Former WWE Champion Kane recently appeared on Talk is Jericho (transcript courtesy of Wrestlinginc.com) to talk about various topics.
Kane started his pro wrestling career in 1992. He wrestled in promotions such as Smoky Mountain Wrestling and the United States Wrestling Association before joining the WWE in 1995. Following his debut as Kane in 1997, he remained a component of the company’s Attitude Era of the late 1990s and early 2000s.
Before he became “The Big Red Machine,” he was given a unique gimmick by WWE Chairman Vince McMahon. During this podcast, he was asked about his reaction when Vince McMahon pitched Isaac Yankem gimmick.
“Jim Ross, who is another guy I need to give a shout out too. He was doing Smokey Mountain Wrestling and he was the one that gave me a tryout too with WWE. I got a contract shortly after that. Vince McMahon wanted to meet me in his office. JJ Dillon was still Head of Creative back then. I get into his office and Vince McMahon walks in and asks me if I have ever been afraid to go to the dentist. I said, no, I wasn’t. I thought Vince was just trying to get into my head. He said that he always had this idea for a character,” Jacobs said. “A wrestling dentist; Isaac Yankem. He said that he thinks that I would be perfect for it. Here I am sitting across from the most powerful man in my industry, and I am trying to keep a poker-face; meanwhile, I am going, dude, you flew me in all the way from Knoxville, Tennessee just to tell me that you are going to make me a wrestling dentist? I flew back home, but really in the end the thing was on me. That wasn’t a character that I could invest in, and I didn’t. It was my fault. My teeth were painted. It tasted terrible. Vince McMahon thought it was ironic that his Dentist had bad teeth. My entrance music was dental drill.”
Once WWE Hall of Famers Kevin Nash and Scott Hall went to WCW in 1996, WWE officials came up with an idea of having a fake Diesel and Razor Ramon. WWE wanted Kane to portray Diesel, which is a character that Nash portrayed under the WWE banner.
“I think we were in South Africa, and I remember Gerald Brisco telling me that Vince McMahon wanted to talk to me when we got home. I think they were already throwing some seeds regarding the character. I was told that I was going to be the imitation of Diesel. Jim Ross, who is beloved by everybody, was going to be the heel manager,” Jacobs said. “The concept behind it was that Jim Ross was ticked off and he was going to destroy WWE by proving he can bring guys back. So, he brought me and Fake Razor Ramon [Rick Titan]. Meanwhile, I am thinking that this is a step up from my previous character. It just did not work. The concept was good. People just can’t dislike JR so that didn’t work, and he was the linchpin throughout the whole thing so it just fell apart.”
Kane, who is a longtime supporter of libertarian political causes, announced his intention to run for the office of mayor of Knox County, Tennessee in 2017.
