by hitting Khali with a steel chair, allowing Ziggler to win. This started a feud with Khali, whom he defeated at
SummerSlam and in a Singapore Cane match at
Breaking Point. Alongside Chris Jericho, Kane was co-captain for the victorious Team SmackDown at
Bragging Rights. Kane then unsuccessfully challenged Jericho in a number one contender's match for an opportunity to face World Heavyweight Champion The Undertaker and Big Show in a triple threat match at
Survivor Series. In November, Kane reunited with The Undertaker to feud with Big Show and Jericho, thus turning face. At
WrestleMania XXVI, during the Money in the Bank ladder match, Kane was unsuccessful in claiming the briefcase as
Jack Swagger won the match. Over the next few months, Kane was involved in sporadic singles matches on episodes of ''SmackDown'', including a loss to CM Punk in May in a qualifying match for the World Heavyweight Championship match for the
Fatal 4-Way pay-per-view event.
World Heavyweight Champion (2010–2011)
On the June 4 episode of ''SmackDown'', Kane stated he had found his brother The Undertaker in a "vegetative state" over
Memorial Day weekend and vowed revenge on whoever was responsible. Due to Undertaker's injury, a battle royal was held to determine his replacement for Fatal 4-Way, which Rey Mysterio won by last eliminating Kane. Mysterio would go on to win the match at Fatal 4-Way. Kane participated in his fourth Money in the Bank ladder match at its first
eponymous pay-per-view. He won the match, and cashed in his Money in the Bank contract later that night, defeating Rey Mysterio (who had just defeated Jack Swagger) to win the World Heavyweight Championship, thus making Kane the first wrestler in WWE history to win the WWE Championship, the ECW Championship, and the World Heavyweight Championship. He became the first wrestler to cash in the Money in the Bank contract on the same night it was won and also holds the record for the fastest cash in at 47 minutes.
On the next ''SmackDown'' on July 23, Kane accused Mysterio of putting The Undertaker in a vegetative state; Mysterio countered the accusations, claiming that Kane himself was the perpetrator. At
SummerSlam, Kane retained the World Heavyweight Championship against Mysterio, and following their match, The Undertaker appeared. Kane was revealed as The Undertaker's attacker, thus turning heel once again and reigniting their feud. He successfully defended the World Heavyweight Championship against The Undertaker in a
No Holds Barred match at
Night of Champions
Night (also described as night time, unconventionally spelled as "nite") is the period of ambient darkness from sunset to sunrise during each 24-hour day, when the Sun is below the horizon. The exact time when night begins and ends depends on ...
. On the following episode of ''SmackDown'', a
casket was brought to ringside by
druids to reveal the return of Paul Bearer, supporting The Undertaker. At
Hell in a Cell, Bearer turned on The Undertaker and allied himself with Kane, who retained the World Heavyweight Championship in a
Hell in a Cell match with Bearer's help. At
Bragging Rights, Kane defeated Undertaker in a
Buried Alive match after help from
The Nexus to retain the title once again, thus ending their feud.
Kane then rekindled his feud with
Edge, who on the October 29 episode of ''SmackDown'' was named the new challenger to Kane's World Heavyweight Championship at
Survivor Series. On the November 12 episode of ''SmackDown'', Edge kidnapped Bearer and started to play mind games with Kane, trying to psychologically wear him down before their title match. At Survivor Series, Kane retained his title after the referee determined the match a draw due to both men pinning each other at the same time. As Edge still had Bearer in his captivity, Kane agreed to a rematch at the next pay-per-view. On the December 3 episode of ''SmackDown'', Edge defeated Kane in a non-title match to win the right to determine the stipulation for the title match; Edge chose a
Tables, Ladders and Chairs match before leaving Kane with a Paul Bearer lookalike and driving away with the genuine Bearer strapped to the back of a truck. The following week, Kane accidentally injured Bearer, believing it to be another hoax by Edge, and Bearer was written out of the storyline. The week after, Kane rampaged into the stadium to hunt down Edge hoping to get back at him but the two were nearly restrained by the entire Smackdown roster. At
TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs, Kane lost the World Heavyweight Championship to Edge in a four-way Tables, Ladders and Chairs match also involving Mysterio and
Alberto Del Rio
José Alberto Rodríguez Chucuan (born 25 May 1977) is a Mexican-American professional wrestler, professional wrestling promoter, sports commentator, and mixed martial artist, currently signed to the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) as a c ...
. Kane received his rematch for the World Heavyweight Championship on the January 7, 2011 episode of ''SmackDown'' in a Last Man Standing match, but was unsuccessful.
Kane competed in the
2011 Royal Rumble match, the largest Royal Rumble match in history, and was the 40th and final person to enter the match. Kane then competed in the
2011 Elimination Chamber match for the World Heavyweight Championship, eliminating
Drew McIntyre and Big Show before being eliminated by Edge. The following month, Kane reunited with the Big Show against a common enemy,
The Corre, thus turning face once again in the process. Kane and Big Show began challenging them for the tag team titles and saving other wrestlers from their attacks. At
WrestleMania XXVII, Big Show and Kane teamed with
Santino Marella and
Kofi Kingston to beat The Corre. The next week, a rematch took place under two out of three falls rules, which Kane's team won. On the April 22 episode of ''SmackDown'', the duo defeated Corre members
Justin Gabriel and
Heath Slater to win the
WWE Tag Team Championship
WWE (formerly the WWF, the WWWF, and Capitol Wrestling) has maintained at least one primary tag team championship for its male performers since 1958 (except for a two year interim between 1967 and 1969). During periods of brand division, separat ...
