Glenn Thomas Jacobs (born April 26, 1967) better known by his ring name, Kane, is an American professional wrestler and actor signed to WWE and appearing on its ''Raw'' brand.
Born in Torrejón de Ardoz, Spain. Jacobs began his wrestling career in 1992 working on independent circuits. He wrestled in Smoky Mountain Wrestling as ''Unabomb'' where he won the SMW Tag Team Championship as a member of The Dynamic Duo, and in the United States Wrestling Association where he won the USWA Heavyweight Championship as ''Doomsday''. He later joined the World Wrestling Federation (now WWE) in 1995, where he wrestled under various gimmicks before debuting as Kane, in 1997. The character's half-brother is The Undertaker, with whom Kane has teamed up as the Brothers of Destruction.
Jacobs has accumulated 17 championship accolades during his WWE career. He is a three-time world champion, having won the WWF Championship once, the ECW Championship once, and the World Heavyweight Championship once (tied for third longest reign in history, record which also belongs to Chris Benoit). He is the first of only three men (including CM Punk and The Big Show) to hold all three of WWE's world titles. He is also a two-time WWF/E Intercontinental Champion, a one-time WWF Hardcore Champion, and an 11-time Tag Team Champion; winning the WWE Tag Team Championship (once with The Big Show), the WCW World Tag Team Championship once (with The Undertaker), and the World Tag Team Champion nine times (twice with Mankind, X-Pac, and The Undertaker; and once with The Hurricane, Rob Van Dam, and The Big Show). Jacobs is the third Grand Slam Champion in WWE history. In addition to championships, he is a one-time Money in the Bank winner, also he has become the quickest man to cash in the briefcase. Kane holds several records in the Royal Rumble match, including: most eliminations in a single Royal Rumble with eleven, most Royal Rumble match appearances with fifteen, most consecutive appearances in the match with thirteen from 1999 to 2011, and the quickest elimination of another competitor.
Early life
Jacobs was born in
Torrejón de Ardoz,
Madrid to an Air Force family stationed in Spain. Jacobs earned a degree in English Literature at
Truman State University (known then as Northeast Missouri State University) where he played both basketball and football. Jacobs is also a former third grade teacher.
Professional wrestling career
Early career (1992-1995)
In the ring, Jacobs was first known as Angus King when he debuted in the St. Louis, Missouri area with the CSWA. Jacobs later moved south and began wrestling as Doomsday, appearing in the
United States Wrestling Association as The Christmas Creature and as Unabomb in
Smoky Mountain Wrestling, where he held the
SMW Tag Team Championship with
Al Snow in a team called
The Dynamic Duo. During his time in the United States Wrestling Association, Jacobs (as Doomsday) held the
USWA Heavyweight Championship. He briefly wrestled for WCW under the name Bruiser Mastino. Jacobs also worked a brief tour in the UWFI under his real name.
World Wrestling Federation / Entertainment
Early gimmicks (1995–1997)
Jacobs made his first television appearance as a
heel with the
World Wrestling Federation (WWF) as Dr. Isaac Yankem DDS,
Jerry Lawler's private dentist, in a vignette on the June 26, 1995 episode of ''Raw''. Placing emphasis on Jacobs' imposing height and weight, Yankem was portrayed as a monster heel whom Lawler had hired for the purpose of ridding the WWF of his longtime nemesis,
Bret Hart. His in-ring debut occurred at a ''
Superstars'' taping on August 15, where he lost to Hart by count-out. At
SummerSlam, Jacobs 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 of the October 16 episode of ''Raw'', and finally in a tag team match against Hart and
Hakushi, in which he was partnered with Lawler, on the November 6 episode of the show. After his initial run with Hart, Jacobs' push dwindled. His team was unsuccessful in an elimination match at
Survivor Series. He participated in the
1996 Royal Rumble match, but spent the majority of the year as a
jobber to the stars, including televised losses to
The Undertaker,
Jake "The Snake" Roberts,
Marc Mero and
The Ultimate Warrior. Jacobs sported the Yankem
gimmick until September.
Later that month, play-by-play announcer Jim Ross introduced Rick Bognar as "Razor Ramon" and Jacobs as "Diesel" as part of a storyline mocking the departure of former employees Scott Hall and Kevin Nash respectively, and also as an attempt to turn Ross into a heel. The Jim Ross heel turn proved unpopular and was dropped almost immediately, and despite receiving a WWF Tag Team Championship match against Owen Hart and The British Bulldog at the In Your House 12: It's Time pay-per-view, the gimmick's television lifespan lasted only until the 1997 Royal Rumble, where Jacobs was the second-to-last participant (with the exception of Stone Cold Steve Austin, who was previously eliminated by Bret Hart but the officials did not witness the elimination, so he re-entered the ring). He continued to work live events as "Diesel" through April, but would not make any WWF appearances from then until October, as the character of Kane was gradually introduced.
