'Only in America could this happen'
A Lego portrait shows Jacobs with long hair, a scowl and a mask. A replica of that mask casts a shadow nearby, and gold championship belts showcase the grandeur within a world he once dominated. But the most fitting item is a smaller piece, a blue Tennessee license plate with two words in all caps: “MAYOR KANE.”
The nickname showcases the two lives Jacobs has lived as a professional wrestler and as the mayor of Knox County.
For more than two decades, Jacobs was one of the most beloved figures in World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). Having been inducted into its Hall of Fame in 2021, he moved from the wrestling ring to the political arena, becoming the Knox County mayor in 2018 before being reelected in 2022.
Nearing his final two months in office, Jacobs shared how these roles have shaped his view of America — and why he feels privileged to have lived on very different ends of a public-facing spectrum.
“I’m probably one of the more unique elected officials in the country in that aspect, but the greatest blessing from WWE was realizing the impact it had on people,” he said. “I didn’t fully understand that until I retired, but it’s a big deal. It’s cool I can use a platform to reach people in different ways. On the political side, I think I can bring people into the world of politics that otherwise wouldn’t be because they know me from wrestling.”
From the field to the ring
Growing up, Jacobs held the same dream as every other child: he wanted to be a professional athlete.
Unlike most children, he almost had that chance. But a knee injury in practice ended Jacobs’ standout collegiate career at Truman State University, thus putting a stop to any professional football dreams. So Jacobs pivoted to wrestling on the independent circuit in 1992, then joined the World Wrestling Federation (now WWE) in 1995. He played various characters until 1997, when he was repackaged as masked wrestler Kane, the younger brother of the Undertaker.
“Initially, WWE had the idea of calling the character Inferno, which I thought was kind of cartoonish,” Jacobs said. “Bruce Prichard, an executive with WWE, he loved the name Kane. And you have the Biblical reference of Cain and Abel, so Kane was just a lot cooler. We pitched that to WWE, and they loved it.”
Jacobs toured with WWE across the nation, taking one overarching conclusion from his travels.
“People are good,” he said. "I got to travel around the country, wrestling in all 50 states. Obviously, we have our differences, but I feel that we concentrate so much on those that we forget how alike we all are.”
Pursuing politics
As he grew older, Jacobs wanted to give his own children and grandchildren a chance to accomplish their own dreams.
In 2014, he began a more active role in local politics, having settled in East Tennessee with his wife in the 1990s. In 2017, he launched his campaign for mayor of Knox County, winning the Republican primary before claiming office the next year.
“This is just such a great place, especially East Tennessee,” Jacobs said. “I think one reason is because we have good local government; and in the mayor’s role, you have tremendous influence over the direction your community takes. So those really appealed to me.”
As he took office and learned about his new role, Jacobs soon realized there was a lot more than meets the eye.
“The things we do are very diverse,” he said. “This is a massive organization with a billion-dollar budget and 3,000 employees. Until you get in office, you don’t realize how much there is. Even after almost eight years, stuff comes up that I’m still learning.”
For the sheer volume of items crossing his desk, as well as the things he wanted to accomplish in office, Jacobs used the same skills he developed on the football field and in the ring.
“The most important skill anyone can nurture is their interpersonal relationship skills,” he said. “It sounds weird because, in WWE, we’re fighting in front of the camera. But behind the scenes, we’re all trying to put on the best show possible, which can only happen if we’re all working toward a common goal.
“And leaders aren’t just like the boss, either,” he added. “People choose who to follow. In wrestling, eventually I was someone people would come talk to. So being in a successful business, I’ve tried to apply that in the mayor’s role.”
In the process, Jacobs accomplished a few key items: not raising property taxes, bringing the Greenheck Group to Knoxville for a manufacturing and economic boost, and the wrapping up of Operation Hero’s Hill — which will create up to 20 tiny homes for homeless veterans across Knox County.
“Overall, the goal of any mayor is that you left it better than you found it,” he said. “Knox County is a great place, and hopefully, we’ve been able to make the best of it better.”
Going forward, Jacobs noted he and his team will not be starting any new projects, as he does not want to commit the next mayor to something he was not able to finish.
“Just want to turn everything over in the best shape we can and have a good starting point for the next one,” he said. “From there, it’s helping whoever the next mayor is to acclimate and transition into this role. I would tell them to have a great team around them because as mayor, you can only do so much. So the credit goes to them. But I have met people in this job that I never would have met otherwise, and I’ll keep those relationships the rest of my life.”
What’s next?
As the rest of that life starts, it will mark yet another new phase for a man who has seen quite a bit in his 59 years.
But given how wide his net has been cast in the first five decades, Jacobs’ life could be summarized in Brooks and Dunn’s 2001 hit, “Only in America.”
“Only in this country could someone like me have the opportunities I’ve had,” he said. “At its core, that’s what our country is all about — pursuing the life you want and having the freedom to do that.”