, their second championship as a team. Big Show and Kane then started feuding with the New Nexus. After defending the titles against CM Punk and
Mason Ryan at
Over the Limit, Kane and Big Show lost the championship to
Michael McGillicutty and
David Otunga the following night on ''Raw''. The team disbanded after the match, as Big Show suffered an injury. Kane participated in the
second annual SmackDown
Money in the Bank ladder match
The Money in the Bank ladder match is a multi-person ladder match held by the professional wrestling promotion WWE. First contested at WWE's annual WrestleMania event beginning in 2005, a separate Money in the Bank pay-per-view was establish ...
, but the match was won by
Daniel Bryan. On the July 22 episode of ''SmackDown'' after losing a street fight to Randy Orton, Kane was attacked by
Mark Henry, who injured his leg with a steel chair. WWE reported the attack had fractured Kane's
fibula
The fibula or calf bone is a leg bone on the lateral side of the tibia, to which it is connected above and below. It is the smaller of the two bones and, in proportion to its length, the most slender of all the long bones. Its upper extremity ...
, likely to sideline him for five months.
Re-masking and Team Hell No (2011–2013)
Beginning in November 2011, WWE began airing vignettes featuring Kane and a burning red mask and ending with the words "Kane Resurrected" appearing on screen. Kane returned on the December 12 episode of ''Raw'' wearing a metallic mask and new ring attire inspired by the incisions of a postmortem human body after an
autopsy. He interrupted the main event between Mark Henry and
John Cena, attacking Cena before removing the metallic mask to reveal a new red mask and turning
heel once again. Kane continued to attack Cena in the following weeks, claiming he wanted Cena to "embrace the hate" from Cena's detractors, rather than try to "Rise Above Hate", as Cena's T-shirt proclaimed. Kane also attacked and injured Cena's ally
Zack Ryder. Kane and Cena fought to a double countout at the
Royal Rumble. After the match, Kane attacked Ryder with a
Tombstone Piledriver and then he
chokeslammed Cena. On February 19 at
Elimination Chamber, Cena defeated Kane in an
Ambulance match to end the feud.
In March, Kane initiated a feud with Randy Orton by attacking him. Kane later explained that he needed to feel like a monster again, and believed that defeating Orton would allow him to do that. Orton retaliated in the following weeks, leading to a match at
WrestleMania XXVIII
WrestleMania XXVIII (also written as WrestleMania 28) was the 28th annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by WWE. It took place on April 1, 2012, at Sun Life Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. It is the hig ...
, which Kane won. In a rematch on the following ''SmackDown'', Orton defeated Kane in a No Disqualification match. After Kane attacked Orton and his father,
"Cowboy" Bob Orton
Robert Keith Orton Jr. (born November 10, 1950), better known by the ring name "Cowboy" Bob Orton, is an American semi-retired professional wrestler. He is the son of professional wrestler Bob Orton Sr., the brother of professional wrestler Barr ...
, the pair faced off at
Extreme Rules, in a Falls Count Anywhere match, which Orton won by utilizing a steel chair.
At the
Over the Limit pre-show, Kane defeated Zack Ryder.
Kane then engaged in a three-way feud with WWE Champion CM Punk and
Daniel Bryan after Bryan interfered in a non-title match between Kane and Punk to frame Punk for attacking Kane with a steel chair. On the June 1 episode of ''SmackDown'', a WWE Championship match between Kane and Punk ended in a double disqualification after Bryan attacked both men. On the June 4 episode of ''Raw'', Kane beat CM Punk in a non-title match, and on the June 22 episode of ''SmackDown'', Kane defeated Daniel Bryan. Meanwhile, Bryan's jilted ex-girlfriend
AJ Lee turned her affections to both Punk and Kane.
The feud culminated in a triple threat match at
No Way Out, where Punk retained the WWE Championship after AJ distracted Kane. At ''
Raw 1000'', Kane turned
face once again when he was saved by his brother
The Undertaker from an attack by
Jinder Mahal,
Drew McIntyre,
Tyler Reks,
Curt Hawkins,
Hunico and
Camacho. At
SummerSlam, Kane was defeated by Bryan.
As a result of Bryan and Kane's issues, AJ enrolled them in
anger management classes hosted by Dr. Shelby and they were later forced to compete in a "Hug it Out" match. At the arrangement of Dr. Shelby and AJ, the two adversaries formed a team whose constant infighting during matches inadvertently resulted in them defeating
The Prime Time Players (
Titus O'Neil and
Darren Young) to become the number one contenders to the WWE Tag Team Championship, and defeating champions Kofi Kingston and R-Truth to win the titles at
Night of Champions
Night (also described as night time, unconventionally spelled as "nite") is the period of ambient darkness from sunset to sunrise during each 24-hour day, when the Sun is below the horizon. The exact time when night begins and ends depends on ...