Feud with The Undertaker and WWF Champion (1997–2000)
At April's
In Your House 14: Revenge of the 'Taker pay-per-view event,
WWF Champion, The Undertaker launched a fireball into the face of former manager
Paul Bearer, who had unsuccessfully attempted to assist his newest protege,
Mankind to victory in their title match. On the May 12 episode of ''Raw'', Foley reintroduced Bearer, whose face was heavily bandaged due to the burns The Undertaker had inflicted. Prompted by the injury, Bearer attempted to reunite with The Undertaker after a long period of mutual hostility, using the threat of revealing The Undertaker's "biggest secret"; during the cryptic interview, Bearer likened the fire that had burned his face at Revenge of the 'Taker to a fire that had occurred during The Undertaker's childhood. When The Undertaker continually refused to once again become aligned with Bearer week-after-week, Bearer began tormenting him by telling him that his long-lost brother, Kane (later revealed as Bearer's son, and the Undertaker's
half-brother), was coming to the WWF to challenge him. In the ensuing months, Bearer implied that The Undertaker had killed his family by starting a fire at their funeral home, with the exception of Kane, who was left physically and mentally scarred by the event; The Undertaker claimed that Kane, a
pyromaniac, was the one who started the fire, and could not possibly have survived.
Six months after the angle began, Jacobs made his first appearance as Kane at Badd Blood: In Your House on October 5, costing The Undertaker the victory in the first-ever Hell in a Cell match with Shawn Michaels. In keeping with the notion that Kane had been 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 over another 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. In weeks prior on ''Raw'', Kane had randomly attacked other wrestlers including Ahmed Johnson, Road Warrior Hawk, the Hardy Boyz, Flash Funk, and Cactus Jack/Mankind's alter ego, Dude Love. The Undertaker initially refused to face him, saying he would not fight his own "flesh and blood". After a brief partnership, Kane betrayed his brother when he cost him the WWF Championship; he made a run-in in The Undertaker's WWF Championship title match with Shawn Michaels at the Royal Rumble. After the match, Kane locked The Undertaker in a casket and set it on fire, though it was later revealed that Undertaker managed to escape the casket without being seen before Kane set it on fire. This provoked The Undertaker into returning to face Kane at WrestleMania XIV on March 29. Kane was defeated by The Undertaker after three Tombstone Piledrivers. After the match Kane and Paul Bearer attacked The Undertaker. They continued to feud until Unforgiven on April 26, when The Undertaker defeated Kane in an Inferno match. In this match, Paul Bearer tried to help Kane by attacking The Undertaker; however, at one point of the match, 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.
On May 19, Bearer was revealed to be an employee at the funeral home in Death Valley owned by The Undertaker's parents. When Kane and The Undertaker were children, claimed Bearer, The Undertaker "accidentally" burned down the funeral home, killing their parents and leaving Kane with physical and mental scarring, although The Undertaker thought that Kane had perished in the fire also. During an episode of ''Raw'' taped in Long Island, Kane and Bearer ostensibly exhumed the parents' bodies and brought them to the arena. Bearer, who survived the fire, hid Kane in a mental asylum as he grew up and went on to form an alliance with The Undertaker. After suffering mistreatment at the hands of The Undertaker, Bearer opted to bring Kane into the WWF in order to gain vengeance upon The Undertaker. Kane is portrayed as being psychotic, demented, extremely violent, twisted, disturbed, unstoppable, isolated and at peace with insanity. Like his half-brother, Kane is supposedly able to summon fire and bolts of lightning at will, which is displayed as pyrotechnics during shows.
After defeating The Undertaker to win a WWF Championship title shot, Kane won the WWF Championship at the King of the Ring, defeating Stone Cold Steve Austin in a First Blood match after being helped by his brother. However, Kane lost the title back to Austin the next night on Raw. He went on to form a tag team with Mankind, with whom he won the WWF World Tag Team Championship twice. After losing the titles and turning on Mankind, Kane formed a short-lived tag team with his brother. The brothers fought one another for the vacant WWF Championship at Judgment Day: In Your House, with the match ending in a no-contest. During the match, The Undertaker betrayed Kane for Paul Bearer, thus making Kane a tweener and turning Undertaker heel. Kane went on to take part in the "Deadly Games" tournament for the WWF Championship at Survivor Series but was eliminated by The Undertaker in the quarter-finals.
At Rock Bottom: In Your House, Kane interfered in the Buried Alive match between Austin and The Undertaker by giving The Undertaker a Tombstone Piledriver. As a result of this, The Corporation had Kane committed to an insane asylum. However, in 1999, Kane joined The Corporation to stay out of the insane asylum. He eventually turned face after he was betrayed by The Corporation and thrown out of the alliance. Shortly afterward, Kane formed a tag team with X-Pac and acquired a girlfriend, Tori. While teaming with X-Pac, Kane evolved from being mute to aided speech through an electrolarynx to speaking unaided. He also became associated with D-Generation X, the faction of which X-Pac was a member. His first unaided words were the DX slogan "suck it". The duo won the WWF World Tag Team title twice. The tag team broke apart when X-Pac turned on Kane and rejoined D-Generation X. Kane and X-Pac then were engaged in a lengthy feud against each other. Late in their feud, in early 2000, Tori betrayed Kane and joined X-Pac and D-Generation X, and the former partners' feud eventually ended at WrestleMania 2000, where Kane teamed with Rikishi to face X-Pac and Road Dogg. Kane and Rikishi came out victorious after Kane pinned X-Pac following a Tombstone Piledriver.
