The current situation in Ukraine is front and center in the minds of most this weekend, and several stars from across the pro wrestling spectrum have commented on the matter. Many have used their platforms to call on people to help provide assistance to the people of Ukraine who are suffering due to the actions of Russia.

However, former WWE star Glenn Jacobs (Kane) has used his platform to criticize and demean his political opponents. Taking to his Twitter account on Sunday, Jacobs wrote, “If you (you’re) on the Left and are shocked by Putin’s aggression, wake up, Sunshine. Historically in the real world, might makes right. Weakness (which is really what the Left is all about) is not a virtue. It’s a fatal character flaw. (And, no, the US should still not get involved).”

The former wrestler almost immediately started getting hasty replies from wrestling fans, but it was none other than AEW World Champion “Hangman” Adam Page who had the best response of all.

Page replied to Kane’s tweet and rather than engaging in political debate during this time of crisis, he urged people to donate to UNICEF’s Children of Ukraine project, as well as the Ukraine Crisis Relief Fund. He closed his tweet, hilariously, by embedding a video of “10 Ruthless Chair Shots Kane Took To The Head.”

• Hangman Page Discusses Feud With AEW Graphics Team: “I’m So Pissed”

As of this writing, Page’s tweet has roughly 8x as many likes as Kane’s (and growing).

Check out the Top Rope Nation wrestling podcast for your weekly dose of pro wrestling talk featuring interviews, analysis and exclusive news: Apple – Spotify – YouTube.

WWE legend Kane (Glenn Jacobs) will seek another term as the Mayor of Knox County, Tennessee.

Earlier this week, the “Big Red Machine” began filing the paperwork to run for re-election.

“Picked up my petition sheet for Knox County Mayor yesterday,” he wrote on Twitter. “It’s been an honor serving you and I would love to have your support to serve the Knox County community again.”

Mayor Kane’s Accolades

Glenn Jacobs is a Republican and won election to serve as the Mayor of Knox County, TN on August 2, 2018.

His campaign websites several accomplishments as Knox County Mayor, including no tax increases, job growth and no money to Planned Parenthood.

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Mayor Jacobs fought tooth and nail against the lockdowns and mandates.

For more information, visit JacobsForMayor.com.

Good God, it’s … Inferno. I don’t think there is any way even Jim Ross could have pulled that line off. However, according to WWE legend Glenn Jacobs, that’s very close to what Kane was going to be called.

Talking during a recent appearance on Stories with Brisco and Bradshaw, Glenn Jacobs talked about how his iconic character came about, and was, largely thanks to Vader.

“The Kane thing came about when Vader got arrested in Kuwait. You know they had the deal where Leon had roughed up the talk show host and then literally got arrested in a Kuwaiti jail. They needed someone to work with Mark. So, the thought was okay, you know, we’ll just hotshot this deal. We need an angle, you know, we need someone — well, Glenn can do it. He’s a big guy, he matches up physically with Taker.” Glenn Jacobs explained, detailing how he had been working under a mask ever since his Issac Yankem gimmick ended.

The Kane Idea Was Pitched as a Single Encounter

Glenn Jacobs explained how the idea of being the Undertaker’s brother was pitched to Vince as a short run. However, the boss saw the instant potential for a long feud.

“Vince liked it so much. He’s like, ‘why are we gonna waste this on just one match when we can turn this into an actual, you know, long-term angle,’ thank goodness.”

All that was left was to come up with a name. This is something Glenn Jacobs is happy he got to have some involvement in.

“Initially, the character was called Inferno. That was kind of my contribution to it, along with Bruce. You know, Bruce had always liked the name, Kane. I thought that Inferno just sounded very comic book character-ish for where we’re going with this. So, we suggested the name Kane, which not only, you know, Undertaker when he initially came in was Kane The Undertaker, and then they dropped the Kane part as he became The Undertaker. But also, with the biblical story of Cain and Abel. We thought that that fit.”

Thank goodness the name was changed because I highly doubt Glenn Jacobs would have enjoyed the long run, he got had they stuck with the original name. After surviving being Fake Diesel and then Issac Yankem, Jacobs struck gold with his Kane character, and as they say, the rest was history.

The Undertaker broke the news of Kane’s Hall Of Fame induction to the Big Red Monster in an emotional segment on The Bump and many believe that it would be fitting for the dead man to induct him during the ceremony as well.

The devil’s favorite demon spoke to Sports Illustrated after the big announcement and said that he would have never believed that he would be going into Hall Of Fame one day during his Isaac Yankem days.

Kane also revealed his reaction to the big news and claimed that it’s the greatest honor of his entire pro wrestling career. He said that it’s a tremendous honor which he is still trying to process:

“This is the greatest honor of my entire pro wrestling career, there have been so many people that helped me get here, and I can’t wait to say thanks to each of them. It’s a tremendous honor, one that I’m still trying to process.”

Kane was then asked the question everyone has in mind and when questioned about Taker possibly inducting him, he said: “I’m not going to speculate on anything, this is all so new. I’m just so grateful for this honor.”

The former world champion is the fourth name to be announced for the Hall Of Fame class of 2021 and he will be inducted alongside people like Eric Bischoff, Molly Holly and The Great Khali.

• Kane Says The Undertaker’s Retirement From WWE Was Bittersweet

Check out the latest video from the SEScoops YouTube channel reacting to the news:

WWE legend Kane appeared on the Two Man Power Trip of Wrestling podcast this week, hosted by John Poz and Dr. Tom Prichard.

They spoke about a wide variety of topics, including Kane’s time in Smoky Mountain Wrestling, his Dr. Isaac Yankem dentist gimmick, working with Steve Austin, Pat Patterson, Brodie Lee and more.

Kane is forever linked to his greatest rival and (storyline) brother, The Undertaker. When asked his thoughts about The Undertaker’s Final Farewell at last month’s Survivor Series pay-per-view, Kane called it a “bittersweet” occasion.

“It’s bittersweet,” he began.. “I’m happy for Mark and the fact that not many folks get to retire on their own terms and leave the business the way they want to. So, I’m very happy about that. On a personal level, that’s great, but as a fan, it kind of stinks because it’s the Undertaker. He’s one of my favorites, not only because of our personal history but also just as a fan.”