. Kane and Bryan made their first successful title defense the following night on ''Raw'', defeating the former champions in a rematch. The following week on ''Raw'', "Team Hell No" was chosen as the official team name via a
Twitter
Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...
poll. Team Hell No entered a feud with Team Rhodes Scholars (
Cody Rhodes and
Damien Sandow), and successfully defended the championship against them on multiple occasions. On the November 26 episode of ''Raw'', both Kane and Bryan were assaulted by
The Shield (
Dean Ambrose,
Seth Rollins, and
Roman Reigns). Team Hell No allied with
Ryback
Ryback Allen Reeves (né Ryan; born November 10, 1981) is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his time in WWE where he performed under the ring name Ryback.
One of the eight finalists on WWE's '' Tough Enough 4'', Reeves l ...
to face The Shield, but lost a
Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match at
TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs. Further successful title defenses against Team Rhodes Scholars and 3 MB (
Drew McIntyre and Heath Slater) followed throughout December 2012 and January 2013. On the February 11 episode of ''Raw'', Kane defeated Dolph Ziggler to earn the final spot in the number one contender Elimination Chamber match for the World Heavyweight Championship, but was the second man eliminated from the match at the
Elimination Chamber pay-per-view. On April 7 at
WrestleMania 29, Team Hell No defeated Dolph Ziggler and
Big E Langston in another successful title defense. Following WrestleMania, Team Hell No rekindled their rivalry with The Shield after they saved The Undertaker from The Shield. On the April 22 episode of ''Raw'', Team Hell No and The Undertaker were defeated by the Shield in a six-man tag team match. Kane and Bryan then faced members of the stable in both tag team and singles competition, but were mainly unsuccessful. On May 19 at
Extreme Rules, Kane and Bryan lost the WWE Tag Team Championship to Shield members Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns, ending their reign at 245 days. Team Hell No lost their WWE Tag Team Championship rematch against Reigns and Rollins on the May 27 episode of ''Raw''. On the June 14 episode of ''SmackDown'', Kane, Bryan and Randy Orton ended the Shield's unpinned/unsubmitted streak in televised six-man tag matches. Kane unsuccessfully challenged Dean Ambrose for the
United States Championship two days later at
Payback and the following night on ''Raw''.
On the July 8 episode of ''Raw'', Kane beat Christian in a Money in the Bank qualifying match, then he was attacked and injured by the debuting
Wyatt Family
The Wyatt family included several of the major English architects during the 18th and 19th centuries, and a significant 18th century inventor, John Wyatt (1700–1766), the eldest son of John Wyatt (1675–1742).
The family
This is a summary t ...
, removing him from his scheduled match at
Money in the Bank. Kane returned three weeks later, losing to Bryan. Following the match, he was attacked again by The Wyatt Family, setting up a
Ring of Fire match
Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "concept" or "gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a ...
at
SummerSlam against
Bray Wyatt. Kane lost the match, following interference from
Erick Rowan and
Luke Harper, and after another attack, he was carried out of the arena by The Wyatt Family. The storyline was put in place to allow Jacobs time off to film ''
See No Evil 2''.
The Authority (2013–2015)
Following a two-month hiatus, Kane returned at
Hell in a Cell on October 27, attacking both The Wyatt Family and
The Miz. The next night on ''Raw'', Kane turned
heel again as he pledged allegiance to
Stephanie McMahon by handing her his mask, and reinforced his loyalty the next week by aiding members of
The Authority.
As part of his character change, he appeared unmasked and wore a suit and tie to fit in with the corporate ideology of The Authority, and was given a fictional role as "Director of Operations".
When appearing in a suit and tie Kane was referred to as "Corporate Kane." Kane participated in the
2014 Royal Rumble
The 2014 Royal Rumble was the 27th annual Royal Rumble professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by WWE. It took place on January 26, 2014, at the Consol Energy Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It was the first Royal Rumble ...
, and was eliminated by CM Punk. He re-appeared later during the match, eliminating Punk to tie the record for most eliminations in the Royal Rumble match; however, his thirteen-year-old record for most eliminations in a single Rumble was broken by
Roman Reigns. Kane then involved himself in The Authority's feud with Daniel Bryan, which included Kane booking himself in a match with Bryan on the February 17 episode of ''Raw'' and interfering in the WWE World Heavyweight Championship Elimination Chamber match at
Elimination Chamber (where Randy Orton was defending his championship against Bryan, John Cena,
Sheamus,
Cesaro, and
Christian.)
Following
WrestleMania XXX, after Kane and
The New Age Outlaws lost to The Shield, Kane was berated by Stephanie McMahon and told to find the "Big Red Monster" that he was before. He returned to his masked self that same week, attacking
Big Show
Paul Donald Wight II (born February 8, 1972) is an American professional wrestler and actor. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) as an in-ring performer, and as a commentator for its web television show, '' AEW Dark: Elevation,'' under ...
following the April 15 episode of ''Main Event''. On the April 21 episode of ''Raw'', Stephanie McMahon announced Kane as the number one contender to the
WWE World Heavyweight Championship at
Extreme Rules, prompting Kane to attack champion Daniel Bryan and his wife
Brie Bella. Kane lost his title match to Bryan at Extreme Rules. At
Money in the Bank, Kane helped
Seth Rollins win his
Money in the Bank contract, and then he competed in a WWE World Heavyweight Championship ladder match, which was won by John Cena. At
Battleground, Kane competed in a WWE World Heavyweight Championship fatal four-way match against John Cena, Randy Orton, and Roman Reigns, but Cena retained the title. On the July 28 episode of ''Raw'', Kane was scheduled to face Roman Reigns, but Kane and Randy Orton attacked Reigns before the match began.
