Kane | |
|---|---|
_(cropped).jpg) Jacobs in 2024 | |
| Mayor ofKnox County | |
| Assumed office September 1, 2018 | |
| Preceded by | Tim Burchett |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Glenn Thomas Jacobs (1967-04-26)April 26, 1967 (age 57) Torrejón de Ardoz, Spain |
| Citizenship | United States |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | Northeast Missouri State University (BA) |
| Website | jacobsformayor |
| Ring name(s) | |
| Billed height | 7 ft 0 in (213 cm)[3] |
| Billed weight | 323 lb (147 kg)[3] |
| Billed from | Decatur, Illinois, U.S. (as Isaac Yankem, DDS)[4] |
| Trained by | |
| Debut | 1992[5] |
Glenn Thomas Jacobs (born April 26, 1967), also known by hisring nameKane, is an American politician, actor andprofessional wrestler. He rose to fame inWWE and is regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time. In 2018, he became the mayor ofKnox County, Tennessee.
Jacobs began his professional wrestling career on theindependent circuit in 1992, wrestling in promotions such asSmoky Mountain Wrestling and theUnited States Wrestling Association before joining theWorld Wrestling Federation (WWF, nowWWE) in 1995.[7] He played variouscharacters until 1997, when he was repackaged as themasked wrestler Kane, ahorror-themed personification offire and thejuggernaut younger half-brother ofthe Undertaker and son ofPaul Bearer.[8]
Kane alternatively feuded and teamed with the Undertaker, the latter as theBrothers of Destruction. Following his WWF debut, he remained a pivotal component of the company'sAttitude Era of the late 1990s and early 2000s, defeating top starStone Cold Steve Austin for theWWF Championship in his firstpay-per-view (PPV)main event atKing of the Ring in June 1998. He continued to headline PPV cards over the next 20 years, with more PPV appearances than any other performer in WWF/WWE history besidesRandy Orton.[9][10]
In WWE, Kane won numerouschampionships; he is a three-timeworld champion (having held the WWF Championship,ECW Championship andWorld Heavyweight Championship once each), a 12-timeworld tag team champion (having held theWorld Tag Team Championship,WCW Tag Team Championship andWWE Tag Team Championship), and aWWE Grand Slam Champion. Kane currently also holds several records at theRoyal Rumble, including the record for the most appearances in aRoyal Rumble match at 20, the quickest elimination of another competitor at 1.9 seconds and the highest cumulative total eliminations at 46, a record held since the 2015 Royal Rumble match.[11][12] Kane was inducted into theWWE Hall of Fame in2021.
A long-term supporter oflibertarian political causes, in March 2017, Jacobs announced that he was running for the mayoral seat of Knox County, Tennessee as a Republican.[13] He won the Republican primary election on May 1, 2018,[14] and thegeneral election on August 2, 2018.[15] He wasreelected on August 4, 2022.[16]
Jacobs made numerous appearances in film and on television, including the lead role in the 2006WWE Studios productionSee No Evil and its2014 sequel.
Jacobs was born in the Spanish town ofTorrejón de Ardoz[17][18][19] to aUnited States Air Force family that was stationed in Spain at the time of his birth.[20] He grew up in the United States nearSt. Louis, Missouri, and attended high school inBowling Green, Missouri, where he excelled infootball andbasketball.[21] He went on to earn a degree inEnglish literature atNortheast Missouri State University, where he played both basketball and football.[22]
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Jacobs was trained byDean Malenko,[5]Ray Candy,[5] andJeff Bradley.[6] He debuted in 1992 under thering name "Angus King" for the Central States Wrestling Association inHannibal, Missouri, which was owned and run by his childhood friend Mark Morton.[5] In December 1992, he joined theUnited States Wrestling Association (USWA) inMemphis, Tennessee, appearing as the "Christmas Creature," an "evil Christmas character" who wore a garish costume (made by Jacobs'a mother) featuring a greenmask,candy cane-striped sleeves, andtinsel.[23][24][25] The Christmas Creature unsuccessfully challengedJerry Lawler for theUSWA Unified World Heavyweight Championship before leaving the USWA later that month.[26]
In March 1993, Jacobs made a one-off appearance withWorld Championship Wrestling, losing toSting on an episode ofWCW Saturday Night filmed inMacon, Georgia, under the ring name Bruiser Mastino. Later that year, he relocated toTampa, Florida, in order to further his training.[27] During his time in Florida, he wrestled a handful of matches for the International Championship Wrestling Alliance as "Sid Powers". After leaving Florida, he returned to the USWA as "Doomsday." On October 10, 1993, he wrestled in adark match for theWorld Wrestling Federation under his real name, defeatingMike Bell at aWWF Superstars taping inBurlington, Vermont. In December 1993, he wrestled in Japan forPro Wrestling Fujiwara Gumi under his real name.[28]
In 1994, Jacobs began wrestling for Tri-State Wrestling promotion inCentral City, Kentucky, and theIndianapolis-based Championship Wrestling as Doomsday, as well as making a handful of further appearances with Pro Wrestling Fujiwara Gumi in Japan. In May 1994, he relocated to Puerto Rico to wrestle for theWorld Wrestling Council as Doomsday, where he feuded withInvader 1. In November and December 1994, Jacobs wrestled for theCatch Wrestling Association in Germany as "Spartacus", competing in its Catch Cup tournament.[2]
In January 1995, Jacobs was hired byJim Cornette for hisSmoky Mountain Wrestling (SMW) promotion inMorristown, Tennessee, where he was named "Unabomb" (a reference to theUnabomber).[29] He briefly teamed withEddie Gilbert before forming a tag team withAl Snow named theDynamic Duo and beginning a feud with theRock 'n' Roll Express. In April 1995, at the Bluegrass Brawl III event, the Dynamic Duo defeated the Rock 'n' Roll Express in acoal miner's glove match for theSMW Tag Team Championship (Jacobs' firstchampionship). They held the titles until July 1995, when they lost tothe Thugs. Later that month, the feud between the Dynamic Duo and the Rock 'n' Roll Express culminated in astreet fight at Summer Blast 1995, with the Rock 'n' Roll Express victorious. On August 4, 1995, at the Superbowl of Wrestling event, Jacobs lost to World Wrestling Federation wrestlerThe Undertaker, who was making a special appearance with SMW. He 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 aloser leaves town match.[30][31][32]
Jacobs appeared withWWE (then the World Wrestling Federation or WWF) as "Mike Unabomb" at the February 20, 1995Raw taping, defeatingReno Riggins in a dark match. He wrestled intermittently as Unabomb through August.[33]
Jacobs made his first television appearance with the company as "Isaac Yankem,DDS",Jerry Lawler's private dentist, in a vignette on the June 26, 1995 episode ofRaw.[33][34][4] 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 long-time nemesis,Bret Hart. The character's in-ring debut occurred at aSuperstars taping on August 15, where Jacobs lost to Hart by count-out.[33] At that month'sSummerSlam 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 asteel cage match in themain event of the October 16 episode ofRaw and finally in a tag team match against Hart andHakushi, in which he was partnered with Lawler on November 6.[33] After his initial run with Hart, Jacobs was part of an unsuccessful team in an elimination match at November'sSurvivor Series and participated in the1996 Royal Rumble match in January. The remainder of Yankem's televised run through April included losses to The Undertaker,Jake Roberts,Marc Mero andThe Ultimate Warrior. Jacobs was used on a series oflive events inKuwait in May, as well as a September tour ofSouth Africa, after which the Yankemgimmick was retired.[35]
In September 1996,play-by-play announcerJim Ross introduced Jacobs asDiesel, andRick Bognar asRazor 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 aWWF Tag Team Championship match to titleholdersOwen Hart and The British Bulldog at December'sIn Your House 12: It's Time. As Diesel, he lost to The Undertaker via disqualification in the main event of the December 22 edition ofSuperstars and defeated Marc Mero onShotgun Saturday Night on January 11, 1997.[35] Diesel and Ramon last appeared on television at the1997 Royal Rumble, where Jacobs was the third-to-last participant. Jacobs continued to work sporadic live events as Diesel through April.[36] In May he and Razor Ramon went to Mexico to work forLucha Libre AAA Worldwide. On June 24, 1997, Jacobs lost to Razor Ramon in a Loser Leaves Town match at USWA.[37] In July 1997, Jacobs briefly returned to the United States Wrestling Association as Doomsday, winning theUSWA Heavyweight Championship fromSpellbinder.[38] He then dropped the title toSteven Dunn on September 6.
