Knox County’s Jacobs stops in Jackson for a couple days

Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs was in Jackson this week, speaking at a Republican Party meeting Tuesday night at Old Country Store and then speaking to the Jackson Rotary Club on Wednesday.

Jacobs, who’s been known worldwide for nearly 30 years by professional wrestling fans as Kane, officially got into politics in 2018 and ran for his current position.

On Wednesday at Rotary, he spoke about his own background, growing up the son of a veteran in rural Missouri.

“Fortunately my father had a check that would come from the military, but it wasn’t much,” Jacobs said. “And he was an airplane mechanic, and there were no airports around, so he went to work in a factory.

“He got laid off a number of times, and if the combination of him being laid off and an unexpected expense like the car breaking down happened at the same time, then money was really tight for a while.”

It was growing up through that environment that convinced Jacobs he wanted to get a job that would help make sure his family wouldn’t have to live that way, so he tried to become a professional athlete.

He had no ability in baseball and actually played college basketball at a small college, but had no shot at making it to the NBA. The football coach at his college helped him play his senior year, and he continued to work even after he blew his knee out during practice.

He was invited to camp at the Chicago Bears, but less than 24 hours after arriving, was given a plane ticket home because of his knee problems.

Jacobs had begun working out while in college and actually put on 60 pounds of muscle over the four years there. Soon after graduation and being sent home from Bears camp, he and a friend were watching wrestling, and his friend suggested he try it.

So in 1992, he enrolled in wrestling school owned by Jerry Jarrett in the Nashville area. Three years later, he signed with the World Wrestling Federation.

After trying a failed gimmick where he was an evil dentist, he emerged from the darkness at a pay-per-view event in October of 1997 as Kane, the thought-dead brother of the Undertaker, who entered the match his brother was involved in, took the door off the cage of the Hell in a Cell structure, dropped the Undertaker on his head and ruined his chance to win the world heavyweight championship.

“My life changed when I became Kane,” Jacobs said. “I’ve performed in all 50 states, 40 countries and entertained millions of fans around the world.”

Jacobs won a plethora of championships throughout his career and was the eighth Triple Crown winner in WWE history and third Grand Slam winner.

Jacobs said he appreciates the fact that he’s able to live the life he lives now as a county mayor in one of the biggest cities in the state of Tennessee with a comfortable life with a wife and two daughters and a pair of grandchildren.

“I’m living the American dream,” Jacobs said. “And there’s no better state to live the American dream than right here in Tennessee.”

Jacobs said he’s glad to live in this state, which is why he’s continued to for 30 years since moving to Nashville from Missouri and eventually settling in Knoxville early in his wrestling career.

“I got into politics because I wanted to do my part to ensure that American dream continues to be an attainable goal for as many people as possible,” Jacobs said. “We’re accomplishing that in Knox County right now, and great people across the state are accomplishing that all over, especially here in Jackson. Thanks for having me.”

Brandon Shields, brandon@jacksonpost.news