The Undertaker’s Reign

The Undertaker’s 30 year reign spanned multiple eras of WWE history. It is truly amazing to look back at how things were back in 1990 and everything that transpired during The Undertaker’s career. Kane says he is easily the greatest wrestling character ever. Sometimes he was the #1 guy in the company, but he didn’t need to always be the top guy. When he wasn’t #1, he was “1A” – a special attraction that was in a class of his own.

Kane reflected, “Just carrying the company through all these cycles in wrestling, you look back and he came in and Hulkamania, then things went really down in the early 90s. When it comes back up, he’s there, and he’s been there ever since. [The Undertaker’s retirement] was just bittersweet.”

Kane on WWE ThunderDome

Kane also commented on WWE adapting to the coronavirus pandemic. He feels that the ThunderDome concept has been successful and executed very well.

“The pandemic – I think WWE has actually done the best out of the spectator sports of trying to have the feel of a live audience,” he said. “They really have done a good job with the ThunderDome concept. But nevertheless, certainly, we would’ve liked to have had 20,000 people there as opposed to 4,000 people watching on monitors. The whole thing was done very well.”

You can listen to the full podcast episode at Player.fm.

Kane and Dr. Tom Prichard run the Jacobs-Prichard Wrestling Academy in Knoxville, Tennessee.

Former WWE agent and AEW on screen coach Arn Anderson recently answered fan questions on the ARN podcast.

One fan asked The Enforcer what was the best match you’ve ever seen ‘live.’ Arn Anderson would give an interesting and unexpected answer to that question. “I’ll tell you one, it’s a sleeper” Anderson began on the podcast.

Arn Anderson on Kane vs Kurt Angle

“I saw Kane wrestle Kurt Angle, and I hadn’t been with WWE too long. I don’t remember the exact year, but they [WWE] were really high on Angle. They were really building him, and it was when Kane was about 330 pounds with the mask.”

The match that Anderson was referring to is from SmackDown in November 2001. At the time Kurt Angle was the WCW United States Champion and this was right at the tail end of the Invasion storyline.

“They went about 20-25 minutes on TV. With the story being Kane, the monster, tripping up a little bit and allowing that ankle lock to be put on him several times. And I mean several times. Kane obviously did what you thought Kane would, he nodded his head back and forth, saying ‘no no no no way, I’m going to tap out no way.'”

Glenn Jacobs

Arn Anderson would then praise the man behind the mask. “I’m a huge fan of the Kane character, and the person Glenn Jacobs. As we know if you’ve got a mask covering your face? It’s hard to see your facial and facials are where our money lies in this business. It tells you when you’re happy, when you’re hurt, when you’re sad, when you’re hurting and when you’re in trouble. All those emotions are conveyed through your face.”

• Email From Vince McMahon On 3rd Party Deals Allegedly Leaked

Elaborating further, Arn Anderson said “when you got a mask on? It’s hard to do that. But some way, somehow Kane was able to show me his frustration, bobbing his head in pain and the slapping of the mat. His whole body English during the course of that; until finally he did the unthinkable, and it was the first time he’d ever done it. Kane tapped out to Kurt Angle.”

Do you remember the match from ’01? Do you agree with Arn Anderson that it’s a great bout? Check out the match below and let us know what you think in the comments.

WWE Superstar and Mayor of Knox County Glenn Jacobs/Kane recently appeared on WWE’s The Bump. The Big Red Machine was appearing on the WWE Network show to discuss the ongoing The Last Ride documentary that features his on-screen brother The Undertaker.

One of the points raised was the respect between the two performers, with Kane being asked if there was a specific moment or moments that he knew he had earned the Deadman’s respect.

Kane Talks Respect

“I actually do, there’s a couple” Kane vegan. “First of all, let’s keep in mind that from the beginning of my career? even before I was in WWE? He was always a big advocate of mine” Kane revealed.

“Even when I was having a lot of trouble early on? This person was there pushing for me and talking with me and making sure that I was doing what I needed to do eventually to become successful” Kane would continue. “I got a lot of that. The conversations weren’t always the most pleasant (laughs), they could be sometimes a little harsh! Nevertheless, they were much needed.”

Glenn Jacobs would then praise The Undertaker for the way that he treated him as a ‘peer’ when he first appeared in the company. “When I came in as Kane, and just overall the whole like 1997 into 1998 and working with him so much? The whole time he treated me as a peer, and as an equal. Then I remember, wince 2003 when I had taken the mask off? We were actually at a wedding, and he told me how proud he was of the transition, and not only my in-ring work but also my work on the microphone.”

Do you think that Kane’s character developed and changed as well as The Undertaker’s during his run in WWE? Let us know in the comments

Also Check Out:

• Drew McIntyre On Being Allowed To Cut Unscripted Promos
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WWE Superstar and Mayor of Knox County Glenn Jacobs/Kane recently appeared on WWE’s The Bump. The Big Red Machine was appearing on the WWE Network show to discuss the ongoing The Last Ride documentary that features his on-screen brother The Undertaker.

One of the questions posed to Kane was the planning of matches between he and ‘Taker. Kane would discuss how it was sometimes difficult to plan and map out bouts against the ‘Deadman.’ This was because both men were behemoths in stature, and as Kane later mentions, they would prefer to have a smaller performer to work with.

Undertaker vs Kane

“In fact, it was kind of hard because when you have two characters like Undertaker and myself who are very much alike? We do the same things” Kane would begin. “And the characters? Even though they’re mere opposites they’re in many ways…they’re almost exact clones. They’re very, very similar.”

Kane elaborated further, saying “how do you construct a match? When you have the Undertaker who’s indestructible, and Kane who is indestructible? You have to figure all that stuff out. Also you don’t want, for instance, you don’t want The Undertaker to look ‘normal’ by Kane beating them up. So you have to figure out ways to get around all that.”

Kane would finish by saying that planning matches with The Undertaker was always an epic undertaking. The Big Red Machine would also bring up the aforementioned ‘David vs Goliath’ approach. “Frankly, for me it’s always been an epic undertaking, ‘Taker would tell you the same thing. It’s always been easier to work with a smaller guy because you have a built in story; to kind of have the David vs Goliath, you know? The Rocky Balboa story, whereas when you have the Clash of the Titans? It’s harder to do traditional storytelling in that fashion.”