In April 1997, the WWF "slowly and meticulously" began building up to the debut of Jacobs's new characterKane,[39] ahorror-themedjuggernaut and hellish personification of everything relating to fire.[40] The character's theme and persona is rooted inmalevolent acts ofarson by his older half-brother, The Undertaker, that occurred during their youth.[8] Rounding out his "Hellfire andBrimstone" gimmick,[40] Kane was combined with theInferno match, a specialty match personalized to him.[41]
AtIn Your House 14: Revenge of the 'Taker on April 20, The Undertaker launched a fireball into the face of his former manager,Paul Bearer, who had previously had his protégéMankind do the same to The Undertaker prior to the event. On the May 12 edition ofRaw, 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 theultimatum 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'shalf-brother), was coming to the WWF to challenge him.[34] 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 Kane, apyromaniac, started the fire and could not possibly have survived (in October 1998 Undertaker confessed to purposely burning down the home in attempt to murder Kane).
Kane debuted atBadd Blood: In Your House on October 5, using The Undertaker's signaturetombstone piledriver to cost him the victory in the firstHell in a Cell match againstShawn Michaels. In keeping with the notion that Kane had beenburned and scarred by the fire—and to conceal Jacobs's identity—the character wore amask, sported long hair, and wore red and black ring attire that almost covered his entire body. Kane and The Undertakerfeuded 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 atSurvivor Series on November 9. 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, Kaneinterfering in The Undertaker's title match against Shawn Michaels at theRoyal Rumble on January 18, 1998. After the match, Kane locked The Undertaker in acasket and set it on fire. After a couple months of absence, The Undertaker resurrected on an episode ofRaw is War, in which he was reproduced from a coffin that was struck by lightning, in this moment furiously challenging Kane.
The Undertaker defeated Kane atWrestleMania 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.[42] On April 4, they faced each other again at Mayhem in Manchester, where the Undertaker defeated Kane again.[43] They continued to feud untilUnforgiven: 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.[44] AtOver the Edge: In Your House on May 31, Kane defeated Vader in aMask vs. Mask match.
On the June 1 episode ofRaw Is War, Kane defeated The Undertaker to become the number one contender to the WWF Championship. At theKing of the Ring on June 28, Kane defeatedStone Cold Steve Austin in aFirst Blood match following interferences by Mankind and The Undertaker to win the WWF Championship. Kane lost the title back to Austin the following night onRaw Is War.[45]
In June, Kane formed a tag team withMankind, with whom he won theWWF Tag Team Championship twice that summer.[46] After dissension between the partners saw their second reign end atSummerSlam on August 30, Kane broke away from Mankind and allied with The Undertaker, with the duo being known as theBrothers of Destruction. AtBreakdown: In Your House on September 27, Kane, The Undertaker, and Stone Cold Steve Austin competed in atriple threat match for Austin's WWF Championship; Kane and The Undertaker were prohibited frompinning each other, so they pinned Austin at thesame time.[47] The half-brothers fought one another for the vacant WWF Championship atJudgment Day: In Your House on October 18, with the match ending in ano contest whenspecial guest referee Austin counted a double pinfall and declared himself the winner; during the match, The Undertaker betrayed Kane for Paul Bearer, turning Kaneface.[48][49] AtRock Bottom: In Your House on December 13, Kane interfered in theBuried Alive match between Austin and The Undertaker, attacking The Undertaker and costing him the match. As a result,The Corporation had Kane committed to an insane asylum. In December, Kane joinedThe Corporation to stay out of the insane asylum. During this time, Kane aligned himself withChyna and feuded withTriple H.[50] AtWrestleMania XV on March 28, 1999, Kane was betrayed by Chyna and thrown out of The Corporation.[51]
Kane then formed a tag team withX-Pac and acquired a girlfriend,Tori. While teaming with X-Pac, Kane evolved from beingmute to aided speech through anelectrolarynx to speaking unaided. He also became associated withD-Generation X (DX), the faction of which X-Pac was a member. His first unaided words were the DX slogan "suck it".[52] The duo won the WWF Tag Team Championship twice.[46] 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 sendRikishi after Kane to stop him. The former partners' feud eventually ended atWrestleMania 2000 on April 2, where Kane teamed with Rikishi to defeat X-Pac andRoad Dogg.[53]
Kane returned on the May 29 episode ofRaw is War, when he helped The Undertaker andThe Rock fight off the McMahon-Helmsley Faction. His involvement in this feud culminated in a main event match atKing of the Ring on June 25 againstVince andShane McMahon, and then-championTriple H.[54] The Undertaker and Kane's rivalry resurfaced during the match,[54] but they patched their relationship up soon after. Kane later turned heel by assaulting The Undertaker, leading to a match between the two atSummerSlam on August 27. The match ended when The Undertaker removed Kane's mask, causing him to flee the ring, covering his exposed face.[55] Kane stayed in contention for the WWF Championship for the remainder of the year and ended 2000 in a feud withChris Jericho; Kane defeated him atSurvivor Series on November 19[56] and again atRebellion on December 2,[57] but he ultimately lost to Jericho in aLast Man Standing match atArmageddon on December 10.[58]
Kane turned face once again by reforming his alliance with The Undertaker immediately after theRoyal Rumble on January 21, 2001, in which he eliminated 11 wrestlers and was the runner-up, after being eliminated by Stone Cold Steve Austin.[59] Kane competed for theHardcore Championship, defeating Raven for the title atWrestleMania X-Seven on April 1 in a triple threat match that also featuredBig Show, later losing the title toRhyno on the April 19 episode ofSmackDown!.[60] Kane and The Undertaker began teaming as The Brothers of Destruction, and in the course of the year they feuded withEdge and Christian, Rikishi andHaku, andThe Two-Man Power Trip. AtJudgment Day on May 20, Kane defeated Triple H to win theIntercontinental Championship.[61] Kane lost the title toAlbert on the June 28 episode ofSmackDown! following interference fromDiamond Dallas Page. DuringThe Invasion, Kane and The Undertaker feuded with Page andKanyon after Page began stalking The Undertaker's wife Sara. The feud culminated atSummerSlam on August 19, where they defeated Page and Kanyon in a steel cage match, resulting in them holding both the WWF Tag Team[46] and theWCW Tag Team Championships.[62] Kane and The Undertaker defeatedKroniK atUnforgiven on September 23 to retain the WCW Tag Team Championship[63] and both participated in the ten-manWinner-Takes-All match atSurvivor Series on November 18 as members of the victorious Team WWF.[64]
