How Glenn Jacobs Balances His Dual Life As Political Candidate And Pro Wrestling Monster


KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — It’s a quarter till midnight on a Monday night at Calhoun’s on the River, an upscale barbecue restaurant in Knoxville. Someone steps up to the mic and introduces the man of the hour, a candidate for county mayor. The candidate enters in a nice suit and crisp white shirt, without a tie. He’s a big man of about 50, with red hair and a warm face. He gives a speech about supporting local businesses, about fighting for the people, about how he’s not a typical politician.

It may sound like typical populist rhetoric, but when Glenn Jacobs says he’s not a typical politician, he really means it. If you were somehow at Calhoun’s without knowing who he is, you’d never guess from looking at him that a mere 40 minutes earlier, he was down the street at Thompson-Boling Arena, dressed in spandex and a mask, being beaten with a chair by another giant.

This is a typical night in the life of Glenn Jacobs, the veteran WWE Superstar better known as Kane. Kane has been chokeslamming opponents and controlling fire for 20 years in WWE, but Glenn Jacobs has lived in Knoxville County for more than a decade. He and his wife run a local insurance company, and he does a lot of charity work in the area. So in that sense, Jacobs is a normal mayoral candidate. It’s Kane that makes it seem strange.

When I asked Kane if it was strange to fight Braun Strowman and then immediately change clothes and come to a campaign event, he pointed out that this sort of transition is a normal part of a WWE Superstar’s life, even for those who aren’t running for office:

“In a way it is weird, of course, because it’s unique,” says Jacobs. “But my job is pretty unique, and my career is pretty unique in that respect. But we [WWE performers] sort of do stuff like this all the time. I was just thinking about that today, how we’ll have a show and then have to get dressed to meet people and do stuff. If you’re not in my industry, and you’re looking from the outside in, you might think wow, that’s really weird. But when you do it, after a while it’s no big deal.”

Although the election isn’t until May 1, 2018, Jacobs announced his candidacy back in April of this year. He’s perhaps the only politician in history to receive endorsements from both Rand Paul and Daniel Bryan. His recent return to Raw can only help draw attention to his campaign, with the added benefit that he gets to feud with Braun Strowman, who he’s a known fan of.

Regardless of how normal it feels to Glenn Jacobs to toggle between wrestling demon and glad-handing mayoral candidate, he does stand out as an unusual figure, even in the absurdist tragicomedy that is 2017 politics. And whether or not you agree with his politics, it will certainly be interesting to see where his career goes.

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