Shortly after WrestleMania, Kane suffered a hand injury that kept him out of action for a month. When he returned, it was to help 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 turned heel once again 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; he ultimately lost a Last Man Standing match to him at Armageddon.
Brothers of Destruction; Intercontinental Champion & Tag Team Champion (2001-2002)
Kane reformed his alliance with The Undertaker, thus becoming a face again, immediately before the
Royal Rumble, in which he eliminated a record number of 11 wrestlers which included
Raven,
Al Snow,
Perry Saturn,
Steve Blackman,
Grand Master Sexay,
The Honky Tonk Man,
The Rock,
Tazz,
Albert,
Crash Holly, and
Scotty 2 Hotty, and was the runner-up, after being eliminated by Steve Austin. In early 2001, Kane competed for the
Hardcore Championship, defeating Raven for the title at
WrestleMania X-Seven in a match that also featured
Big Show. At the same time, Kane began teaming with The Undertaker as the "Brothers of Destruction". In the course of the year, they feuded with
Edge and Christian,
Rikishi and
Haku, and
The Two-Man Power Trip. While feuding with The Two-Man Power Trip, Austin and Triple H broke Kane's left arm. At
Judgment Day, Kane defeated Triple H to win the
Intercontinental Championship. He would become the third
Grand Slam Champion, and the first person to win the Grand Slam championship by winning the WWF, Intercontinental, Tag Team, and Hardcore Championships. He later 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 DDP and Chris Kanyon after Page began stalking The Undertaker's wife Sara. The feud culminated at SummerSlam, when Kane and The Undertaker defeated Page and Kanyon in a Steel Cage match, resulting in them holding both the WWF World Tag Team Championships and the WCW World Tag Team Championship. Kane and The Undertaker went on to defeat KroniK at Unforgiven, and both participated in the ten-man Winner-Takes-All match at Survivor Series as members of "Team WWF".
In 2002, Kane began a small feud with Big Show, after Kane single-handedly eliminated him at the Royal Rumble. On the January 28 episode of Raw, Kane displayed his true power by scoop-slamming and chokeslamming the 500-pound Big Show, who he defeated that night. Kane then began feuding with Kurt Angle, to whom he lost at WrestleMania X8. On March 25, the WWF was divided into two brands, Raw and SmackDown!, with Kane being drafted to Raw. Kane went on to feud with the New World Order until tearing his biceps. Kane returned to the renamed WWE as part of the Raw roster in the Summer of 2002, with a new half-mask.
World Tag Team Champion and Unmasking (2002–2004)
In 2002, Kane won the World Tag Team Championship with
The Hurricane on the September 23 episode of Raw from
Lance Storm and
Christian. On October 7, 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 thus unable to compete. That match was later nominated WWE 2002 "Match of the Year". They would hold on to the titles until the October 14 episode of Raw, where they lost them to Christian and Chris Jericho. On September 30, Kane won the Intercontinental Championship from Chris Jericho despite interference from Triple H and
Ric Flair.
In October 2002, 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 went on to claim that, after Vick was killed in a car crash, Kane's (driver) 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 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 was very unpopular with fans, and was de-emphasised before the title match. Triple H went on to defeat Kane at No Mercy, unifying the two titles.
Kane then formed a tag team with Rob Van Dam, with the duo eventually winning the World Tag Team Championship. After they lost their World Tag Team Championship to La Résistance at Bad Blood, Triple H offered Kane a spot in his stable Evolution. 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 Kane unmask because he lost the match. Kane accepted Austin's offer and went to challenge 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. He then chokeslamed Rob Van Dam, thus turning on him, and went on to defeat him at SummerSlam. In an interview with Jim Ross at Conseco Fieldhouse, it became apparent that Kane's facial scars were actually mental scars. At the end of this interview, Kane, believing that he was being mocked, attacked Ross and set him on fire, turning heel in the process. The unmasking rendered Kane emotionally unstable, on one occasion drove him to Tombstone Linda McMahon on the Raw stage. This action sparked a feud between Kane and Linda's son, Shane, with Kane defeating Shane in a Last Man Standing match at Unforgiven and an ambulance match at Survivor Series. During the latter event, Kane interfered in a Buried Alive match between Vince McMahon and The Undertaker, helping McMahon bury The Undertaker and win the match. The following month at Armageddon, Kane competed in a Triple-Threat match for the World Heavyweight Championship against Triple H and defending champion Bill Goldberg, a match which Triple H won.