On March 25, 2002, the WWF wasdivided into two brands, Raw and SmackDown!, with Kane being drafted to Raw. Kane shortly feuded with theNew World Order (nWo) 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, with a new outfit and half-mask where his facial hair was shown. On the September 23 episode ofRaw, Kane andThe Hurricane won theWWE Tag Team Championship after defeatingThe Un-Americans (Lance Storm andChristian).[46] The following week onRaw, Kane won the Intercontinental Championship fromChris Jericho, despite interference fromTriple H andRic Flair.[65] On the October 7 episode ofRaw, Kane successfully single-handedly defended the World Tag Team Championship in a four-teamTables, 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 onRaw.[46]
Also in October, Kane began feuding with Triple H, leading to a match atNo Mercy on October 20 in which both Kane's Intercontinental Championship and Triple H'sWorld Heavyweight Championship were at stake. In the weeks preceding the match, Triple H claimed that, several years earlier, Kane had anunrequited relationship with a woman named Katie Vick.[66] He claimed that after Vick was killed in acar crash, Kanehad sex with her. Triple H later threatened to show video footage of Kane committing the act in question. The footage that finally aired showed Triple H (dressed as Kane) simulating mock sex with amannequin in a casket;[66] 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 anenema. Theangle was very unpopular with fans,[67] 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.[68] On the October 28 episode ofRaw, Kane defeated Triple H in a non-title Casket match to end their feud. AtSurvivor Series on November 17, Kane participated in the first-everElimination Chamber match for the World Heavyweight Championship, which was won byShawn Michaels.
Kane then formed a tag team withRob Van Dam, with the duo eventually winning the World Tag Team Championship fromChief Morley and Lance Storm in a triple threat elimination match (also involvingThe Dudley Boyz) on the March 31, 2003 episode ofRaw.[46] After they lost their World Tag Team Championship toLa Résistance atBad Blood on June 15, Triple H offered Kane a spot in his stableEvolution. 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. Co-general managerEric Bischoff insisted that if Kane lost the match, he would unmask. Kane accepted Austin's offer and challenged Triple H the following week inMadison Square Garden. Triple H won the match following interference from his stablemates, and on the June 23 episode ofRaw, Kane removed his mask and chokeslammed Van Dam, turning heel in the process.[69] The unmasking rendered Kane emotionally unstable, and in an interview withJim Ross on the July 14 episode ofRaw, Kane attacked Ross and set him on fire.[70] He later attackedLinda McMahon on theRaw stage the following week.[71] This action sparked a feud between Kane and Shane McMahon, Linda's son, with Kane defeating Shane in a Last Man Standing match atUnforgiven on September 21 and an ambulance match atSurvivor Series on November 16.[72][73] At Survivor Series, Kane also interfered in aBuried Alive match between Vince McMahon and The Undertaker, helping McMahon bury The Undertaker and win the match.[73] On January 25, 2004, Kane took part in theRoyal Rumble match; he was eliminated when he heard the bell toll from The Undertaker's entrance music, distracting and distressing Kane, and enablingBooker 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 atWrestleMania XX on March 14 (again sporting his "Deadman" persona) with Paul Bearer at his side, defeating Kane.[74]
After losing at WrestleMania XX, Kane fell in love withLita, but was spurned. This led to him kidnapping Lita in May, and on the same night, Kane won a 20-manbattle royal for a World Heavyweight Championship match againstChris Benoit atBad Blood on June 13. Six days before Bad Blood in a handicap tag team match between Kane and La Resistance against Edge and Benoit, Kane pinned Benoit, then lost to him at Bad Blood. Lita later announced that she was pregnant, withMatt Hardy her then-boyfriend both on- and off-screen, assuming that he was the child's father. On the June 21 episode ofRaw, 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 atSummerSlam on August 15, with Lita obliged to wed the victor. Kane defeated Hardy at SummerSlam,[75] and "married" Lita on the August 23 episode ofRaw. 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 atUnforgiven on September 12. Shawn Michaels was chosen and defeated Kane in a no-disqualification match at Unforgiven. The next night, on the September 13 episode ofRaw, Kane accidentally fell on Lita during a match with the debutingGene Snitsky, who hit him on the back with a steel chair, ostensibly causing Lita to miscarry. Kane turned face by seeking 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) atTaboo Tuesday on October 19.[76] Kane was sidelined for several months after Snitsky crushed hislarynx with a chair during the match. This storyline gave Jacobs time to complete his role in the film,See No Evil.
Kane returned by defeating Snitsky atNew Year's Revolution on January 9, 2005.[77] Kane and Lita reconciled with one another and began antagonizing Lita's rivalTrish Stratus. This led to a match between Kane and Stratus' hired bodyguardViscera atBacklash on May 1 that was won by Kane.[78] Lita later turned on Kane and started an on-screen relationship with her real-life boyfriend at the timeEdge. This led to a feud between Kane and Edge, whom Kane defeated atVengeance on June 26 despite interference from Snitsky. The feud ended when Edge defeated Kane in aStretcher match on the July 25 episode ofRaw.[79]
Kane returned to WWE television on the October 17 episode ofRaw, winning an 18-man battle royal.[80] 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 theWWE Championship atTaboo Tuesday on November 1. 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 faceLance Cade and Trevor Murdoch, defeating them for the World Tag Team Championship.[46] The duo successfully retained their championship throughout the remainder of 2005, during which time they engaged in an inter-promotional feud with members of theSmackDown! brand. On the December 12 episode ofRaw, Kane defeated Triple H in an Elimination Chamber qualifying match, then Kane participated in the Elimination Chamber match for the WWE Championship atNew Year's Revolution on January 8, 2006, but he was eliminated byCarlito andChris Masters. He and Big Show feuded with Carlito and Masters throughout early 2006, culminating in a successful title defense atWrestleMania 22 on April 2. The following evening, Kane and the Big Show lost the World Tag Team Championship toSpirit Squad membersKenny andMikey.[46][81] One week later, Kane and Big Show faced Spirit Squad membersJohnny andNicky in a rematch for the title, but were disqualified after Kane "snapped", ostensibly due to "voices in his head".[82]
In subsequent weeks, Kane began attacking anyone who mentioned the date May 19. During the match between Kane and Big Show atBacklash on April 30, 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 onSmackDown! asJohn "Bradshaw" Layfield (JBL)'s hand-picked opponent forRey Mysterio.[83] After the aforementioned voices and mask video began playing, Kane chokeslammed JBL and Mysterio, before leaving the ring.[83] On the following episode ofRaw, 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 ofRaw, when Kane was confronted by the source of the voice, animpostor Kane; wearing Kane's old mask and ring attire, he chokeslammed Kane during his match againstShelton Benjamin 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 forVengeance on June 25, in which the real Kane lost to the impostor.[84] On the June 26 episode ofRaw, Kane threw the impostor out of the arena and removed his mask, saying "I believe that this is mine".[85] Kane was absent from WWE television for two months thereafter as he toured Europe to promoteSee No Evil.