On the August 4 episode of ''Raw'', after Kane lost to Roman Reigns in a
Last Man Standing match, he relinquished his mask and gave it to Stephanie McMahon. The following week on ''Raw'', Kane resumed his role as The Authority's Director of Operations. At
Survivor Series, Kane was part of Team Authority in the main event, and was eliminated by
Dolph Ziggler, who ultimately won the match for Team Cena.
After Survivor Series, he began feuding with
Ryback
Ryback Allen Reeves (né Ryan; born November 10, 1981) is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his time in WWE where he performed under the ring name Ryback.
One of the eight finalists on WWE's '' Tough Enough 4'', Reeves l ...
, which led to a chairs match between the two at
TLC, where Ryback emerged victorious. At
Royal Rumble, Kane eliminated four superstars, thus surpassing the record for most overall eliminations in the Royal Rumble match. At
Fastlane, Kane, Big Show, and Seth Rollins defeated Dolph Ziggler,
Erick Rowan, and Ryback, after Kane pinned Ziggler. Kane participated in the 2nd Annual
André the Giant Memorial Battle Royal at
WrestleMania 31, and was eliminated by
Cesaro. At
Extreme Rules, Kane served as the "gatekeeper" for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship
Steel Cage match between Seth Rollins and Randy Orton, which Rollins won by escaping the cage. At
Payback, Kane secured his role as Director of Operations by helping Rollins retain his title in a fatal four-way match against Dean Ambrose, Randy Orton, and Roman Reigns. At
Money in the Bank, Kane participated in the
Money in the Bank ladder match
The Money in the Bank ladder match is a multi-person ladder match held by the professional wrestling promotion WWE. First contested at WWE's annual WrestleMania event beginning in 2005, a separate Money in the Bank pay-per-view was establish ...
, which was won by
Sheamus. On the July 13 episode of ''Raw'', Kane was injured by
Brock Lesnar, who smashed his ankle with the steel ring steps. Following the attack, Rollins berated Kane and kicked his injured ankle. Kane returned at
Night of Champions
Night (also described as night time, unconventionally spelled as "nite") is the period of ambient darkness from sunset to sunrise during each 24-hour day, when the Sun is below the horizon. The exact time when night begins and ends depends on ...
with his mask as his "Demon" persona, preventing
Sheamus from cashing in his
Money in the Bank contract and attacking
Seth Rollins, thus turning
face in the process. Kane appeared as both his "Demon" and "Corporate" personas and continued his feud with Rollins,
defeating him in a lumberjack match on the October 12 episode of ''Raw''. "Demon" Kane lost his
WWE World Heavyweight Championship match against Rollins at
Hell in a Cell, and as per the stipulation, "Corporate" Kane was fired from his role as
The Authority's Director of Operations.
Tag team reunions (2015–2020)
Following Hell in a Cell, Kane reunited with
The Undertaker to feud with
The Wyatt Family. At
Survivor Series,
The Brothers of Destruction defeated
Bray Wyatt and
Luke Harper in a tag team match. Kane was the seventh entrant in the
2016 Royal Rumble match, and was eliminated by
Braun Strowman. At
Fastlane, Kane teamed up with
Big Show
Paul Donald Wight II (born February 8, 1972) is an American professional wrestler and actor. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) as an in-ring performer, and as a commentator for its web television show, '' AEW Dark: Elevation,'' under ...
and
Ryback
Ryback Allen Reeves (né Ryan; born November 10, 1981) is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his time in WWE where he performed under the ring name Ryback.
One of the eight finalists on WWE's '' Tough Enough 4'', Reeves l ...
to defeat The Wyatt Family.
At
WrestleMania 32, Kane participated in the André the Giant Memorial Battle Royal, and was the runner-up, being eliminated by eventual winner
Baron Corbin.
On July 19 at the
2016 WWE draft, Kane was drafted to the SmackDown brand. At
Backlash in September, Kane defeated Bray Wyatt following interference by
Randy Orton. At
Survivor Series, Kane defeated Luke Harper on the kick-off show. A rematch between the two was made on the November 29 episode of ''SmackDown Live'', in which Kane was once again victorious.
On the October 16, 2017 episode of ''Raw'', after ten months of inactivity, Kane made a surprise return when he came from under the ring to attack
Roman Reigns, costing him a
Steel Cage match against Braun Strowman and joining
The Miz's team at
TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs, thus moving to the Raw brand and turning
heel in the process. At TLC on October 22, Kane, Miz, Strowman, and
The Bar were originally scheduled to compete in a
5-on-3 handicap TLC match against
The Shield, but
Roman Reigns was sidelined due to real-life illness. Donning the signature Shield ring attire,
Kurt Angle took Reigns' place in the match as an honorary member of The Shield alongside
Seth Rollins and
Dean Ambrose. Kane, Miz, Strowman and The Bar lost the match after Kane, Miz and The Bar betrayed Strowman.