In January 2004, Kane took part in the Royal Rumble match. He was eliminated after hearing 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 with Paul Bearer at his side, defeating Kane.
Relationship with Lita and World Heavyweight Championship pursuit (2004–2005)
Following his defeat at WrestleMania XX, Kane fell in love with
Lita, but was spurned. This led to him kidnapping Lita in May and asking her an unknown question, to which she replied in the affirmative later that month. On the same night, Kane won a twenty-man
battle royal to receive a World Heavyweight Championship title shot against
Chris 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 21 June, episode of Raw, Kane claimed that he was the father. The following week, Kane explained that he had impregnated Lita in order to continue his legacy and justified a vicious attack on Shawn Michaels several weeks earlier by claiming that Michaels had stood in the way of him winning the World Heavyweight Championship. In order 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. Despite dominating much of the match, Kane again lost to Benoit. 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, 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 (in reality, Hardy needed time off because of a knee injury and later a staph infection). 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 turned into a face as a result, and began seeking revenge against Snitsky for causing the death of his child. He lost to Snitsky in a steel chain match at Taboo Tuesday, and he was sidelined for several months after Snitsky crushed his larynx with a chair following the match. This attack was a repeat performance of the storyline where Kane "injured" Michaels in the same exact manner. The "injury" gave Kane time to complete his starring role in the film, ''See No Evil''. Kane returned in January 2005, defeating Snitsky at New Year's Revolution. 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 sided with Edge, leading to a feud between Kane and Edge. Kane was able to defeat Edge at Vengeance, despite interference from Snitsky. The feud ended when Edge defeated Kane in a Stretcher match on the July 25 episode of Raw. Lita's heel turn resulted from her real-life affair with Edge and her dumping Matt Hardy, and Matt Hardy's subsequent release for making the affair public. Hardy was later rehired and Kane was dropped from the angle, with Matt and Edge having a feud over Lita.
Teaming with Big Show (2005–2006)
Kane returned to WWE television on October 17, 2005, winning an eighteen-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 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 titles throughout the remainder of 2005, during which time they engaged in an inter-promotional feud with members of the ''SmackDown!'' brand. He and Big Show feuded with
Carlito and
Chris Masters throughout early 2006, culminating in a successful title defense at
WrestleMania 22 on April 2. On the following evening, Kane and the Big Show lost the World Tag Team Championship to
Spirit Squad members
Kenny and
Mikey. One week later, Kane and Big Show faced Spirit Squad members
Johnny and
Nicky in a title rematch, 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 19", "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 ruling.
On May 19, Kane appeared on ''SmackDown!'' as John "Bradshaw" Layfield's hand-picked opponent for Rey Mysterio. After both the aforementioned voices and mask video began playing, Kane chokeslammed both Layfield 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 on to the May 29 episode of ''Raw'', when Kane was confronted by the source of the voice, an impostor Kane (Drew Hankinson); wearing Kane's old mask and ring attire, he chokeslammed Kane during his match against Shelton 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 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 several weeks thereafter as he toured Europe to promote ''See No Evil''. Upon his return, he faced his former partner Big Show for the ECW Championship in a losing effort. When he returned to ''Raw'', he engaged in a major feud with Umaga that concluded October 9 in a "Loser Leaves Raw" match, which Kane lost.
Brothers of Destruction reunion (2006–2007)
On October 13, Kane moved to SmackDown for the first time since the 2002 brand extension. On November 3, 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 end 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. Kane continued to have matches throughout the year with MVP.
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 would go to a no-contest as The Undertaker interrupted after Kane had been eliminated and punished the remaining opponents. At the Royal Rumble, Sabu was infamously eliminated by Kane, after he was chokeslammed through a table on the outside that Sabu had set up before he entered the ring. Later in the match, Kane eliminated King Booker. Booker then came back in the ring and eliminated Kane, even though he had already been eliminated. A couple weeks later on ''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 February 23, Kane lost to King Booker in a Falls-Count Anywhere Money in the Bank Qualifying match after interference from
The Great Khali, sparking a feud between the two.
On February 26, Kane interrupted Chris Masters' ''Master Lock Challenge'' to The Great Khali when Masters was unable to apply the ''Master Lock''. Kane delivered a chokeslam and a chair shot to Masters then clotheslined The Great Khali over the top rope. Prior to WrestleMania 23, Kane started to walk around with a hook, similar to the hook he used as Jacob Goodnight in ''See No Evil''. At the event, Kane was defeated by 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 held by 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. Kane was defeated by Henry in a Lumberjack match at One Night Stand due to interference from lumberjacks Kenny Dykstra and Chavo Guerrero and would take a short hiatus thereafter.