Kane returned atSummerSlam on August 20, attackingUmaga, 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 theECW World Championship in a losing effort. Soon after, Kane would engage in a major feud with Umaga that concluded on the October 9 episode ofRaw in a Loser Leaves Raw match, which he lost.
On the October 13 episode ofSmackDown!, Kane moved to the SmackDown! brand. On the November 3 episode ofSmackDown!, Kane reunited with The Undertaker as The Brothers of Destruction to defeatMontel Vontavious Porter (MVP) andMr. Kennedy. Kane continued a feud with MVP competing in several gimmick matches. The result of the feud was an Inferno match atArmageddon on December 17; Kane won by setting MVP's back on fire which resulted in first degree burns.[86] On the January 26, 2007 episode ofSmackDown!, Kane was involved in a six-man elimination over-the-top-rope battle royal, with King Booker, MVP,The Miz, Chris Benoit, andFinlay. This match went to a no-contest as The Undertaker interrupted after Kane had been eliminated and punished by the remaining opponents.
At theRoyal Rumble on January 28, Kane eliminated King Booker, who re-entered the ring and eliminated him.[87] On the February 2 episode ofSmackDown!, while receiving the key to the city in his hometown of Houston, King Booker was attacked by Kane starting a feud between the two. AtNo Way Out on February 18, Kane defeated King Booker.[88] On the February 23 episode ofSmackDown!, Kane lost to King Booker in a Falls Count Anywhere Money in the Bank Qualifying match after interference fromThe Great Khali,[89] sparking a feud between the two. Kane started to walk around with a hook, similar to the hook he used as Jacob Goodnight inSee No Evil. AtWrestleMania 23 on April 1, Kane lost to Khali. During the match, in homage toHulk Hogan slammingAndré the Giant twenty years earlier atWrestleMania III, Kane picked up Khali for the first time and body-slammed him to the mat.
After WrestleMania, he began to feud withWilliam Regal and Dave Taylor.The Boogeyman then joined the feud, teaming up with Kane. On the May 4 episode ofSmackDown!, 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 ofSmackDown!, 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 withMark Henry, losing to him in aLumberjack match atOne Night Stand on June 3 due to interference from lumberjacks Kenny Dykstra andChavo Guerrero[90] and then took a short hiatus. On the July 6 episode ofSmackDown!, General ManagerTheodore Long announced that Kane would face Edge for theWorld Heavyweight Championship atThe Great American Bash on July 22. 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 ofSmackDown!. 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.[91] Kane later teamed up with Batista on the August 18Saturday Night's Main Event to defeat Khali and Finlay.[92] Kane then entered a storyline with Finlay, which led to a match atSummerSlam on August 26, which Kane won after chokeslamming Finlay.[93] They continued to feud, which included Kane losing to Finlay in a number one contender's tournament on the August 31 episode ofSmackDown! after interference fromHornswoggle.
Kane then made an appearance on the October 16 episode ofECW as the hand-chosen partner ofECW ChampionCM Punk, helping him defeat John Morrison, The Miz, andBig Daddy V in a three-on-two handicap match.[94] In retaliation, Big Daddy V attacked Kane on the October 19 episode ofSmackDown!, igniting a feud between the two.[95] The two continued to battle in the following weeks.[96] Kane was voted to face the defending champion MVP for his United States Championship atCyber Sunday on October 28, which Kane won by countout and thus did not win the title.[97] After this, he continued to feud with Big Daddy V, with the two ending up on opposite teams atSurvivor Series on November 18, where Kane's team won.[98] Big Daddy V eventually began to team with Mark Henry, while Kane teamed with CM Punk. The feud concluded atArmageddon on December 16, where Kane and Punk lost to Big Daddy V and Henry after Big Daddy V pinned Punk.
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In a battle royal beforeWrestleMania XXIV on March 30, 2008, Kane won by last eliminating former rival Mark Henry, earning a match for theECW Championship against Chavo Guerrero later that night. Kane defeated Guerrero in the second fastest WrestleMania match with a record-settingeleven seconds to win the ECW Championship.[99][100] Shortly after winning the championship, Kane officially joined the ECW brand. AtBacklash on April 27, Kane successfully defended the ECW Championship against Guerrero. He then continued teaming with CM Punk to earn aWWE Tag Team Championship match atJudgment Day on May 18,[101] which they lost toJohn Morrison and The Miz. On the June 23 episode ofRaw, as part of the2008 WWE Draft, Kane was drafted to the Raw brand, making the ECW Championship exclusive to Raw.[102] Kane lost the ECW Championship to Mark Henry atNight of Champions on June 29 in a triple threat match that also involved Big Show.[103]
On the July 7 episode ofRaw, Kane lost a number one contender's fatal four-way match to Batista (Batista would advance to theWorld Heavyweight Championship match atThe Great American Bash on July 20), leading him to attack commentatorsMichael 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 throughSurvivor Series on November 23. On the March 2, 2009 episode ofRaw, Kane pinnedMike Knox in a triple threat match, also involving Rey Mysterio, to earn a spot in theMoney in the Bank ladder match atWrestleMania 25 on April 5, a match ultimately won by CM Punk.[104] During the2009 draft Kane beat TheBrian 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 atBacklash on April 26. He then took a break to tour India and also heal injuries, returning atThe Bash on June 28 to assistDolph 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 atSummerSlam on August 23 and in a Singapore Cane match atBreaking Point on September 13. Alongside Chris Jericho, Kane was co-captain for the victorious Team SmackDown atBragging Rights on October 25. On the October 30 episode ofSmackDown, 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 atSurvivor Series on November 22. In November, Kane reunited with The Undertaker to feud with Big Show and Jericho, thus turning face.