Have you been enjoying The Last Ride? Let us know in the comments

Check out the full episode of The Bump here:

Also Check Out:

• WWE Does DUI Storyline With Jeff Hardy, Intercontinental Title Tournament Finals Set
• Samoa Joe Reportedly Considered Jerry Lawler’s Permanent Replacement
• The Undertaker Recalls First Meetings With Vince McMahon, Joining WWE In 1990

Mick Foley believes that Britt Baker is the greatest wrestling dentist ever. While that in and of itself might not be particularly high praise, Foley put out a video which details how impressed he is with Baker’s performance in AEW as of late.

Foley evidently feels that not only is Britt Baker the greatest wrestling dentist of all-time, she is the “Bret Hart” of wrestling dentists.

“Hello, this is Mick Foley with an important declaration to make. It is after great thought and mental tribulation that I have come to the conclusion and would like to share my opinion that Dr. Britt Baker is the greatest wrestling dentist of all time. I say this with all due respect to Isaac Yankem and the entire town of Decatur, Illinois.”

Foley continued and explained why he believes Baker has achieved such a status.

“But given her moveset, her persona and her use of the mandible claw, I believe that Britt Baker is not only the greatest wrestling dentist of all time but she is, in fact, the Bret Hart of wrestling dentists. She is the best there is, the best there was, and the best there ever will be. And I hope that Dr. Baker will take that declaration into consideration when at a certain date and time, she perfects the Foley smile. Have a nice day!”

• AEW Dynamite Results (5/13): Inner Circle Destroys Vanguard 1, Mike Tyson To Present TNT Title

Dr. Isaac Yankem/Mayor Glenn Jacobs has yet to issue a response to Foley’s comments.

Kane made his return to WWE television and it was a noteworthy appearance. 

He did so on Friday Night SmackDown this week on FOX in Greensboro, NC at the Greensboro Coliseum Complex. As seen on the show, Kane cut a promo about how the Royal Rumble Match works.

Kane Returns On SmackDown

Bray Wyatt appeared on the big screen where he brought up the history between Kane and The Fiend. This led to The Fiend coming out from out of the ring and Daniel Bryan took out The Fiend. 

Kane, real name Glenn Jacobs, is the Mayor of Knox County in Tennessee.

His previous appearance on WWE television came when he appeared on the September 16, 2019 episode of Monday Night RAW in Knoxville, Tennessee at the Thompson-Boling Arena. 

This was where he won the WWE 24/7 Title and briefly held it until he dropped the championship back to R-Truth. Fast forward to the main event, Seth Rollins was battling Robert Roode in a singles match.

Once The OC (AJ Styles, Karl Anderson, and Luke Gallows) ran down to attack him, Kane, dressed in his wrestling attire, came down to make the save. This led to Bray Wyatt appearing and putting Kane down.

He was last seen in action when he competed at the WWE Crown Jewel event last November in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia at the King Saud University Stadium that aired on the WWE Network. 

Kane and The Undertaker lost to Triple H and Shawn Michaels in a tag team match at the Crown Jewel show. Since then, he has put his focus on his political career. 

Kane made an appearance on WWE Hall of Famer “Stone Cold” Steve Austin’s WWE Network show, “Steve Austin: The Broken Skull Sessions” earlier this month. 

• Kane Reflects On Vince McMahon Pitching The Isaac Yankem Gimmick

WWE legend Kane recently released the book “Mayor Kane: My Life in Wrestling and Politics” last month. He took part in an interview with SI.com to promote the book and discussed his relationship with Daniel Bryan.

“Bryan and I are on such opposite ends of the political spectrum,” said Kane. “But we respect each other as human beings and value each other’s opinions, so we had conversations and learned from each other. I learned a lot from Bryan, even if we didn’t always agree.”

Bryan and Kane famously formed the tag-team “Team Hell No.” The pair were involved in several memorable segments.

“Working with Bryan was probably the most fun I had in my entire wrestling career,” Kane continued. “That was because I was working with Daniel Bryan. I can’t say enough about the guy and his talent. Kane was a very dark, serious character, but Daniel Bryan changed all that. That was such a refreshing change for me.”

Kane also spoke about what fans can expect from his book.

“It’s all about my life, so there is a significant amount of wrestling in the book that will make WWE fans happy,” he said. “It was really fun to write, especially the stories of wrestling and traveling, and there is some really good stuff from my career.”

The full interview with Kane can be read here.

WWE Legend Kane has a new autobiography titled Mayor Kane: My Life in Wrestling and Politics. In an interview with Sporting News, Kane discussed his new book and explained how he is currently semi-retired from WWE. 

Reflecting on his long career with the promotion, Kane referred to his time working with Daniel Bryan as a part of Team Hell No as the most fun he’s had in wrestling.

“That’s what I would attribute my longevity to, frankly, is the ability to reinvent myself,” he said. “And I think that’s true for anyone who has a long career. They never stay the same character, quite the same character, the whole way through. Speaking about Daniel Bryan, specifically, that was a blast and some of the most fun I had in my entire career because it was an absolute departure from the character that I played earlier.”

He continued, “If you asked people in 1998 and again in 2004 would Kane be comic relief on the show, they would have looked at you like you were crazy. All of that was amazing. I hope that I was able to show people that I wasn’t just somebody who had a mask and didn’t talk all the time. There was some depth and I could do some different things and was hopefully a more well-rounded performer than people probably initially thought that I would be.”

Kane’s long-time on-screen brother, The Undertaker, provided one of the forewords to his autography. He explained how ‘Taker has always been an advocate for him, noting how their first match took place in Smoky Mountain Wrestling in 1995. With their characters so interlinked on-screen, Kane spoke openly about how he would never have had the career he has enjoyed without The Undertaker. 

The Mayor of Knox County, Tennessee and WWE Superstar Kane recently did an interview with Brian Fritz of Sporting News to promote his new book. 

In the interview, he talked about whether he’s retired from WWE and an in-ring performer. His last appearance on WWE programming came back on September 16, 2019 edition of RAW. 