On the July 6 episode of ''SmackDown!'', General Manager Theodore Long announced that Kane would face Edge for his 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. 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. The scheduled match for the World Heavyweight Championship at the Great American Bash became a Triple Threat match between Batista, Kane, and The Great Khali due to Edge's injury. In the beginning of the match, Kane and Batista teamed up to send Khali through an announcer's table, by a Chokeslam-Spinebuster combination. Kane started dominating Batista back in the ring but instead chokeslammed Khali, but Batista broke up the count. The end came after Khali slammed Batista's head into the steel steps, before which Batista had decimated Kane with a thunderous Batista Bomb. Khali then nailed Kane with a Khali Bomb, which was too much for Kane to kick out, and thus Khali remained the reigning World Heavyweight Champion. Kane later teamed up with Batista on the August 18 edition of ''Saturday Night's Main Event'' 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. On the following episode of ''SmackDown!'', Finlay and Kane competed against each other in a tournament to name the challenger for Khali's World Heavyweight Championship at Unforgiven. After interference from Hornswoggle, Finlay managed to defeat Kane and advance in the tournament. Finlay and Kane met again during the following week's episode of ''SmackDown!'' in a rematch of the previous month's ''Saturday Night's Main Event''. Once again teaming with Batista, Kane defeated Finlay and The Great Khali when Kane pinned Finlay off a chokeslam.
ECW Champion (2007–2008)
He 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 3-on-2 handicap match. In retaliation, Big Daddy V attacked Kane on the October 19 ''SmackDown'', igniting a feud between the two. The two continued to battle in 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 CM Punk.
In a battle royal before WrestleMania, Kane won by lastly eliminating former rival Mark Henry which meant he would face ECW Champion Chavo Guerrero later in the night. At
WrestleMania XXIV, Kane defeated Chavo Guerrero in the fastest-ever WrestleMania match with a record-setting eight seconds to win the
ECW Championship. Shortly after winning the championship, Kane left ''SmackDown!'' and officially joined the ECW roster. At
Backlash, Kane successfully defended the ECW Championship against Chavo Guerrero. He then continued teaming with CM Punk to earn a
WWE Tag Team Championship match at
Judgment Day, which the duo did not win.
On June 23, 2008, Kane was drafted from the ECW brand back to ''Raw'', as a part of the 2008 WWE Draft, in the process making the ECW Championship exclusive to ''Raw''. By taking the title to ''Raw'', Kane became the first and only man to hold a specific title on all three brands; he won the ECW Championship as a member of the ''SmackDown!'' roster, and shortly after winning it he became an official member of ECW, and then took the title with him when he was drafted to ''Raw''. Kane lost the ECW Championship to Mark Henry at Night of Champions in a Triple-Threat match that also involved The Big Show, thus moving the title back to ECW.
Various Feuds (2008–2009)
On July 7 episode of Raw, Kane was not granted a
World Heavyweight Championship match at
The Great American Bash, Kane attacking both color commentators Michael Cole and Jerry Lawler, Kane become a villain for the first time since 2006. On July 20 at The Great American Bash, Kane interfered and attacking both the champion CM Punk and the challenger
Batista during the event. In September 2008, Kane began a feud with Rey Mysterio that lasted until
Survivor Series 2008. 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 at
WrestleMania XXV, a match that would be won by CM Punk.
During the 2009 Draft Kane beat The Brian Kendrick for a draft pick, and later in the night, Kane himself would be drafted back to ''SmackDown!''. After this Kane feuded with CM Punk and then defeated him at Backlash thus ending the feud. After that, Kane 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, starting a feud with Khali, whom he defeated at SummerSlam and in a Singapore Cane match at WWE Breaking Point, thus ending the feud as Khali needed toe surgery.
In the next two weeks, Kane defeated R-Truth and John Morrison. Then he started a brief feud with Matt Hardy, defeating him at two separate occasions at ''SmackDown!'' and at Superstars. Kane then confronted Chris Jericho, declaring himself to be the co-captain for Team SmackDown at Bragging Rights, Jericho then agreed to Kane's co-captaincy. The match was won by Team SmackDown. Kane then faced Chris Jericho in a #1 Contender's match for an opportunity to face (World Heayweight Champion) The Undertaker and Big Show in a Triple-Threat match at Survivor Series, but lost. On the November 13 episode of ''SmackDown!'', Kane turned face by saving The Undertaker from Chris Jericho and The Big Show. In 2010, at WrestleMania XXVI during the Money in the Bank ladder match, Kane was unsuccessful in claiming the briefcase. Over the next few months, Kane was involved in sporadic singles matches on episodes of ''SmackDown!''.
On the May 28 episode of ''SmackDown!'', he lost to CM Punk in a qualifying match for the World Heavyweight Championship for the WWE Fatal 4-Way pay-per-view event. The following week on ''SmackDown!'', Kane claimed that he found his brother The Undertaker in a "vegetative state" over Memorial Day weekend and vowed revenge on whoever was responsible. Because of The Undertaker's injury, it was announced that there would be a Battle Royal between the whole ''SmackDown!'' roster to replace him for the WWE Fatal 4 Way event, which Rey Mysterio won by lastly eliminating Kane.