AtWrestleMania XXVI on March 28, 2010, during the Money in the Bank ladder match, Kane was unsuccessful in claiming the briefcase asJack Swagger won the match. Over the next few months, Kane was involved in sporadic singles matches on episodes ofSmackDown, including a loss to CM Punk in May in a qualifying match for the World Heavyweight Championship match for theFatal 4-Way pay-per-view event on June 20. On the June 4 episode ofSmackDown, Kane stated he had found his brother The Undertaker in a "vegetative state" overMemorial 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 the SmackDown Money in the Bank ladder match at the firstMoney in the Bank pay-per-view on July 18. 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.[105][106] On the nextSmackDown 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. AtSummerSlam on August 15, 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.[107] He successfully defended the World Heavyweight Championship against The Undertaker in aNo Holds Barred match atNight of Champions on September 19.[108] On the following episode ofSmackDown, acasket was brought to ringside bydruids to reveal the return of Paul Bearer, supporting The Undertaker.[109] AtHell in a Cell on October 3, Bearer turned on The Undertaker and allied himself with Kane, who retained the World Heavyweight Championship in aHell in a Cell match with Bearer's help.[110] AtBragging Rights on October 24, Kane defeated The Undertaker in aBuried Alive match after help fromThe Nexus to retain the World Heavyweight Championship once again, thus ending their feud.[111]
Kane then rekindled his feud withEdge, who on the October 29 episode ofSmackDown was named the new challenger to Kane's World Heavyweight Championship atSurvivor Series on November 21. On the November 12 episode ofSmackDown, 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.[112] As Edge still had Bearer in his captivity, Kane agreed to a rematch at theTLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs pay-per-view on December 19. On the December 3 episode ofSmackDown, Edge defeated Kane in a non-title match to win the right to determine the stipulation for the title match; Edge chose aTables, 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, Kane lost the World Heavyweight Championship to Edge in a four-way Tables, Ladders and Chairs match also involving Mysterio andAlberto Del Rio.[113] Kane received his rematch for the World Heavyweight Championship on the January 7, 2011 episode ofSmackDown in a Last Man Standing match, but was unsuccessful.
Kane competed in theRoyal Rumble match on January 30, the largest Royal Rumble match in history, and was the 40th and final person to enter the match, but was eliminated by Rey Mysterio.[114] Kane then competed in theElimination Chamber match for the World Heavyweight Championship atElimination Chamber on February 20, eliminatingDrew McIntyre and Big Show before being eliminated by Edge.[115] 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. AtWrestleMania XXVII on April 3, Big Show and Kane teamed withSantino Marella andKofi Kingston to beat The Corre.[116] The next week, a rematch took place under two out of three falls rules, which Kane's team won. On the April 22 episode ofSmackDown, the duo defeated Corre membersJustin Gabriel andHeath Slater to win theWWE Tag Team Championship, their second championship as a team.[117] Big Show and Kane then started feuding with the New Nexus. After defending the titles against CM Punk andMason Ryan atOver the Limit on May 22, Kane and Big Show lost the championship toMichael McGillicutty andDavid Otunga the following night onRaw.[118] The team disbanded after the match, as Big Show suffered an injury. Kane participated in the second annual SmackDownMoney in the Bank ladder match atMoney in the Bank on July 17, but the match was won byDaniel Bryan.[119] On the July 22 episode ofSmackDown after losing a street fight to Randy Orton, Kane was attacked byMark Henry, who injured his leg with a steel chair. WWE reported the attack had fractured Kane'sfibula, likely to sideline him for five months.[120]
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Beginning in November, WWE began airing vignettes featuring Kane and a burning red mask and ending with the words "Kane Resurrected" appearing on screen.[121][122] Kane returned on the December 12 episode ofRaw SuperShow wearing a metallic mask and new ring attire inspired by the incisions of a postmortem human body after anautopsy. He interrupted the main event between Mark Henry andJohn Cena, attacking Cena before removing the metallic mask to reveal a new red mask and turningheel once again.[123] 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.[124][125] Kane also attacked and injured Cena's allyZack Ryder.[126][127] Kane and Cena fought to a double countout at theRoyal Rumble on January 29, 2012. After the match, Kane attacked Ryder with aTombstone Piledriver and then hechokeslammed Cena.[128] On February 19 atElimination Chamber, Cena defeated Kane in anAmbulance match to end the feud.[129] In March, Kane initiated a feud with Randy Orton by attacking him.[130] Kane later explained that he needed to feel like a monster again, and believed that defeating Orton would allow him to do that.[131] Orton retaliated in the following weeks, leading to a match atWrestleMania XXVIII on April 1, which Kane won.[132][133][134] In a rematch on the followingSmackDown, Orton defeated Kane in a No Disqualification match.[135] After Kane attacked Orton and his father,"Cowboy" Bob Orton, the pair faced off atExtreme Rules on April 29, in a Falls Count Anywhere match, which Orton won by utilizing a steel chair.[136][137] At theOver the Limit preshow on May 20, Kane defeated Zack Ryder.[138]
Kane then engaged in a three-way feud with WWE Champion CM Punk andDaniel Bryan after Bryan interfered in a non-title match between Kane and Punk to frame Punk for attacking Kane with a steel chair.[139][140][141][142] On the June 1 episode ofSmackDown, a WWE Championship match between Kane and Punk ended in a double disqualification after Bryan attacked both men.[143] On the June 4 episode ofRaw SuperShow, Kane beat CM Punk in a non-title match. Meanwhile, Bryan's jilted ex-girlfriendAJ Lee turned her affections to both Punk and Kane.[144] The feud culminated in a triple threat match atNo Way Out on June 17, where Punk retained the WWE Championship after AJ distracted Kane.[145] On the1000th episode ofRaw on July 23, Kane turnedface once again when he was saved by his brotherThe Undertaker from an attack byJinder Mahal,Drew McIntyre,Tyler Reks,Curt Hawkins,Hunico andCamacho. AtSummerSlam on August 19, Kane was defeated by Bryan.[146]