After defeating the likes of
Finn Bálor and Seth Rollins, Kane engaged in a feud with Strowman. On the December 11 episode of ''Raw'', Kane and Strowman fought to a double countout in a match to determine the number one contender to
Brock Lesnar's
Universal Championship. At the
Royal Rumble, Lesnar retained his title in a
triple threat match against both Kane and Strowman.
Kane was written off television after losing a
Last Man Standing match against Strowman the following night on ''Raw''.
He returned on the March 19 episode of ''Raw'' and
chokeslammed
John Cena after Cena called out The Undertaker. The following week on ''Raw'', Kane lost to Cena in a no disqualification match. At
WrestleMania 34, Kane participated in the André the Giant Memorial Battle Royal, and lasted until the final four but was ultimately unsuccessful.
Kane returned as a face on the June 26 episode of ''SmackDown Live'' and saved
Daniel Bryan from
SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Bludgeon Brothers
Luke Harper and Erick Rowan, later known as the Bludgeon Brothers, were a professional wrestling tag team in WWE. They were also known as being members of the cult faction The Wyatt Family, led by Bray Wyatt.
After work at house shows from June ...
, thus reuniting
Team Hell No. At
Extreme Rules, Team Hell No lost to The Bludgeon Brothers in a SmackDown Tag Team Championship match after Kane was attacked by his opponents backstage.
Kane made his return on the October 1 episode of ''Raw'' and reunited with The Undertaker to feud with
Triple H and
Shawn Michaels. At
Super Show-Down in
Melbourne
Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/ Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a metro ...
,
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...
, Undertaker was defeated by Triple H following interference by Michaels. After the match, Kane and Undertaker attacked Michaels and Triple H, setting up a tag team match between The Brothers of Destruction and
D-Generation X at
Crown Jewel on November 2. At Crown Jewel, despite dominating most of the match, the Brothers of Destruction lost to D-X after Triple H pinned Kane.
On the September 16, 2019 episode of ''Raw'', Kane returned after a hiatus of nearly a year this time under his real name, and he pinned
R-Truth to capture the
24/7 Championship, his only championship won under his real name, but dropped the title back to Truth. Later that night, he re-emerged under his Kane persona, and saved Universal Champion Seth Rollins from
The O.C. (
AJ Styles,
Luke Gallows, and
Karl Anderson) and
Raw Tag Team Champions Dolph Ziggler and
Robert Roode, but was subsequently attacked by
"The Fiend" Bray Wyatt. Kane returned on the January 17, 2020 episode of ''SmackDown'', where he was interrupted by The Fiend, but Daniel Bryan would attack The Fiend with a running knee and the two would subsequently have a brief reunion afterwards. At
Survivor Series on November 22, he made an appearance during The Undertaker's retirement ceremony.
WWE Hall of Famer (2021–present)
At
Royal Rumble on January 31, 2021, Kane appeared as a surprise entrant in the Royal Rumble match, eliminating Dolph Ziggler and
Ricochet before being eliminated by
Damian Priest. On March 24, 2021, it was announced that Kane would be inducted into the
WWE Hall of Fame as part of the class of
2021. Kane's induction was completed on April 1, 2021. On September 17, prior to ''SmackDown'', Kane presented
Bianca Belair
Bianca Blair Crawford (born Bianca Nicole Blair; April 9, 1989) is an American professional wrestler and a fitness and figure competitor. She is currently signed to WWE, where she performs on the Raw brand under the ring name Bianca Belair, and ...
with a proclamation from the Tennessee Senate. He later appeared during ''SmackDown'' during in-ring celebrations. Kane attended the 2022
WWE Hall of Fame in recognition of The Undertaker headlining the
ceremony. On the April 25, 2022 episode of ''Raw'', Kane made brief cameo appearances in two separate backstage segments involving Bianca Belair and Randy Orton. Kane made a surprise appearance at the 2022
SummerSlam event announcing the shows attendance, then delivered his signature ring pyro before leaving the ring.
Professional wrestling style and persona
Upon his debut in the WWF, Jacobs portrayed a
dental hygienist named Dr. Isaac Yankem; during this time he used a
snap DDT as his finishing move. He later portrayed the Diesel character popularized by
Kevin Nash following Nash's departure to WCW in 1996; during this time he used a
release powerbomb
A powerbomb is a professional wrestling throw in which an opponent is lifted (usually so that they are sitting on the wrestler's shoulders) and then slammed back-first down to the mat. The standard powerbomb sees an opponent first placed in a sta ...
.
Upon his repackaging as Kane in 1997, Jacobs proceeded to utilize the
chokeslam and the
tombstone piledriver as finishers, taking after his older half-brother The Undertaker. In 2001, Jacobs adopted a
falling powerbomb as a finisher, reminiscent of The Undertaker's "''
Last Ride''". He was nicknamed "The Big Red Machine", "The (Devil's Favorite) Demon", and "The (Big Red) Monster" to emphasize his monstrous/demonic persona.