“I think, with WWE, I don’t know if you ever really retire from it all the way, especially folks that are lucky enough to get in the position that I’m in,” said Jacobs. “You can always do stuff and they can find creative ways to use you. That’s one of the things I really look forward to. When people ask me if I’m looking forward to getting back in the ring, I’m like, ‘eh, I don’t know what I’d be doing, but I’m sure at some point I’ll do something.'”

Kane On People’s Perception Of Vince McMahon

It turns out that The Undertaker wrote the forward for his new book with Kentucky Senator Rand Paul writing the other.

This is where Kane talked about the respect that he has for The Undertaker, which he noted that Taker has always been a big advocate of his and then recalled their first match was in Smoky Mountain Wrestling back in 1995. He stated that so much of his career would be intertwined with Taker as storyline brothers and everything they have done together.

“I have an immense amount of personal respect for him. I would have never been able to do, in my career, what I was so fortunate to do if it hadn’t been for The Undertaker.”

Kane’s new book, Mayor Kane: My Life in Wrestling and Politics is now available. 

The WWE debut of Kane during the Badd Blood PPV is one of the most iconic moments of not only the Attitude Era but the history of WWE as well.

The latest WWE Untold episode dubbed That’s Gotta Be Kane! focuses on the Big Red Monster and in the episode of the Network exclusive series, Kane talks about his career in the company in detail.

The company recently published a sneak peek of the episode on their YouTube channel and in the video; the former World Champion recalled how nervous he was during his first appearance as the brother of Undertaker:

“I was really nervous. Because this was my big break and also this is The Undertaker and Shawn Michaels and I didn’t want to mess it up. That was the first time, when I walked through the curtain, was the first time I had ever heard Kane’s music. “

Glenn Jacobs, the man behind the persona had tested a number of gimmicks in his early years of WWE which include private dentist Isaac Yankem and fake Diesel.

He finally made his debut as Kane during the first-ever Hell In a Cell match between Undertaker and Shawn Michaels at Badd Blood: In Your House PPV in October 1997.

Jacobs cost Undertaker the match after delivering a Tombstone Piledriver to the Phenom and since then, Kane has gone on to have a successful career in WWE. He has won over a dozen championships in the promotion and is considered a legend among wrestling fans.

Glenn “Kane” Jacobs and Tom Prichard are opening a wrestling school in Knoxville, TN. Jacobs won’t be involved in the day-to-day operations of the school but is an investor. He spoke at a recent open house for the Academy as well.

The Jacobs-Prichard Wrestling Academy plans to hold their first class on January 7th.

“Glenn is totally focused on his duties as County Mayor, and he wants everyone to know that,” reads a Facebook post for the Academy. “He (has) chosen a top-notch team for the day-in-day-out activities of the school, and he will be there only during windows of time that aren’t dedicated to his job as mayor.”

Jacobs Prichard Wrestling Academy

“This whole thing really started because Tom was traveling around the country training people and thought, ‘Why not just do it here?'” Jacobs said at a recent open house for the Academy. “It’s like going to Harvard. Where would you rather go? If you are going to learn something, you want to learn from the best.”

Jacobs also spoke to the students about what students can expect from the Academy.

“No one can guarantee you’re going to be successful, but we want you to be successful,” Jacobs said. “It doesn’t do us any good if we run a bunch of guys through. We want people who are serious and are going to put in the work to be successful.”

Hulk Hogan’s reinstatement to the WWE Hall Of Fame has been one of the biggest topics on social media today.

Even Brooke Hogan took the time to announce her stance on the situation.

https://twitter.com/MizzHogan/status/1018606509637304320

More on Hogan’s reinstatement here.

The Big Limping Machine

It was reported earlier today the Glen Jacobs (Kane) was seen wearing a boot on his left leg as he entered for Extreme Rules today. The attack on today’s PPV was to write in his injury and explain why Kane will be limping in the Team Hell No storyline.

As of last Tuesday, it seems Kane was fine as he showed no sign of injury when working Smackdown.

Stay Tuned To SESCOOPS For More On Kane’s Status.

What started as a catch-phrase has turned into an officially celebrated holiday. Rusev Day has been officially declared in Knoxville, TN.

With his first-ever WWE Championship match upcoming this Sunday at Extreme Rules, the declaration couldn’t have come at a better time. Not surprisingly, it was a town with a connection to wrestling which announced the holiday.

Glen Jacobs posted the following to Twitter:

Great time tonight at @PowellAuction! Thanks to everyone who attended and helped out! And thanks to @timburchett for declaring it #RusevDay in Knox County! pic.twitter.com/rfgH9QpZp4

— Glenn Jacobs (@GlennJacobsTN) July 13, 2018

Rusev Day

Rusev spoke with ESPN earlier this year about how “Rusev Day” has taken off.

“I had no idea this was going to happen,” Rusev said to ESPN. “This was supposed to be a one-time ‘Rusev Day’ thing. I never thought in a million years it was going to be what it is today. It was something we planned to do, but just for one day. But it just caught on fire ever since then. Nobody expected that.”

While he might not have expected, Rusev says this has been the greatest part of his career.

“I’ve just been enjoying it,” Rusev said. “I’ve been booed out of the building for the past four years. So finally the people now appreciate me. But I’m just having fun, I’m just doing me. Every bad guy or good guy, we all enjoy the crowd reaction, so I’m just going with it.”

Rusev says he is even enjoying this period of his WWE run more than when he was undefeated and rode a tank to the ring at WrestleMania.

“By far it’s the most fun I’ve had in my career,” Rusev said. “I mean, I loved WrestleMania 31 with the tank — that was amazing, of course. But now I’m showing everybody that you don’t have to be stuck being a foreigner bad guy. Being a foreigner bad guy doesn’t have to be my destiny, and I can be much more than that.”

Somehow, the mild-mannered mayoral candidate from Knox County, Glenn Jacobs, has booked both Kane and the Undertaker to appear at his fundraising event on March 1st, 2018.

The event page states this is the first time both Kane and the Undertaker have appeared together for a non-wrestling event. Tickets sold out in just hours.

Tickets are now on sale. Get them while you can!https://t.co/GJuvzPJ8g5

— Glenn Jacobs (@GlennJacobsTN) February 15, 2018

Jacobs for Mayor Presents Kane & The Undertaker

Tickets for the event range from $50 dollars $150. Those who purchased tickets at $60 and above are also able to attend a live recording of the “Talk is Jericho” podcast with host, Chris Jericho.