As a result of Bryan and Kane's issues, AJ enrolled them inanger management classes hosted by Dr. Shelby and they were later forced to compete in a "Hug it Out" match.[147][148] At the arrangement of Dr. Shelby and AJ, the two adversaries formed a team whose constant infighting during matches inadvertently resulted in them defeatingThe Prime Time Players (Titus O'Neil andDarren 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 atNight of Champions on September 16.[149][150] Kane and Bryan made their first successful title defense the following night onRaw, defeating the former champions in a rematch.[151] The following week onRaw, "Team Hell No" was chosen as the official team name via aTwitter poll.[152] Team Hell No entered a feud with Team Rhodes Scholars (Cody Rhodes andDamien Sandow), and successfully defended the championship against them on multiple occasions (including atHell in a Cell on October 28 and the November 14 episode ofMain Event).[153][154] On the November 26 episode ofRaw, both Kane and Bryan were assaulted byThe Shield (Dean Ambrose,Seth Rollins, andRoman Reigns).[155] Team Hell No allied withRyback to face The Shield, but lost aTables, Ladders, and Chairs match atTLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs on December 16.[156][157] Further successful title defenses against Team Rhodes Scholars and 3 MB (Drew McIntyre and Heath Slater) followed throughout December and January 2013.[158][159][160] On the February 11 episode ofRaw, 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 theElimination Chamber pay-per-view on February 17.[161][162] On April 7 atWrestleMania 29, Team Hell No defeated Dolph Ziggler andBig E Langston in another successful title defense.[163] Following WrestleMania, Team Hell No rekindled their rivalry with The Shield after they saved The Undertaker from The Shield.[164] On the April 22 episode ofRaw, Team Hell No and The Undertaker were defeated by the Shield in a six-man tag team match.[165] Kane and Bryan then faced members of the stable in both tag team and singles competition, but were mainly unsuccessful.[166][167][168][169] On May 19 atExtreme Rules, Kane and Bryan lost the WWE Tag Team Championship to Shield members Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns, ending their reign at 245 days.[170] Team Hell No lost their WWE Tag Team Championship rematch against Reigns and Rollins on the May 27 episode ofRaw.[171] On the June 14 episode ofSmackDown, Kane, Bryan and Randy Orton ended the Shield's unpinned/unsubmitted streak in televised six-man tag matches.[172][173] Kane unsuccessfully challenged Dean Ambrose for theUnited States Championship atPayback on June 16 and the following night onRaw.[174][175]
On the July 8 episode ofRaw, Kane beat Christian in a Money in the Bank qualifying match, then he was attacked and injured by the debutingWyatt Family, removing him from his scheduled match atMoney in the Bank on July 14.[176][177] Kane returned three weeks later, losing to Bryan. Following the match, he was attacked again by The Wyatt Family, setting up aRing of Fire match atSummerSlam on August 18 againstBray Wyatt.[178][179] Kane lost the match, following interference fromErick Rowan andLuke Harper, and after another attack, he was carried out of the arena by The Wyatt Family.[180] The storyline was put in place to allow Jacobs time off to filmSee No Evil 2.[181]
Following a two-month hiatus, Kane returned atHell in a Cell on October 27, attacking both The Wyatt Family andThe Miz.[182] The next night onRaw, Kane pledged allegiance toStephanie McMahon by handing her his mask, and reinforced his loyalty the next week by aiding members ofThe Authority, turningheel in the process.[183][184] 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".[184] When appearing in a suit and tie Kane was referred to as "Corporate Kane." Kane participated in theRoyal Rumble match at theRoyal Rumble on January 26, 2014, and was eliminated by CM Punk. He reappeared later during the match, eliminating Punk to tie the record for most eliminations in the Royal Rumble match; his 13-year-old record for most eliminations in a single Rumble was broken byRoman Reigns.[185] 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 ofRaw and interfering in the WWE World Heavyweight Championship Elimination Chamber match atElimination Chamber on February 23 (where Randy Orton was defending his championship against Bryan, John Cena,Sheamus,Cesaro, andChristian.)[186][187]
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FollowingWrestleMania XXX on April 6, after Kane andThe 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.[188] He returned to his masked self that same week, attackingBig Show following the April 15 episode ofMain Event.[189] On the April 21 episode ofRaw, Stephanie McMahon announced Kane as the number one contender to theWWE World Heavyweight Championship atExtreme Rules on May 4, prompting Kane to attack champion Daniel Bryan and his wifeBrie Bella.[190][191] Kane lost his title match to Bryan at Extreme Rules.[192] AtMoney in the Bank on June 29, Kane helpedSeth Rollins win hisMoney in the Bank contract, and then he competed in a WWE World Heavyweight Championship ladder match, which was won by John Cena.[193][194] AtBattleground on July 20, 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.[195] On the July 28 episode ofRaw, Kane was scheduled to face Roman Reigns, but Kane and Randy Orton attacked Reigns before the match began.[196]
On the August 4 episode ofRaw, after Kane lost to Roman Reigns in aLast Man Standing match, he relinquished his mask and gave it to Stephanie McMahon.[197] The following week onRaw, Kane resumed his role as The Authority's Director of Operations.[198] AtSurvivor Series on November 23, Kane was part of Team Authority in the main event, and was eliminated byDolph Ziggler, who ultimately won the match for Team Cena.[199] After Survivor Series, he began feuding withRyback, which led to a chairs match between the two atTLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs on December 14, where Ryback emerged victorious.[200] At theRoyal Rumble on January 25, 2015, Kane eliminated four superstars, thus surpassing the record for most overall eliminations in the Royal Rumble match.[201] AtFastlane on February 22, Kane, Big Show, and Seth Rollins defeated Dolph Ziggler,Erick Rowan, and Ryback, after Kane pinned Ziggler.[202] Kane participated in the 2nd AnnualAndré the GiantMemorial Battle Royal atWrestleMania 31 on March 29, and was eliminated byCesaro.[203] AtExtreme Rules on April 26, Kane served as the "gatekeeper" for the WWE World Heavyweight ChampionshipSteel Cage match between Seth Rollins and Randy Orton, which Rollins won by escaping the cage.[204] AtPayback on May 17, 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.[205] AtMoney in the Bank on June 14, Kane participated in theMoney in the Bank ladder match, which was won bySheamus.[206] On the July 13 episode ofRaw, Kane was injured byBrock Lesnar, who smashed his ankle with the steel ring steps. Following the attack, Rollins berated Kane and kicked his injured ankle.[207] Kane returned atNight of Champions on September 20 with his mask as his "Demon" persona, preventingSheamus from cashing in hisMoney in the Bank contract and attackingSeth Rollins, thus turningface in the process.[208] Kane appeared as both his "Demon" and "Corporate" personas and continued his feud with Rollins,[209][210][211] defeating him in a lumberjack match on the October 12 episode ofRaw.[212] "Demon" Kane lost hisWWE World Heavyweight Championship match against Rollins atHell in a Cell on October 25, and as per the stipulation, "Corporate" Kane was fired from his role asThe Authority's Director of Operations.[213]