His character wore a full mask before replacing it with a half mask in 2002. Kane appeared unmasked from 2003 until 2011 when he returned with a new half mask. Under his time in The Authority, Kane relinquished his mask and wore a suit and tie in a persona known as "Corporate Kane" where he also wrestled in dark slacks with elbow pads, though he later reverted to his attire and mask. In 2012, a WWE article ranked him as the 41st best wrestling villain in history.
In 2019 he altered his "Big Red Machine" nickname into "Big Red Mayor" when doing a Twitter AMA.
Political career
Jacobs is actively involved in
libertarian politics and publishes his views via a blog. Jacobs supported Texas Congressman
Ron Paul for President in 2008.
He is a member of the
Free State Project and delivered a speech at the organization's 2009
New Hampshire Liberty Forum
The New Hampshire Liberty Forum is an annual convention-style conference hosted by the Free State Project. It has attracted attendees such as U.S. Presidential candidates, a sitting U.S. Senator, a sitting U.S. Representative, state legislators, ...
. He has also spoken at the
Ludwig von Mises Institute
Ludwig von Mises Institute for Austrian Economics, or Mises Institute, is a libertarian nonprofit think tank headquartered in Auburn, Alabama, United States. It is named after the Austrian School economist Ludwig von Mises (1881–1973).
It ...
, an
anarcho-capitalist think-tank for promoting the
Austrian school
The Austrian School is a heterodox school of economic thought that advocates strict adherence to methodological individualism, the concept that social phenomena result exclusively from the motivations and actions of individuals. Austrian scho ...
of economics.
In an interview with ''
The Tom Woods Show'' libertarian
podcast
A podcast is a program made available in digital format for download over the Internet. For example, an episodic series of digital audio or video files that a user can download to a personal device to listen to at a time of their choosin ...
, Jacobs mentioned Woods,
Harry Browne,
Ron Paul,
John Stossel,
Peter Schiff
Peter David Schiff (; born March 23, 1963) is an American stock broker, financial commentator, and radio personality. He is CEO and chief global strategist of Euro Pacific Capital Inc., a broker-dealer based in Westport, Connecticut. He is also ...
, and
Murray Rothbard as his political influences and stated he is "theoretically a Rothbardian", but does not believe that a stateless society would be achieved in his lifetime.
Some
Tea Party affiliated groups attempted to recruit Jacobs to run in the
2014 Republican U.S. Senate primary in Tennessee against
Sen. Lamar Alexander.
Mayor of Knox County
In May 2016, Jacobs said he was "seriously considering" a run as a
Republican for the
Knox County, Tennessee mayoral seat in 2018, but would make a final decision after the
2016 presidential election.
In March 2017, Jacobs announced that he was officially running for the mayoral seat of Knox County as a Republican.
On May 1, 2018, Jacobs won the Republican primary election for the mayoral seat of Knox County, Tennessee by 17 votes. Jacobs got 14,633 (36.09%) votes, Brad Anders got 14,616 (36.05%), and Bob Thomas got 11,296 (27.86%).
On August 2, 2018, Jacobs was elected mayor, defeating
Democratic opponent Linda Haney by a vote of 51,804 (66.39%) to 26,224 (33.61%).
In a 2019 interview with
Fox News
The Fox News Channel, abbreviated FNC, commonly known as Fox News, and stylized in all caps, is an American multinational conservative cable news television channel based in New York City. It is owned by Fox News Media, which itself is o ...
promoting a recently released book of his, Jacobs was critical of the
impeachment inquiry into President
Donald Trump
Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021.
Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of P ...
, saying the Democratic Party was creating further division by pursuing it.
In July 2020, Jacobs was the only member of the Knox County Board of Health to vote against a
mask mandate for those inside certain buildings. He defended his vote saying, "I worry that one-size-fits-all mandates such as this set a terrible precedent for government overreach, are difficult to enforce, can cause conflict between the authorities and the public when enforced, and, as written, this order places enforcement responsibilities on private businesses". He would get into a dispute with the Board in September 2020, after he recorded a video where images of fellow members were displayed over narration of Jacobs calling them "unelected bureaucrats who cast down edicts which carry the force of law with no accountability and no recourse." He would advocate for the abolishment of the Board and later successfully pressured the Knox County Commission to move up a vote on limiting their powers from April to March 2021.
In March 2021, Jacobs announced he would be seeking reelection for Knox County Mayor for a second term and would go onto defeat Democratic opponent Debbie Helsley in the general election, which was held on August 5, 2022.
Electoral history
Personal life
Jacobs has been married to Crystal Maurisa Goins since August 23, 1995 and they have two children together, daughters named Arista and Devan, as well as two grandchildren.
Outside of wrestling, Jacobs also works as an insurer and he and his wife own an
Allstate agency in
Knoxville, Tennessee
Knoxville is a city in and the county seat of Knox County in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 United States census, Knoxville's population was 190,740, making it the largest city in the East Tennessee Grand Division and the stat ...
.
In a July 2015 interview for Realtor.com, the website of the
National Association of Realtors, Jacobs indicated that the couple's obligations to their insurance business led them to place their
Jefferson City home up for sale. The home, built in 2005, was an hour's drive from the agency and both Jacobs and his wife eventually grew tired of the commute.
Other media
Jacobs made his film debut as "Jacob Goodnight" in the first production of
WWE Studios, ''
See No Evil'', which was released on May 19, 2006.