From the Eventbrite page:

“Glenn Jacobs for Knox County Mayor is proud to welcome WWE Superstars Kane & The Undertaker. These men have served as the corner stones of WWE for over two decades. Both were highly decorated champions as individuals and were also members of the most prolific tag team in WWE history, the Brothers of Destruction.

This event marks the first time that the two have ever appeared together outside of the ring and we want you to be a part of this special occasion.”

– WWE Hall Of Famers Arn Anderson, Ricky Morton, and Dr. Tom Prichard will be making an appearance for WWE Superstar Kane (real name Glen Jacobs) on September 21st at 6pm from Chilhowee Park in Knoxville, Tennessee, as Kane continues his campaign for office of Knox County Mayor.

– WWE Superstar Nikki Bella took to YouTube to introduce her Dancing With The Stars (DWTS) partner, Artem Chigvintsev. The video was taken as the pair travel to Los Angeles for the show’s September 18th premiere:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ske2cTtLdiM&feature=youtu.be

Al Snow appeared on the The Two Man Power Trip of Wrestling podcast for an almost-2 hour discussion about his career and the direction of the professional wresting industry. Al spoke to John and Chad about how he was wrestling’s best kept secret for nearly 15 years and how his unique character, undeniable in ring work and desire to conquer the wrestling business in nearly every big name company propelled him to be possibly the most respected trainer in modern day pro wrestling.

Here are the highlights:

Is the now non traditional means of getting into the wrestling business making  people more focussed on being famous rather then becoming a star in professional wrestling: 

“To one part of that, certainly. It takes away the mystique of it all. It takes away that being enamored with of wanting to be it, because no longer is it this great, grand thing that only select people get to do or be apart of. I really feel and this is purely conjecture and opinion but I think it really is our society now supports my opinion and that is that maybe seven or eight out of ten people whether it be wrestling or anything anymore are more concerned about being famous for being famous sake or being a celebrity then they are about having a true passion for doing the things they do.

I’m not saying that there aren’t people out there that still have a passion for doing it but the real true motivating factor for a large number of people is that they get to be a celebrity and a prime example of this as far as wrestling is concerned is and you talk to anybody and rightfully so, they all want to be in WWE and who wouldn’t because it’s the biggest platform to sell your product, which is you. But the problem is some of these people don’t look at this as a platform to sell your product they look at it as a partnership with WWE and a business relationship. They look at it as an opportunity now to be recognized on the street and for people to come up and ask for autographs and there be all end all is in professional wrestling is to be a WWE Superstar and for a lot of these people they feel like that once they are removed from WWE their careers are now suddenly over and they no longer can exist as a wrestler when that’s not the case.

You now have the opportunity to go out in the world and take advantage of the platform that WWE gives which is such an immense amazing platform and then reinvent yourself and maybe be brought back again in a completely different manner and get a completely different run to WWE one more time. ”

How he originally got noticed by the WWF in the early 1990s: 

“At the time I had been working for probably thirteen years and they weren’t there yet but were just becoming Independents because back in that day you just worked the territories and then when the territories started going away there were outlaw groups. They weren’t aligned with the National Wrestling Alliance or any one particular territory.

One of the last hold outs at the time in 95 and the early part of the 90s was ECW of course and WCW was still in existence and then Smoky Mountain with Jim Cornette. I had known Cornette for quite a few years and he never really seemed to take notice of me because I didn’t have a character or definable personality per-say but that’s the one thing you have to figure out for yourself. I was working with Dan Severn and I had broken him into professional wrestling. He wanted to do UFC, which back then was truly it’s own style of mixed martial arts. We went to Oklahoma City for UFC 4 and I trained and worked with Dan to prepare him for that and I was in his corner. He had won two fights and was being interviewed and I could tell that the interviewer was trying to have Dan put over Royce Gracie as the star of the UFC and they were trying to lead him on into saying something and I just snapped and after another stupid question I said what do you think he was going to do? He is going to have sex in the locker room and they cut us off real quick and got us out of there.

Cornette was watching the pay per view and thought it was awesome and at the time I was working for ECW for Paul Heyman and he brought me into Smoky Mountain to be this smart-alecky chicken heel and unfortunately Eddie Gilbert had been in that spot and had passed away. Cornette had brought me into be Unibomb’s (Glen Jacobs/Kane) partner and I was supposed to be the mouth and pick the fights and Kane would be the muscle and Jim Ross was doing the announcing there and Jim recommended me and suggested me to WWF.”

Why his enormously successful run in ECW ended after being on loan by the WWF and not beating Shane Douglas at Wrestlepalooza 98:

“Paul loved to do the opposite and alternate thing and I think because Paul was in communication with the WWE a lot. I was really happy in ECW and I was prepared to send a letter to ask for my full release (from WWE) because you had to do it 90 days in advance. I was prepared to stay in ECW. But Paul E. never really invested anything in me, other then he gave me the TV time and he took what I did and I never really beat anyone or I didn’t get what you would call a “wrestling push”. I didn’t beat Sabu, I didn’t beat Rob Van Dam, I didn’t beat Tommy Dreamer on my way up to Shane Douglas.

I worked with all the underneath guys, which was fine. But I had gotten over to the point where Paul E and ECW would have to capitalize on it. His great plan according to him was that everybody knows you are going to win. It’s not going to change that fact that I am going to still get myself over and that sounds kind of arrogant to say but it’s the truth so it didn’t matter to me if I won or lost because the one thing that is fake about wrestling is the won or loss doesn’t matter if it still gets you over. I didn’t think it was the right thing to do business wise personally because I thought that people would not be happy about it and I felt that business wise it would have been better to let me win it.”

Outside opinions on ECW’s use of Al Snow and who suggested he rejoin WWF in 98: 

“To prove  that point I had spoken to Terry Taylor when I first went to TNA and he said “I’ve got to tell you that was the biggest mistake I had ever seen because I so expected you to win and felt you should have. The minute you didn’t that was it, I was done. I didn’t care about ECW anymore.” That’s an unsolicited opinion.

