Kane – real name Glenn Jacobs – is now mayor of Knox County, Tennessee
Kane is one of WWE’s most enduring characters. First introduced 1997, he was the onscreen long-lost brother of The Undertaker who came back to take revenge on his brother. He was supposedly disfigured in a fire as a child, as thus wore a mask and full red bodysuit, and spoke with voicebox. He also loved fire.
Initially he was a terrifying unstoppable monster. But over his two-plus decades in WWE, he since taken on multiple roles – including becoming a comedy character, unmasking, putting his mask back on, taking off a second time, fighting an evil doppelgänger, teaming up with his brother, then turning on him again multiple times, and most recently putting on a suit to become ‘Corporate Kane’.
Outside of the ring though, the man known as Glenn Jacobs to his mother has been an outspoken libertarian, and owns an insurance agency with his wife. In March 2017, he announced he was running for mayor of Knox County, Tennessee as a Republican.
And on Thursday night, he won the race and was elected mayor, winning nearly two-thirds of the 80,000 total votes cast. He received 31,739 votes, beating Democratic nominee Linda Haney who only received 16,611.
Congratulations to @KaneWWE on being elected Mayor of Knox County, Tennessee! https://t.co/I4E5YQhYCC
— WWE (@WWE) August 3, 2018
This also means we can show the hilarious photos of him campaigning again.
Enjoyed spending some time with the great folks at Northshore Elementary that are here Voting!#TogetherWeWin pic.twitter.com/IITNQ0eTap
— Glenn Jacobs (@GlennJacobsTN) May 1, 2018
Superheroes supporting real life heroes at Stand with Law Enforcement. And look who got to hold Cap's shield!! pic.twitter.com/OvjfBFS6bZ
— Glenn Jacobs (@GlennJacobsTN) August 19, 2017
Great weather to vote here in Rocky Hill!#TogetherWeWin pic.twitter.com/Qmhpqh86AA
— Glenn Jacobs (@GlennJacobsTN) May 1, 2018
Saying hello to my neighbors off of Tazewell Pike today. pic.twitter.com/nCySB5CbP5
— Glenn Jacobs (@GlennJacobsTN) April 25, 2018
Of course, Donald Trump is in the WWE Hall of Fame, so Kane being in office isn’t really that crazy in 2018. He’s also not the first wrestler to succeed in politics. 1980s WWE wrestler, commentator and Predator star Jesse Ventura served as governor of Minnesota from 1999 to 2003, before going on to host a TV show about conspiracies with June Sarpong (yes, really). Attitude Era star Rhyno also ran for Michigan House of Representatives in 2016, but failed to get in office. Best of all though is masked Japanese wrestler The Great Sasuke, who serves as Iwate Prefectural Assembly legislator in his homeland – unlike Kane, he kept his mask on while he was in office!