Money in the Bank and World Heavyweight Champion (2010–2011)
In Kane's quest, he participated in his fourth Money in the Bank ladder match at its first
eponymous pay-per-view. Kane would then win the Money in the Bank ladder match and later on in the event, cashed in his Money in the Bank contract and defeated Rey Mysterio to win the World Heavyweight Championship after Mysterio had just retained the title against
Jack Swagger. On the following ''SmackDown!'' on July 23, Kane accused Mysterio of putting The Undertaker in a vegetative state.
On the August 6, 2010 episode of ''SmackDown!'', Mysterio claimed he was innocent before claiming that Kane himself was the perpetrator behind the assault on The Undertaker." At SummerSlam, Kane retained the World Heavyweight Championship against Mysterio.
After the match, he attempted to put Mysterio into a casket, only for The Undertaker to appear. Upon his return, Kane delivered him a Tombstone Piledriver and thus, proving Kane to be the real attacker of The Undertaker, turning him heel in the process, and also reigniting their feud. On the following episode of ''SmackDown!'', Kane revealed that he had been planning his attack for 13 years and was finally the dominant brother, with control of Undertaker's powers. With these powers he was easily able to attack his brother multiple times, prior to, during, or after his matches. He then went on to successfully defend the World Heavyweight Championship against The Undertaker, in a No Holds Barred match at Night of Champions. On the following episode of ''Smackdown!'', a casket was brought to ringside by druids to reveal the return of Paul Bearer, who was announced to be The Undertaker's manager against Kane at Hell in a Cell. At Hell in a Cell, Paul Bearer turned on The Undertaker. After Undertaker kicked out from a Tombstone, Bearer blinded Undertaker with the urn and gave it to Kane, who smashed Undertaker in the head with it and chokeslammed him to retain the World Heavyweight title. At Bragging Rights, Kane defeated Undertaker in a Buried Alive Match to retain the title again after help from The Nexus, thus ending the feud between Undertaker and Kane.
Kane then entered a feud with Edge, who, on the October 28 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 Paul 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. On the November 26 episode of ''SmackDown!'', Kane agreed to let Edge have another shot at the title after Bearer was still in his captivity. The mind games continued until the December 3 ''SmackDown!'' where Edge defeated Kane in a non-title match so he could to pick the match type for their title match at TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs, in which Edge chose the TLC match. On the following week's ''SmackDown!'', Kane refused to participate in the main event, as he went to search for Bearer. After what he thought was another one of Edge's dummy version of Paul Bearer, Kane pushed some ladders over. Afterward, he realized he had pushed the actual Paul Bearer off the ladders onto the concrete floor, thus, injuring him. This would be Bearer's last appearance as he was written out of the storyline. The next week, ''SmackDown!'' General Manager Theodore Long added Rey Mysterio and Alberto Del Rio, who were feuding with each other, to the World Heavyweight Championship match at the pay-per-view, making it a Fatal Four-Way TLC match.
At December 19th's TLC 2010, Kane lost the title after Edge climbed the ladder to retrieve it after pushing Alberto Del Rio off the ladder, through two tables on the outside. At WWE Tribute to the Troops 2010, Kane challenged General William Grimsley to an arm-wrestling contest, only for it to end in a no-contest when Edge interfered and speared Kane.
Kane received his rematch for the World Heavyweight Championship on the January 7, 2011 episode of SmackDown, in a Last Man Standing match. Kane was dominant throughout the match but unable to win the title after Edge used the Con-Chair-To on Kane's knee, preventing Kane from answering the 10-count. Kane competed in the 2011 Royal Rumble match, being the first person to enter the Royal Rumble at number 40, but he was eliminated by Mysterio. Kane competed in the 2011 Elimination Chamber, eliminating Drew McIntyre and the Big Show before being speared and eliminated by Edge. After his elimination Kane viciously attacked Rey Mysterio and then chokeslammed Edge for the final time thus ending the feud between the two.
Reunion with Big Show and WWE Tag Team Champion (2011)
On the March 4 episode of Smackdown,
the Corre aided Kane by interfering in Kane's match against Big Show and attacking Big Show. However, a miscommunication between Kane and the Corre led to Kane turning on the Corre instead. Big Show and Kane would then reunite to take on the Corre, challenging them for the tag team title belts and saving other wrestlers from the Corre's attacks. At
WrestleMania XXVII, Big Show and Kane would team together with
Santino Marella and
Kofi Kingston to beat the Corre. The following week, a WrestleMania rematch took place with Big Show and Kane's team victorious over the Corre once again in a two out of three falls match.
On the April 22nd episode of ''SmackDown'', the duo defeated Corre members Justin Gabriel and Heath Slater to win the WWE Tag Team Championship, their second championship win 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 their titles to Michael McGilligutty and David Otunga on the following day on Raw. After the match Big Show was run over by Alberto Del Rio's car and causing him to have a torn ACL. When Big Show returned to ''Raw'' after recovering from his injuries, Kane and Big Show went their separate ways.