So at that same time I had just resigned with WWE and the reason I had was because Vince Russo had contacted me about sending tapes on what I had been doing into the office. I was reluctant to do it and to go back. It wasn’t about the money for me, I just enjoyed doing what I was doing. But then I saw a brand new opening to the (ECW) show that they had just redone it and I wasn’t featured anywhere in the opening. Which told me I wasn’t one of the acts that Paul E. had plans for. That made my mind up and I was going to send my stuff into Vince.”

Jim Ross recently updated the official blog section of his website to share his thoughts on Monday’s RAW and some other topics. Below are some highlights:

On Kane’s RAW performance: “Thought the irate and angry Kane persona was a plus. Not sure, other than Undertaker, that any WWE talent has ever had a more distinguished career than Glen Jacobs aka Kane. His character and integrity are beyond reproach and he should be what every talent in NXT strives to emulate. He is exactly the kind of person WWE needs to always utilize in a variety of ways as he is rock solid in every area and is an invaluable mentor to the young wrestlers.”

On Seth Rollins and the banned “Curb Stomp” rumors: “I don’t know if WWE has or has not banned the use of Seth Rollins’ Curb Stomp finisher but many fans are seemingly up in arms about its absence. I say the safety of the athlete is always the first priority of any responsible company and if the move is more likely to concuss people than others then it needs to be eliminated. It’s that simple. Not sure why so many fans have taken to my Twitter @JRsBBQ to bitch about it but, at the same time, everyone has the right to an opinion. It’s too bad that so many people within the business have bastardized the DDT, among other moves, or it would still be a great finisher instead of another overused, uncreative high spot that everyone kicks out of on a regular basis. Those type of issues where finishing maneuvers have become impotent ‘spots’ is the fault of undisciplined bookers within the world of wrestling and lazy talents who have not mastered the art orf wrestling.”

On Daniel Bryan’s health: “Hopeful that Daniel Bryan is going to be OK soon but he has to change some of the things that he does whether he wants to or not and not be a prisoner to his on reputation as being one of the best wrestlers in the world. He could eliminate many things from his repertoire and still be one of the best talents in the business. His health is much more important than diving head butts, drop kicks where he strikes the back of his head on the canvas, etc. His most important job in life isn’t being a wrestler but a son, husband and perhaps some day a father. Without great health, those lots in life are more challenging and they’re not easy for a healthy person.”

Check out the complete blog at JRsBarBQ.com. You can also order JR’s Bar-B-Q products online at WWEShop.com.

• Update On CM Punk’s UFC Opponent & WWE’s Plans For Ronda Rousey!

WWE storylines can be a short term or long term plan by management to push certain superstars or to do the complete opposite. Professional wrestling has had many hot storylines over the years – Hulk Hogan versus Andre the Giant, the New World Order taking over WCW, Stone Cold Steve Austin versus Mr. McMahon, Shane McMahon buys WCW and the list goes on.

The NWO, Austin versus McMahon and even Shane buying WCW, which led to the Invasion storyline, all lasted a long time. Multiple years were given to these hot storylines. Eras in the professional wrestling have been the length of some of these plots in WWE or WCW.

However, there have been times when WWE had a hot storyline going and then….BAM! It’s over. WWE fans wanted more and the company for whatever reason changed direction. This is one of the the most criticized aspects of WWE that fans complain about. The company was building a young star to the top or had a very compelling and interesting storyline happening, when the whole angle is just dropped. Sometimes it has to do with wrestlers being fired or suspended, but other times there aren’t any explanation for the change.

Here are ten hot storylines that quickly died and were killed by WWE management.

9. Nexus

WWE.com

Nexus was a group of rookie superstars from the very first season of NXT. At this point in time, which was 2010, NXT was supposed to be a reality television show where wrestlers competed against one another for a contract in WWE. In reality though, all the superstars were signed to WWE in some capacity. In any event, Wade Barrett (now Bad News Barrett) won the first season and at first was the only member to be on WWE programming.

However, Barrett would recruit the other members of NXT season one and form the Nexus faction. The group immediately caused havoc attacking everyone from John Cena to Justin Roberts. It seemed as if no one was capable of beating Nexus. Their fights always seemed to be a handicap match involving all members of the Nexus helping each other out.

Nexus’ big run in WWE began in June and then two months later, it was SummerSlam time. Nexus faced a team of WWE Superstars including John Cena, Chris Jericho, Edge, Bret Hart, R-Truth, John Morrison and former Nexus member Daniel Bryan. This was the perfect opportunity for WWE to put Nexus over their top stars. However, Cena wanted things to happen differently.

Edge joined Chris Jericho on his podcast in December of 2013 and they discussed the situation.

Chris Jericho: “It was Team WWE vs. Team Nexus, and the finish boiled down to [Edge] and [Jericho] in there, but it was Cena against a couple of them. John wanted to do things a certain way and we told him ‘you’re wrong’. He did it anyways, and it sucked. And then after he came over to us and said ‘I should have listened to you, but I wasn’t seeing it that way.'”

Edge: “I remember. I was like, fine I’m out of the match by that point.”

Chris Jericho: “He wanted to get DDT’d on the floor by Barrett, then kick out and beat them both. And you and I were like, that’s the dumbest thing. That’s just throwing it away for no reason.”

Edge: “They should have gone over because they were so hot.”

Chris Jericho: “We were fighting for Barrett to go over. And where’s Wade Barrett now?”

Jericho and Edge were probably right. After SummerSlam, Nexus was never the same. They would gradually lose members and gain new ones until CM Punk was the leader and began his Summer of Punk storyline in 2011.