Jacobs has also made an appearance in the film, ''
MacGruber'', alongside fellow WWE wrestlers
Montel Vontavious Porter,
Chris Jericho,
The Great Khali
Dalip Singh Rana (born 27 August 1972) is an Indian professional wrestler and wrestling promoter better known by his ring name The Great Khali. He is best known for his tenure in WWE where he became the first Indian-born WWE World Heavy ...
,
Mark Henry, and
Big Show
Paul Donald Wight II (born February 8, 1972) is an American professional wrestler and actor. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) as an in-ring performer, and as a commentator for its web television show, '' AEW Dark: Elevation,'' under ...
. ''
See No Evil 2'', also starring Jacobs, was announced in August 2013 and was released on October 21, 2014.
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' chosen charity,
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital is a pediatric treatment and research facility located in Memphis, Tennessee. Founded in 1962, it is a 501(c)(3) designated nonprofit medical corporation which focuses on children's catastrophic diseases, par ...
, in
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the seat of Shelby County in the southwest part of the state; it is situated along the Mississippi River. With a population of 633,104 at the 2020 U.S. census, Memphis is the second-mo ...
. He also appeared on ''
Smallville'' series episode "Combat" as Titan alongside former WWE Diva
Ashley Massaro. The episode was aired on March 22, 2007. Kane was also featured in a
Chef Boyardee
Chef Boyardee is an American brand of canned pasta products sold internationally by Conagra Brands. The company was founded by Italian immigrant Ettore Boiardi in Milton, Pennsylvania, U.S., in 1928.
History
After leaving his position as head ...
commercial in which he attempts to eat while wearing his full face mask.
The Kane character was featured in the fourteen-issue ''Undertaker''
comic book
A comic book, also called comicbook, comic magazine or (in the United Kingdom and Ireland) simply comic, is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are of ...
produced by
Chaos! Comics in 1999. The character only spoke once, in the ''Undertaker Halloween Special'', which tied into the single issue ''Mankind'' comic book produced by the same company. 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. The DVD consists of Kane's greatest feuds and rivalries during his first ten years.
Jacobs hosted a podcast titled ''The Tiny Political Show'' under the pseudonym Citizen X from March 16, 2007 to March 13, 2008. Jacobs also ran a blog called ''The Adventures of Citizen X'' at AdventuresOfCitizenX.com from 2007 until July 17, 2011, though its last update was made on May 28 earlier that same year. However, the website has since been relaunched with its first update appearing on July 1, 2012. Jacobs is a contributor to
LewRockwell.com.
Kane has appeared in nearly every licensed WWE/F video game since 1998's ''
WWF War Zone
''WWF War Zone'' is a professional wrestling video game developed by Iguana West and released by Acclaim Entertainment in 1998 for the PlayStation, Nintendo 64, and Game Boy. The game features wrestlers from the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, ...
'', with the only exception being 2001's ''
WWF Betrayal
''WWF Betrayal'' is a beat 'em up on the Game Boy Color based on the World Wrestling Federation (WWF). It was the third and last WWF game released to the Game Boy Color and one of a few games based on the promotion that was of a different genre ...
''. From the 1990s to the end of the 2010s, Kane had 222 action figures manufactured, mainly from the WWE lines by
Jakks Pacific and
Mattel
Mattel, Inc. ( ) is an American multinational toy manufacturing and entertainment company founded in January 1945 and headquartered in El Segundo, California. The company has presence in 35 countries and territories and sells products in mor ...
, according to the
Wrestling Figure Checklist.
Filmography
Video games
Championships and accomplishments
200px, ...and a former World Heavyweight Champion
*
CBS Sports
CBS Sports is the sports division of the American television network CBS. Its headquarters are in the CBS Building on W 52nd Street in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, with programs produced out of Studio 43 at the CBS Broadcast Center on W ...
** Worst Angle of the Year (2018)
* ''
Pro Wrestling Illustrated''
**
Feud of the Year (2013) vs.
Daniel Bryan as a member of
The Authority
**
Most Hated Wrestler of the Year (2013) as a member of The Authority
**
Tag Team of the Year (1999) with
X-Pac
** Ranked No. 4 of the top 500 singles wrestlers of the year in the ''
PWI 500'' in 2011
** Ranked No. 186 of the 500 best singles wrestlers during the ''PWI Years'' in 2003
*
Smoky Mountain Wrestling
Smoky Mountain Wrestling was a professional wrestling promotion that held events in the Appalachian area of the United States from October 1991 to December 1995, when it was run by Jim Cornette. The promotion was based in Knoxville, Tennessee, wit ...
**
SMW Tag Team Championship (
1 time) – with
Al Snow
*
United States Wrestling Association
The United States Wrestling Association (USWA) was a professional wrestling promotion based in Memphis, Tennessee. The company was founded when the Memphis-based Continental Wrestling Association merged with the Dallas-based World Class Wrest ...