Kane participated in the second annual SmackDown Money in the Bank ladder match but was unsuccessful in winning the bout, as the match was won by Daniel Bryan. On the July 22, 2011 episode of SmackDown, Kane claimed he was once again the ''Devil's Favorite Demon'' and he would kill his humanity in his match against Randy Orton but he later lost to Orton in a street fight. After the match, Kane shook hands with his opponent in a mark of respect but was attacked by Mark Henry. WWE subsequently reported that the attack had resulted in Kane suffering a fractured fibula which was likely to render him unable to wrestle for three months.
Return of the mask (2011–present)
Beginning in November 2011, WWE began airing vignettes featuring Kane and a burning red mask, no longer showing his identity. After more than four weeks of inactivity, Kane returned on the December 12 episode of ''Raw'' wearing a metallic mask and interrupted the main event between Mark Henry and
John Cena. Despite the fact that it was Mark Henry who took Kane out of action for months, Kane instead chose to chokeslam Cena before removing the metallic mask to reveal a new red mask thus turning
heel once again. On the December 19 episode of ''Raw'', Kane again confronted Mark Henry and Cena. Henry was left untouched again as Kane again attacked Cena, On the December 26 episode of ''Raw'', Kane explained that he targeted Cena because he wanted Cena to "embrace the hate" from Cena's detractors rather than try to "Rise Above Hate," Cena's t-shirt slogan. During the next few weeks, Kane would not only attack Cena, but also Cena's friend
Zack Ryder, in an attempt to anger Cena. Kane's vicious attacks on Ryder would result in Ryder suffering a variety of storyline injuries, causing him to lose the United States Championship. Kane and John Cena would fight to a draw at the
Royal Rumble event when both men were counted out. After the count out Kane dragged Zack Ryder from backstage to the ring and then Tombstoned him in the ring as Eve watched on, Cena then came out to make the save which resulted in Kane chokeslamming Cena. At
Elimination Chamber, Cena defeated Kane in an ambulance match to end the feud.
Kane returned on the February 27 episode of ''Raw'', attacking Tag Team Champions Primo and Epico, Dolph Ziggler, and R-Truth after the latter completed their championship match. The following ''SmackDown'', Kane attacked the returning Randy Orton during his match with Daniel Bryan after causing him to lose by count-out. On the March 5 episode of ''Raw'', following a match Kane defeated R-Truth, Orton attacked Kane with an RKO. At WrestleMania XXVIII, Kane defeated Orton in a singles match after chokeslamming him from the top rope. On the following ''SmackDown'', Randy Orton defeated Kane in a No Disqualifications match. In a psychological bid, Kane attacked Orton and his father "Cowboy" Bob Orton with a metal pipe on the following episode of ''Smackdown'', resulting in back and abdomen injuries to both Ortons. Kane lost again to Orton at Extreme Rules, in a Falls Count Anywhere match.
Other media
| style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Year |
Film
|
Role
|
Notes
|
| 2006 |
See No Evil (film)>See No Evil'' |
Jacob Goodnight |
| 2007 |
''Smallville'' (TV Series)| | Titan |
6x17 "Combat"
|
| 2010 |
''MacGruber (film)MacGruber'' || | Tanker Lutz |
|
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 Superstars
Montel Vontavious Porter,
Chris Jericho,
The Great Khali,
Mark Henry, and
The Big Show. He also appeared on ''
Smallville'' series episode "Combat" as Titan along side with former WWE Diva
Ashley Massaro. The episode was aired on March 22, 2007.
Kane appeared on a special WWE edition of "The Weakest Link" in March 2002 and became the strongest link by defeating Bubba Ray Dudley in the final round. The money won was donated to Jacobs' chosen charity, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, in Memphis, Tennessee.
The Kane character was featured in the fourteen issue ''Undertaker'' comic book produced by the now-defunct 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. Kane was also featured in a Chef Boyardee commercial where at the end of it, he was trying to eat it with his mask on.
In an interview with Jacobs, he thought things had to change with his mask. Jacobs revealed "I think it was time. We had gone as far as we could go with the character under the mask. I actually felt the mask was limiting my ability to do some things. For years, to portray emotion I had to do it with my body. I never could do it with my face as the other superstars were able to. So, it added another dimension." In December 2011, the character once again began wearing a revised version of the red mask.
In an interview with Jacobs, conducted in 2010, he revealed that he and Vince McMahon were the only ones that were 100 percent behind the idea of the Kane character removing his mask. He added that he has no plans to retire soon. "I'm still having fun," Glenn said. "I'm really at the height of my career, and I don't have any plans of packing it in, at least not in the near future."
A book written by Michael Chiappetta detailing the fictional origins of the Kane character 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 at least until July 17, 2011, though its last update at that time was made May 28 earlier in the year.
Personal life
Jacobs is married to Maurisa Jacobs, and has two step daughters.
Jacobs supported Ron Paul for President in 2008. He is also a member of the Free State Project, and spoke at the organization's 2009 New Hampshire Liberty Forum. He has also spoken at the Ludwig von Mises Institute. Jacobs writes about his political beliefs and libertarian news at his blog.