Jim Cornette appeared on the Inside The Ropes radio show this week and spoke about working with Kane in 1997/98, here are the highlights:

On Jim working on helping establish the Kane character:

“Glen Jacobs, Kane, was a special talent. I knew he had a great upside and potential when Dutch Mantell called me one time in Knoxville in 1995 and said “I’ve got this kid, he looks great, he’s huge, he looks wonderful, he’s sick of being in Puerto Rico and wants to come back to the states, his name’s Glen Jacobs and I think he’s got a great upside” So we made him Unabomb back in Smoky Mountain Wrestling. The Unabomber was hot back in those days. So we booked him, I did, against The Undertaker, for his first time, down in Knoxville at the Superbowl of Champions in August of 95 and Undertaker came in and wrestled him and that was my idea. Here’s a huge guy who can draw big money on pay per view against The Undertaker. That was my sole purpose for pushing Glen Jacobs. So Undertaker went back to Vince and told him “this kid’s gonna be great” so of course he went through his bad gimmicks that Vince wanted to give people and just right as they were about to fire him they said “hey you know we’ve got this idea, Undertaker’s evil brother” And I ran with that because Glen deserved it and was a great talent. They gave me the opportunity, for a while, to get a guy over, unmolested. Russo didn’t see anything in him, so he wasn’t gonna fuck with it. We gave Kane the opportunity and Russo truthfully wanted…. the match in October 1997, Kane interfered in the Hell in a Cell with Undertaker and Shawn Michaels, that was my finish, that was my match, my idea. We were leading to the WrestleMania the next March. So then Russo says “how about we have him chokeslam Undertaker through a table next week on RAW?” and I said “No you fucking idiot, they can’t wrestle each other for six months, lets not blow it straight away, lets build it and have some patience” So for once, possibly the only time, I got my way, we were able to build it to WrestleMania, it was a great match and it established Kane and he has been one of the millionaires club, making seven figures a year since then, based on the fact he’s a tremendous talent, he had the look, the ability and the passion to sometimes overcome bad creative and make himself a star. I like the fact I had some part in establishing him but the rest of it’s been up to him.”

On the origins of the character of Kane:

“The thing that put Kane over the top is that he didn’t just appeal to the wrestling fan, he appealed to a mass audience because my original vision was….my favourite horror movie was Halloween, Michael Myers and that was my original vision for Kane when I was told that Kane would be the Undertaker’s evil brother who’s existed all this time. I thought what if he was like Michael Myers, the main character in Halloween, what if he was like the embodiment of evil. That’s the flavour that not just wrestling fans but everyone watching the show, they got. This guy is the embodiment of evil, he’s somewhat inhuman,he doesn’t feel pain, he doesn’t feel remorse. That was the thing that kicked Kane off and then later on we did the dipsy doodles with him but first and foremost it was that this is Michael Myers from Halloween come to life and everyone can identify with a spooky mother fucker that doesn’t feel pain and just seeks to destroy people. That was what I gave to him and everything else he’s done, there’s been some good creative, some bad creative but he’s a great fucking guy, he’s a great talent and he’s made the most of what he’s had to work with. But originally, it was that this guy is the star of Halloween, he’s a monster, he’s spooky and nobody knows quite how he got these powers. That was something that could appeal to everybody.”

To hear the full interview, check out other shows, upcoming guests and their VIP service, head over to http://www.insidetheropes.co.uk.

Speaking to Times of India, Glenn Jacobs says he’s not at all like his sadistic Kane character in real life.

“Kane is everything I’m not,” he said. “But also, I think that what has always drawn people to Kane is that he has an emotional depth. The presentation is awesome, he’s a great character. All the things he says, people always see that there’s something behind that and that’s what they relate to. I’m pretty much the opposite. I’m not Kane for sure.”

Jacobs, who portrayed a character similar to Kane in the 2006 slasher film See No Evil, feels his involvement with wrestling taught him how to act.

He said, “I don’t know if wrestling naturally progresses to acting. It depends on the individual. You have Dwayne (Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson) who’s probably doing the best of everybody, but it’s hard to say if it’s a natural thing that happens after wrestling. Of course, acting is what we do as part of the entertainment. In fact, we are more like a live action soap opera. I wore a mask for most of my career, but that helped me with certain skills that people have otherwise. One time someone asked Robert De Niro what acting meant to him and he held his hand in front of his face and said ‘this is me when I’m angry’, ‘this is me when I’m sad’ and so forth. All that time, his face didn’t change but you could see something did change that expressed those emotions and you could tell what he was trying to say…”

In his twenty-first year as a professional wrestler, Jacobs feels he has been able to withstand its rigors by keeping himself in shape.

“What we do is athletic, basically. There were the days when the guys were huge and bulky and with bellies, but now we have to be in good shape,” he said. “We have to have pretty good endurance. I’ve been pretty fortunate as far injuries are concerned. I’ve had minor injuries… Torn a bicep, broken a hand… It’s the worst for some people who get the nagging injuries, but I’ve taken good care of myself.”

Jacobs also discusses his promotional trip of India, whether he would be interested in appearing in a Bollywood film, the hardest part of being a wrestler and more. The full interview is available here.

SEScoops Mailbag for January 28th

(submit YOUR questions to sescoops@gmail.com)

Q: A lot of people say that due to WWE’s PPV policy, fewer people buy their shows. But they don’t suggest the popularity of live streamings [as a reason why]. Don’t you think this factor is being overlooked? – Anonymous

A: I’m not sure what you mean by WWE’s PPV policy. Are you referring to the policy of requiring fans to, you know, BUY their pay-per-views? I think I understand the point you’re trying to make and while it’s a concern to them, by no means do I attribute the drop in PPV business to live internet streams. They account for a low percentage of views, relative to the actual number of people who typically buy these shows. If a typical WWE PPV (not named WrestleMania) would do 400,000 domestic buys a few years ago and is now pulling in 200,000, there’s a much bigger issue here than live streams. Remember, these streams existed when they were still doing good PPV business several years ago, so I don’t buy that as an excuse.

Q: When did the first ever Steel Cage match take place?. The WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2011 game says it was in the 1930’s, but I don’t believe it. – Anonymous

A: Well, believe it. The earliest records of anything resembling a cage match date back to July 2nd, 1937 and a match between Jack Bloomfield and Count Petro Rossi in Atlanta, GA where the ring was surrounded by chicken wire. Bloomfield won that match.

Q: I was wondering what ever happened to Maven? He just popped in my head today I don’t know why, but I don’t remember what happened to him. Did he get released? Where is he now? – Brian Collins

A: Maven Huffman, who won the first season of WWF Tough Enough on MTV, was released by the company in July 2005. I always thought he had great potential, but he was rushed on TV way too fast for someone with little experience, which is why WWE is only accepting people with wrestling backgrounds for their latest incarnation of Tough Enough. Maven currently works for the Home Shopping Network as a wellness expert on their morning show, HSN Today.