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Following Hell in a Cell, Kane reunited withThe Undertaker to feud withThe Wyatt Family.[214][215] AtSurvivor Series on November 22,The Brothers of Destruction defeatedBray Wyatt andLuke Harper in a tag team match.[216] Kane was the seventh entrant in theRoyal Rumble match on January 24, 2016, and was eliminated byBraun Strowman.[217] AtFastlane on February 21, Kane teamed up withBig Show andRyback to defeat The Wyatt Family.[218] AtWrestleMania 32 on April 3, Kane participated in the André the Giant Memorial Battle Royal, and was the runner-up, being eliminated by eventual winnerBaron Corbin.[219] On July 19 at the2016 WWE draft, Kane was drafted to the SmackDown brand.[220] AtBacklash on September 11, Kane defeated Bray Wyatt following interference byRandy Orton.[221] AtSurvivor Series on November 20, Kane defeated Luke Harper on the kick-off show.[222] A rematch between the two was made on the November 29 episode ofSmackDown Live, in which Kane was once again victorious.[223]
On the October 16, 2017 episode ofRaw, after ten months of inactivity, Kane made a surprise return when he came from under the ring to attackRoman Reigns, costing him aSteel Cage match against Braun Strowman and joiningThe Miz's team atTLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs on October 22, thus moving to the Raw brand and turningheel in the process.[224] At TLC, Kane, The Miz, Strowman, andThe Bar were originally scheduled to compete in a5-on-3 handicapTLC match againstThe Shield, butRoman 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 alongsideSeth Rollins andDean Ambrose. Kane, Miz, Strowman and The Bar lost the match after Kane, Miz and The Bar betrayed Strowman.[225] After defeating the likes ofFinn Bálor[226] and Seth Rollins,[227] Kane engaged in a feud with Strowman.[228][229] On the December 11 episode ofRaw, Kane and Strowman fought to a double countout in a match to determine the number one contender toBrock Lesnar'sUniversal Championship.[230] At theRoyal Rumble on January 28, 2018, Lesnar retained his title in atriple threat match against both Kane and Strowman.[231] Kane was written off television after losing aLast Man Standing match against Strowman the following night onRaw.[232] He returned on the March 19 episode ofRaw andchokeslammedJohn Cena after Cena called out The Undertaker.[233] The following week onRaw, Kane lost to Cena in a no disqualification match.[234] AtWrestleMania 34 on April 8, Kane participated in the André the Giant Memorial Battle Royal, and lasted until the final four but was ultimately unsuccessful.[235]
Kane returned as a face on the June 26 episode ofSmackDown Live and savedDaniel Bryan fromSmackDown Tag Team ChampionsThe Bludgeon Brothers, thus reunitingTeam Hell No.[236] AtExtreme Rules on July 15, Team Hell No lost to The Bludgeon Brothers in a SmackDown Tag Team Championship match after Kane was attacked by his opponents backstage.[237][238]
Kane made his return on the October 1 episode ofRaw and reunited with The Undertaker to feud withTriple H andShawn Michaels.[239] AtSuper Show-Down inMelbourne,Australia on October 6, The Undertaker was defeated by Triple H following interference by Michaels. After the match, Kane and The Undertaker attacked Michaels and Triple H,[240] setting up a tag team match between The Brothers of Destruction andD-Generation X (DX) atCrown Jewel on November 2.[241] At Crown Jewel, despite dominating most of the match, the Brothers of Destruction lost to DX after Triple H pinned Kane.[242]
On the September 16, 2019 episode ofRaw, Kane returned after a hiatus of nearly a year this time under his real name, and he pinnedR-Truth to capture the24/7 Championship, his only championship won under his real name, but dropped the title back to R-Truth.[243] Later that night, his Kane persona reemerged and saved Universal Champion Seth Rollins fromThe O.C. (AJ Styles,Luke Gallows, andKarl Anderson) andRaw Tag Team Champions Dolph Ziggler andRobert Roode, but was subsequently attacked by"The Fiend" Bray Wyatt.[244] Kane returned on the January 17, 2020 episode ofSmackDown, 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.[245] AtSurvivor Series on November 22, he made an appearance during The Undertaker's retirement ceremony.[246]
AtRoyal Rumble on January 31, 2021, Kane appeared as a surprise entrant in the Royal Rumble match, eliminating Dolph Ziggler andRicochet before being eliminated byDamian Priest.[247] On March 24, 2021, it was announced that Kane would be inducted into theWWE Hall of Fame as part of the class of2021. Kane's induction was completed on April 1, 2021.[248] On September 17, prior toSmackDown, Kane presentedBianca Belair with a proclamation from the Tennessee Senate.[249] He later appeared duringSmackDown during in-ring celebrations.[250] Kane attended the 2022WWE Hall of Fame in recognition of The Undertaker headlining theceremony.[251] On the April 25, 2022 episode ofRaw, Kane made brief cameo appearances in two separate backstage segments involving Bianca Belair and Randy Orton. Kane made a surprise appearance at the 2022SummerSlam event announcing the shows attendance, then delivered his signature ring pyro before leaving the ring.[252]
Upon his debut in the WWF, Jacobs portrayed adental hygienist named Dr. Isaac Yankem; during this time he used asnap DDT as his finishing move. He later portrayed the Diesel character popularized byKevin Nash following Nash's departure to WCW in 1996; during this time he used arelease powerbomb.[253][254]
Upon his repackaging as Kane in 1997, Jacobs proceeded to utilize thechokeslam and thetombstone piledriver as finishers, taking after his older half-brother in storyline, The Undertaker. In 2001, Jacobs adopted afalling 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.[255] 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.[256] In 2012, a WWE article ranked him as the 41st best wrestling villain in history.[257]
In 2019 he altered his "Big Red Machine" nickname into "Big Red Mayor" when doing a Twitter AMA.[258]
Veteran wrestlerRic Flair described Kane as "the best in the world",[259] whileBig Show dubbed him "the best big man ever".[260]
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Jacobs is actively involved inlibertarian politics and publishes his views via a blog. He supported Texas CongressmanRon Paul for president in 2008.[261] He is a member of theFree State Project and delivered a speech at the organization's 2009New Hampshire Liberty Forum.[262] He has also spoken at theLudwig von Mises Institute,[263] ananarcho-capitalist think-tank for promoting theAustrian school of economics.[264]
In an interview withThe Tom Woods Show libertarianpodcast, Jacobs mentioned Woods,Harry Browne,Ron Paul,John Stossel,Peter Schiff, andMurray 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.[265]
SomeTea Party affiliated groups attempted to recruit Jacobs to run in the2014 Republican U.S. Senate primary in Tennessee againstSen. Lamar Alexander.[266]
In an interview conducted with theWashington Examiner, Jacobs mentioned he has thought about running forGovernor of Tennessee once his current term as Knox County Mayor concludes.[267]
Jacobs andMark Calaway endorsed Trump in the2024 United States presidential election, appearing in aTikTok with him which featured them calling out fellow wrestlerDave Bautista, who had been outspoken against Trump. Trump later went on to win the election.[268][better source needed]
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In May 2016, Jacobs said he was "seriously considering" a run for the office of mayor ofKnox County, Tennessee in 2018.[269] In March 2017, he officially launched his campaign as aRepublican.[13] On May 1, 2018, he won the Republican primary election by 23 votes.[270][271] On August 2, 2018, he was elected mayor, defeatingDemocratic opponent Linda Haney by a vote of 51,804 (66.39%) to 26,224 (33.61%).[272][273]