In wrestling
Finishing moves
*As Kane
**Chokeslam
*''Tombstone Piledriver'' (Kneeling reverse piledriver) – adopted from The Undertaker, 1997–present
*As Isaac Yankem
*''DDS'' (DDT)
Signature moves
*Backbreaker
Big boot
Clawhold to an opponent's face, choking them in the process (2011–present)
Corner clothesline
Falling powerbomb
Flying clothesline
Front/running powerslam
Military press drop
Running dropkick to a seated opponent, usually preceded by a scoop slam or a snapmare
Scoop powerslam
Sidewalk slam
Tilt-a-whirl slam
*Two-handed chokeslam
Uppercut, sometimes to the opponent's throat
Managers
Paul Bearer
"Hot Stuff" Eddie Gilbert
Jim Cornette
*Jerry "The King" Lawler
*Jim Ross
*Dutch Mantel
*Chyna
*X-Pac
*Tori
*Lita
*The Undertaker
Nicknames
"The Big Red Machine/Monster"
"The Devil's Favorite Demon"
Entrance themes
*"Root Canal" (As Isaac Yankem, D.D.S.; 1995–1996)
*"Diesel Blues" by Jim Johnston (1996–1997)
*"Burned" by Jim Johnston (October 5, 1997 – June 12, 2000)
*"Out of the Fire" by Jim Johnston (June 19, 2000 – March 17, 2002; April 27, 2003)
*"Slow Chemical" by Finger Eleven (April 1, 2002 – August 11, 2008)
"Man on Fire" by Jim Johnston (August 18, 2008– July 22, 2011; April 16, 2012)
* "Veil of Fire" by Jim Johnston (December 12, 2011–present)
Championships and accomplishments
Pro Wrestling Illustrated
PWI Tag Team of the Year (1999) with X-Pac
PWI ranked him #4 of the 500 best singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 2011
Smoky Mountain Wrestling
SMW Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Al Snow
United States Wrestling Association
USWA Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
World Wrestling Federation / World Wrestling Entertainment
WWF Championship (1 time)
World Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
WWF/E Intercontinental Championship (2 times)
WWE Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Big Show (1)
World Tag Team Championship (9 times) – with Mankind (2), X-Pac (2), The Undertaker (2), The Hurricane (1), Rob Van Dam (1), and Big Show (1)
ECW Championship (1 time)
WCW Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with The Undertaker
WWF Hardcore Championship (1 time)
*Money in the Bank (SmackDown 2010)
*Eighth Triple Crown Champion
*Third Grand Slam Champion
Slammy Award for Best Family Values (2010)
*2009 Bragging Rights Trophy - with Team Smackdown (Chris Jericho, R-Truth, Matt Hardy, Finlay, Tyson Kidd and David Hart Smith)
*Record for most eliminations at the Royal Rumble at 11 eliminations.
*Record for Fastest Wrestlemania match victory at WrestleMania XXIV at 8 seconds against Chavo Guerrerro for the ECW World Heavyweight Championship
Wrestling Observer Newsletter
Most Disgusting Promotional Tactic (2004)
Most Overrated (2010)
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 Gimmick (1996) as Fake Diesel
Worst Worked Match of the Year (2001) with The Undertaker vs. KroniK at Unforgiven
Luchas de Apuestas record
| style="background:#e3e3e3; width:5%;" | Wager |
Winner
|
Loser
|
Location
|
Date
|
Notes
|
| Mask |
Kane |
Big Van VaderVader || | Milwaukee, Wisconsin |
|
Over the Edge: In Your House>Over the Edge.
|
| Mask |
Triple H | | Kane |
New York City, New York |
|
Mask vs. Title match on WWE Raw.
|
References
External links
WWE Profile
Category:1967 births
Category:American film actors
Category:American libertarians
Category:American professional wrestlers
Category:American schoolteachers
Category:Contestants on American game shows
Category:Living people
Category:Military brats
Category:Sportspeople from Madrid
Category:Truman State Bulldogs football players
Category:Truman State Bulldogs men's basketball players
Category:Masked wrestlers
ar:كين
bg:Кейн (Глен Джейкъбс)
bar:Glen Jacobs
ca:Glen Jacobs
da:Glen Jacobs
de:Kane (Wrestler)
el:Kane (παλαιστής)
es:Glen Jacobs
fa:کین
fr:Glenn Jacobs
gl:Glen Jacobs
ko:케인
hy:Գլեն Ջեյկոբս
id:Kane
it:Glen Jacobs
he:גלן ג'ייקובס
nl:Glenn Jacobs
ja:ケイン (プロレスラー)
no:Glenn Jacobs
pl:Glen Jacobs
pt:Kane (lutador)
ro:Kane (wrestler)
ru:Кейн (рестлер)
simple:Kane (wrestler)
sk:Kane
fi:Kane (showpainija)
sv:Kane
th:เคน (นักมวยปล้ำ)
tr:Kane
vi:Glen Jacobs
zh:肯恩 (摔角手)