**
USWA Heavyweight Championship (
1 time)
*
World Wrestling Federation / World Wrestling Entertainment / WWE
**
WWF Championship (
1 time)
**
World Heavyweight Championship (
1 time)
**
ECW Championship (
1 time)
**
WCW Tag Team Championship (
1 time) – with
The Undertaker
**
WWF/WWE Intercontinental Championship (
2 times
"2 Times" is a song co-written and recorded by British Italian-based singer Ann Lee. It was released in 1999 as the lead single from her debut album, ''Dreams'' (1999). The single entered and peaked at number two on the UK Singles Chart. Outside ...
)
**
WWF Hardcore Championship (
1 time)
**
WWE 24/7 Championship (
1 time)
**
WWE Tag Team Championship
WWE (formerly the WWF, the WWWF, and Capitol Wrestling) has maintained at least one primary tag team championship for its male performers since 1958 (except for a two year interim between 1967 and 1969). During periods of brand division, separat ...
(
2 times
"2 Times" is a song co-written and recorded by British Italian-based singer Ann Lee. It was released in 1999 as the lead single from her debut album, ''Dreams'' (1999). The single entered and peaked at number two on the UK Singles Chart. Outside ...
) – with
Big Show
Paul Donald Wight II (born February 8, 1972) is an American professional wrestler and actor. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) as an in-ring performer, and as a commentator for its web television show, '' AEW Dark: Elevation,'' under ...
(1)
and
Daniel Bryan (1)
**
WWF/WWE/World Tag Team Championship (
9 times) – with
Mankind
Humans (''Homo sapiens'') are the most abundant and widespread species of primate, characterized by bipedalism and exceptional cognitive skills due to a large and complex brain. This has enabled the development of advanced tools, culture, ...
(2), X-Pac (2), The Undertaker (2),
The Hurricane (1),
Rob Van Dam (1), and
Big Show
Paul Donald Wight II (born February 8, 1972) is an American professional wrestler and actor. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) as an in-ring performer, and as a commentator for its web television show, '' AEW Dark: Elevation,'' under ...
(1)
**
Tag Team Royal Rumble (1998)
**
Eighth Triple Crown Champion
**
Third Grand Slam Champion
**
WWE Hall of Fame (
Class of 2021)
**
Bragging Rights Trophy (2009) – with
Team SmackDown
SmackDown is a brand of the American professional wrestling promotion WWE that was established on March 25, 2002. Brands are divisions of WWE's roster where wrestlers are assigned to perform on a weekly basis when a brand extension is in effect ...
**
Money in the Bank (
SmackDown 2010)
**
Slammy Award (2 times)
*** Best Family Values (
2010) Beating up Jack Swagger Sr.
*** Match of the Year (
2014
File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wa ...
) Team Cena vs. Team Authority at
Survivor Series
*
WrestleCrap
**
Gooker Award (2002) –
* ''
Wrestling Observer Newsletter''
**
Most Disgusting Promotional Tactic (1996) – fake
Diesel
Diesel may refer to:
* Diesel engine, an internal combustion engine where ignition is caused by compression
* Diesel fuel, a liquid fuel used in diesel engines
* Diesel locomotive, a railway locomotive in which the prime mover is a diesel engi ...
gimmick
** Most Disgusting Promotional Tactic (2002) – being accused of murder and necrophilia by
Triple H
** Most Disgusting Promotional Tactic (2004) – pregnancy/wedding/miscarriage angle with
Lita
**
Most Overrated (2010, 2014, 2015)
**
Worst Feud of the Year (2002) vs. Triple H
** Worst Feud of the Year (2003) vs.
Shane McMahon
** Worst Feud of the Year (2004) vs. Matt Hardy and Lita
** Worst Feud of the Year (2007) vs.
Big Daddy V
** Worst Feud of the Year (2008) vs.
Rey Mysterio
** Worst Feud of the Year (2010) vs.
Edge
** Worst Feud of the Year (2012) vs.
John Cena
**
Worst Feud of the Year (2013) – The Authority vs. Big Show
**
Worst Gimmick (1996) as fake Diesel
**
Worst Worked Match of the Year (2001) with The Undertaker vs.
KroniK at
Unforgiven
** Worst Worked Match of the Year (2018) with The Undertaker vs.
Triple H and
Shawn Michaels at
Crown Jewel
''Luchas de Apuestas'' record
References
External links
*
*
Isaac Yankem, D.D.S. profile*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kane
1967 births
21st-century American politicians
American libertarians
American male film actors
American male professional wrestlers
American men's basketball players
Basketball players from Missouri
Burn survivors in fiction
Contestants on American game shows
ECW Heavyweight Champions/ECW World Heavyweight Champions
Living people
Masked wrestlers
Mayors of places in Tennessee
Mayors of Knoxville, Tennessee
People from Jefferson City, Tennessee
People from Knoxville, Tennessee
Players of American football from Missouri
Politicians from St. Louis
Professional wrestling authority figures
Sportspeople from St. Louis
Tennessee Republicans
The Authority (professional wrestling) members
The Undertaker
Truman Bulldogs football players
Truman Bulldogs men's basketball players
Truman State University alumni
World Heavyweight Champions (WWE)
WWE 24/7 Champions
WWE Grand Slam champions
WWF/WWE Intercontinental Champions
WWE Champions
WWE Hall of Fame inductees
WWF/WWE Hardcore Champions
20th-century professional wrestlers
21st-century professional wrestlers
SMW Tag Team Champions
WCW World Tag Team Champions