In a 2019 interview withFox News promoting a recently released book of his, Jacobs was critical of theimpeachment inquiry into PresidentDonald Trump, saying the Democratic Party was creating further division by pursuing it.[274]
In July 2020, Jacobs was the only member of the Knox County Board of Health to vote against amask mandate for those inside certain buildings. He defended his vote by 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."[275][276] 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".[277] 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.[278][279]
On August 5, 2022, Jacobs won a second term by defeating Democratic candidate Debbie Helsley in the2022 Knox County mayoral election.[280][16]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Glenn Jacobs | 14,640 | 36.10% | |
| Republican | Brad Anders | 14,617 | 36.04% | |
| Republican | Bob Thomas | 11,301 | 27.86% | |
| Total votes | 40,558 | 100.00% | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Glenn Jacobs | 51,814 | 66.38% | |
| Democratic | Linda Haney | 26,241 | 33.62% | |
| Total votes | 78,057 | 100.00% | ||
| Turnout | 78,057 | 26.31% | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Glenn Jacobs (incumbent) | 24,687 | 100.00% | |
| Total votes | 24,687 | 100.00% | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Glenn Jacobs | 30,306 | 55.28% | |
| Democratic | Debbie Helsley | 24,520 | 44.72% | |
| Write-in | Tracy A. Clough (write-in) | 1 | 0.00% | |
| Total votes | 54,287 | 100.00% | ||
Jacobs has been married to Crystal Maurisa Goins since August 23, 1995. They have two daughters,[286] named Arista and Devan, as well as two grandchildren.[287]
Outside of wrestling, Jacobs also works as an insurer[288][289] and he and his wife own anAllstate agency inKnoxville, Tennessee.[290] In a July 2015 interview for Realtor.com, the website of theNational Association of Realtors, Jacobs indicated that the couple's obligations to their insurance business led them to place theirJefferson 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.[290]
Jacobs made his film debut as "Jacob Goodnight" in the first production ofWWE Studios,See No Evil, which was released on May 19, 2006.[34] Jacobs has also made an appearance in the film,MacGruber, alongside fellow WWE wrestlersMontel Vontavious Porter,Chris Jericho,The Great Khali,Mark Henry, andBig Show.See No Evil 2, also starring Jacobs, was announced in August 2013[291] and was released on October 21, 2014.[292]
Kane appeared on a special WWE episode ofThe Weakest Link in March 2002, and won by beating outBubba Ray Dudley in the final round. The money won was donated to Jacobs's chosen charity,St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, inMemphis, Tennessee.[293] He also appeared onSmallville series episode "Combat" as Titan alongside former WWE DivaAshley Massaro. The episode was aired on March 22, 2007. Kane was also featured in aChef Boyardee commercial in which he attempts to eat while wearing his full face mask.[294]
The Kane character was featured in the fourteen-issueUndertakercomic book produced byChaos! Comics in 1999. The character only spoke once, in theUndertaker Halloween Special, which tied into the single issueMankind comic book produced by the same company. A book written by Michael Chiappetta detailing the origins of Kane titledJourney 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.[295]
Jacobs hosted a podcast titledThe Tiny Political Show under the pseudonym Citizen X from March 16, 2007, to March 13, 2008.[296] Jacobs also ran a blog calledThe 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. The website since relaunched, with its first update appearing on July 1, 2012.[297] Jacobs is a contributor toLewRockwell.com.[298]
Kane has appeared in nearly every licensed WWE/F video game since 1998'sWWF War Zone, with the only exception being 2001'sWWF Betrayal.[299] From the 1990s to the end of the 2010s, Kane had 222 action figures manufactured, mainly from the WWE lines byJakks Pacific andMattel, according to the Wrestling Figure Checklist.[300]
| Film | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Title | Role | |
| 2006 | See No Evil | Jacob Goodnight | |
| 2010 | MacGruber | Tanker Lutz | |
| 2014 | Scooby-Doo! WrestleMania Mystery | Himself | |
| See No Evil 2 | Jacob Goodnight | ||
| 2016 | Countdown | Lt. Cronin | |
| Television | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2007 | Smallville | Titan | Episode: "Combat" |
| Web series | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2013–2015 | The JBL and Renee Show | Himself | Recurring role |
| WWE Video games | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Title | Notes | |
| 1998 | WWF War Zone | Video game debut | |
| 1999 | WWF Attitude | ||
| WWF WrestleMania 2000 | |||
| 2000 | WWF SmackDown! | ||
| WWF Royal Rumble | |||
| WWF No Mercy | |||
| WWF SmackDown! 2: Know Your Role | |||
| 2001 | With Authority! | Cover athlete | |
| WWF Road to WrestleMania | Cover athlete | ||
| WWF SmackDown! Just Bring It | |||
| 2002 | WWF Raw | Cover athlete | |
| WWE WrestleMania X8 | |||
| WWE Road to WrestleMania X8 | |||
| WWE SmackDown! Shut Your Mouth | |||
| 2003 | WWE Crush Hour | ||
| WWE WrestleMania XIX | |||
| WWE Raw 2 | |||
| WWE SmackDown! Here Comes the Pain | |||
| 2004 | WWE Day of Reckoning | ||
| WWE Survivor Series | |||
| WWE SmackDown! vs. Raw | |||
| 2005 | WWE WrestleMania 21 | ||
| WWE Day of Reckoning 2 | |||
| WWE SmackDown! vs. Raw 2006 | |||
| 2006 | WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2007 | ||
| 2007 | WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2008 | ||
| 2008 | WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2009 | ||
| 2009 | WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2010 | ||
| 2010 | WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2011 | ||
| 2011 | WWE All Stars | ||
| WWE '12 | |||
| 2012 | WWE WrestleFest | ||
| WWE '13 | |||
| 2013 | WWE 2K14 | ||
| 2014 | WWE SuperCard | ||
| WWE 2K15 | |||
| 2015 | WWE Immortals | ||
| WWE 2K16 | |||
| 2016 | WWE 2K17 | ||
| 2017 | WWE Champions | ||
| WWE Tap Mania | |||
| WWE 2K18 | |||
| WWE Mayhem | |||
| 2018 | WWE 2K19 | ||
| 2019 | WWE 2K20 | ||
| 2020 | WWE 2K Battlegrounds | ||
| 2022 | WWE 2K22 | ||
| 2023 | WWE 2K23 | ||
| 2024 | WWE 2K24 | ||
| Winner (wager) | Loser (wager) | Location | Event | Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jerry Lawler (championship) | Christmas Creature (mask) | Memphis, Tennessee | USWAlive event | December 28, 1992 | [320] |
| Kane (mask) | Vader (mask) | Milwaukee, Wisconsin | Over the Edge | May 31, 1998 | |
| Triple H (championship) | Kane (mask) | New York City, New York | Raw | June 23, 2003 |
Jacobs, 49, and his wife, Crystal, were married in August 1995 and have two children.
My daughters, Devan and Arista, are the pride of my life .. the best thing about growing older is grandkids. I have two—a granddaughter and a grandson
,Wrestlingdata.com,Internet Wrestling Database| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Mayor ofKnox County 2018–present | Incumbent |
| Achievements | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Mr.Money in the Bank 2010 (WHC) With:Jack Swagger (unbranded) The Miz (WWEC) | Succeeded by |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