Q: Vince McMahon has two of the best play-by-play announcers in the world working for WWE, that being JR and Joey Styles. Why in the world are they not using them? Also why do they not focus on calling the matches these days? It’s so annoying having to listen to Matthews and Cole argue. – Anonymous

A: Blame Vince. He produces the announcers and shouts instructions in their ear during the shows. He wants them to be “storytellers” and not wrestling announcers. I’m not as willing as you are to call Joey Styles one of the best PBP guys in the world, but JR would certainly do wonders for their product if they put him back on TV. I’d say even if it was just for pay-per-views, but ideally you would want Ross back on Raw so that he could help sell you on buying those shows in the first place, something he is much better at than Michael Cole. Part of that is a credibility issue, but part of it is also that when you listen to JR, he just sounds so much more emotionally invested in the product. You can’t fake that.

Q: You mentioned in the Jan. 21st edition of “The Mailbag” that Bryan Daniels and The Miz have a history. I have never heard about this. Can you give me a little background as they are two of my favorite performers? Thanks. – Nick Ivey

A: Bryan Daniels doesn’t have a history with Miz as far as I know, but Daniel Bryan does. Miz was his pro during the first season of NXT and the two of them did not get along. In fact, they would often come to blows. When Bryan reached the main roster, he even had a few matches with Miz where he made the current WWE champion tap out to the LeBell Lock.

Q: What would’ve been the plans for Shawn Michaels (and maybe even DX for that matter) had he not suffered his career-threatening back injury in 1998? Would he have continued to feud with “Stone Cold” Steve Austin after WrestleMania XIV? – Jesse

A: There’s no way of knowing for sure because I don’t think they ever had plans mapped out that far for him, especially once they knew Shawn would need time off for his back. I would think it’s a near certainty that he and Austin would have at least had one more PPV match after Mania, likely with some sort of stipulation. The other way they could have gone was have Triple H dump him from DX the next night on Raw and turn Shawn babyface again to have him feud with the new group, maybe even aligning himself with Austin.

Q: My brother swears that when Kane was first introduced into WWE, someone else played the character and, if so, was it Abyss? Please set him straight. – Joe Rampage

A: You sure your brother wasn’t doing bricks of cocaine with Charlie Sheen the other night? No, the character has always been played by Glen Jacobs. There was one time when Undertaker was revealed as wearing the Kane outfit on Raw and then, years later, they did the fake Kane angle with Drew Hankinson playing the role (aka Festus and Luke Gallows).

Q: I was watching the UFC “Fight for the Troops” special and kept noticing that the fighters rarely if ever take their opponents legs when they have their guy grounded and they’re kicking up at them. Would any pro wrestling submisson holds like the Boston Crab or Texas Cloverleaf work realistically or am I just living in a fantasy world? – Andrew

A: Stick to an arm bar (one of Chris Jericho’s famed 1004 holds) or sleeper hold. Any sort of leglock like a Sharpshooter or Boston Crab is pointless because it requires cooperation from your opponent, and because it would very easy for them to simply reach back and grab your leg in order to cause an imbalance and break the hold.

Q: What’s REALLY HOOD MY G! Anyways, yo, I understand dat ‘Nature Boy’ Ric Flair is a ‘RECOGNIZED’ 16x World Champ, however, Bob Backlund ISN’T ‘RECOGNIZED’ as a 3x WWF Champ, Harley Race ISN’T ‘RECOGNIZED’ as a 8x NWA World Champ, so ‘UN-OFFICIALLY’ how many World Heavyweight titles has Ric Flair won?! I count 17-19 (I use PWI’s mags & almanacs for my info). What says you?! – Slic Ric

A: Flair recognizes himself as a 21-time World champion, so that’s good enough for me. Belieeeee-dat!

Q: I was looking at the Title History page on WWE.com and was wondering, would it be better if instead of wrestlers winning titles numerous times if they would just stay champion for longer periods of time? For instance, instead of the Hulkster winning the WWF Championship five times, he was just champion for 5 years before losing it to someone else. Do you think the fans would be OK with this if it was the case today, even if it means that most likely Cena would still be our champion since 2005? – Brock Benningfield

A: Wait, Cena HASN’T been reigning as champ since 2005? It sure feels like he has. With Cena, they actually did give him a very long title reign (by modern day standards) back in 2007 and I think it brought some prestige back to the belt, so I would concur that longer reigns are more effective than the quantity of those reigns in getting titles over. Given the use of your Hogan example, it’s funny to note that he did have a four-year reign as WWF champion (1984-1988) and yet he still went on to win the title four more times. God bless the Hulkster.

Q: Has WWE lost faith in Drew McIntyre already? It feels as though he has been downgraded to the lower card, or are they just trying to get Trent Barretta over? – Trust Sakupwanya

A: They are not trying to get Barretta over. There have been times where WWE had big plans for Drew, but they’ve always been hesitant to pull the trigger. A former WWE writer who recently posted a blog that was quickly taken down noted that Drew was originally slated to win the Smackdown “Money in the Bank” match in July, but when they realized that there were too many heels already winning on the show, they decided to go with a babyface in Kane instead (funny since they immediately turned him heel). At another point, Drew was to be revealed as the person who buried The Undertaker alive. I think it’s a combination of bad luck and a bad rep backstage for having a chip on his shoulder. It doesn’t help that his wife (former diva Tiffany) also has a big mouth, which may work out great for him between the sheets, but not so much when she’s spouting off on Twitter and radio shows bashing the company her husband works for.

Q: Does WWE have control over the closed captioning for their programming? Whenever Michael Cole starts to speak, it comes up as Jim [Ross] or JR. – Ryan B.

A: I’m not sure if WWE provides the closed captioning folks with a list of character names, but regardless, they do not have control over it. At least, I’d like to think they don’t as I’ve seen some rather sexually-suggestive and downright hilarious captions in recent years that are more entertaining than the shows themselves. As an experiment, I urge everyone to watch an episode of Raw with the captions on. It may not be the same for everybody, but when Randy Orton makes his entrance, if the caption for the start of his theme music should read “I ate poison, now I’m dead”, then you’ll know it works. I’ve also seen it as “I have oysters in my bed” and “I have boys in my shed”, which is downright disturbing.

Keep those questions coming to sescoops@gmail.com and remember to include your name!