The hulking mayor of a little city in Tennessee has been a great deal of things in his life – an athlete, an entertainer, a movie star, a video game demonstrate winner and a fireball-taking pictures hellspawn looking to burn up his brother alive.

Glenn Jacobs, 55, is the mayor of Knox County, Tennessee. In 2018, the previous WWE champion adopted in the footsteps of Jesse Ventura and became the 2nd WWE star to occupy a community business in the U.S. The WWE superstar, acknowledged by his ring name "Kane," won the race for mayor in Tennessee’s 3rd-greatest county. Jacobs handily defeated Democrat Linda Haney, with most of the votes counted in Knox County on Thursday, in accordance to unofficial returns.

"I always joke that due to the fact of my character, you know – most politicians are seeking to convince individuals that the politician is the person they see on Tv. I was seeking to influence individuals I was not the human being they saw on Tv," Jacobs instructed WHD News Digital in an unique job interview.

Jacob's character, Kane, debuted as a crimson, masked and mute demon who was 50 %-brothers with fan-beloved celebrity The Undertaker. Kane shocked the wrestling environment with unprecedented pyrotechnics, a elaborate backstory and a darkish edge not seen in decades. The pair of on-camera siblings became just one of the wrestling world's most renowned and decorated tag teams – the Brothers of Destruction.

Kane, having two top stars down through the WWE Uncooked celebration at Rose Backyard arena in Portland, Oregon, Feb. 27, 2012. (Chris Ryan/Corbis by using Getty Photographs)

"As I bought more mature, I received more intrigued in politics – I've normally taken a relaxed interest in politics, considering that I was in significant college. I wasn't in college student authorities or anything at all like that. But I generally watched the news and was usually [interested] in those matters," Jacobs claimed of his young yrs.

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As he got older, Jacobs suggests he began asking himself issues like, "Why have I been blessed with a amazing life?" and "How is that attainable?"

"It's due to the fact of the alternatives that we get below in The united states, which emerge from what our country was primarily based on, which is person liberty and free of charge marketplaces," Jacobs instructed WHD News Digital. "And that just genuinely resonated with me."

Encouraged to go after politics by libertarian figures like former presidential prospect Ron Paul and some others, Jacobs has in the earlier been described as a libertarian. Nevertheless, the mayor has turn into additional closely associated with the mainstream thread of the Republican Celebration pursuing the victory of former President Donald Trump.

Jacobs states that it's not his politics that have modified, but the GOP's system.

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"I believe what is actually occurred is there is certainly been a significantly much better libertarian wing of the Republican Bash appear to the forefront. I was a large supporter of Ron Paul when he ran for president in 2008, 2012," Jacobs explained to WHD News. "I imagine it seriously begun there."

He continued, "We see people like Rand Paul now – Thomas Massie, Mike Lee, Ted Cruz – I may well not automatically agree with them all on every thing, but even so, the main concept is the same."

Despite his libertarian background, he breaks with the team on some social sights – notably his pro-life position on abortion. Jacobs is also a agency believer in the worth of church buildings and neighborhood communities for uniting underserved spots.

"You really have to have an understanding of the significance of social institutions like the relatives and like the church," Jacobs suggests. "And, you know, if you will not have these, authorities ends up changing them. And which is kind of what we've viewed occurring. So I do feel that it is critical that we have robust social establishments – the family, the church."

When asked about the irony of his horrifying persona and his determination to faith and smaller city values, Jacobs jokes, "That is why you wouldn't want Kane to be the dictator – you never want anybody to be."

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"These are our community communities," he reported. "Which is really what culture is based on. So I feel that from time to time libertarians discounted that."

Jacobs was born on a U.S. Air Drive base in Madrid, Spain. Following increasing up in Missouri, he went to university on a basketball scholarship just before creating the sudden leap to soccer. The huge athlete had desires of the NFL, but a bum knee retained him from hoping to make the draft. A everyday fan of wrestling, Jacobs considered it would be an appealing sport to consider – he ended up producing the WWE Corridor of Fame in 2021.

Even as his on-monitor persona, Jacobs has demonstrated an intelligence that bucks the stereotypes of the significant, jarhead wrestler. Kane gained the WWE edition of the match demonstrate "The Weakest Website link," securing $82,000 for St. Jude's Kid's Medical center in Memphis, Tennessee.

Mayor Glenn Jacobs and Shermichael Singleton converse onstage all through Politicon 2019 at New music City Middle on Oct. 27, 2019, in Nashville, Tennessee.  (Jason Kempin/Getty Images for Politicon)

Jacobs speaks bluntly about the successes and stumbles of Knox County. The opioid epidemic has still left a deep scar in the area's youth, and homelessness spiked thanks to the rampant habit. The mayor says he attempts to be as upfront with his constituents as achievable, on both of those the great and the poor.

Conversely, Jacobs touts the rise of tourism in his spot, as well as an inflow of financial investment and out-of-point out transplants. He attributes this considerable uptick to the state's disregard for federal COVID-19 mandates, indicating, "We did not go almost as much as other spots did. The governor had a 'safer-at-home' buy for a week or two, and then I feel he lifted it, but I you should not imagine any one paid out focus to it anyway. To his credit score, that was the [only] detail he did that I did not concur with."

"Most of the people that I deal with right here are excellent people today. I will not always agree with them, but they you should not have any nefarious intentions powering what they do. But I do imagine that when you get – in particular to the federal stage – there are some persons who are very energy hungry and will say or do just about anything to remain in electricity."

Jacobs intends to stay as far away from the "electric power hungry" federal amount as feasible, declaring he has no fascination in a run for Congress or the Senate.

"I am jogging for re-election suitable now, and that is what I'm truly concentrating on. I have no desire at all in heading to Washington, D.C," he said. "Regrettably, I believe the federal federal government is very broken."

MC Punk and Combat Kane for the duration of the WWE Smackdown at Plaza Vicente Fernandez on Feb. 14, 2010, in Guadalajara, Mexico. (Gerardo Zavala/Jam Media/LatinContent by using Getty Visuals)

Jacobs suggests beneficial improve and growth for rural communities requires to start at dwelling, and area politics will demonstrate to be infinitely much more applicable to citizens' day to working day life than the lawmakers of D.C.

Asked if he sees a cultural divide expanding among the remaining and suitable, Jacobs thinks there are fundamentally excellent people today on all sides of politics, but the loudest and most intense are dominating the discourse.

"There is a tradition war going on," Jacobs claimed. "I imagine most persons basically don't care what other individuals do. They're just exhausted of having it shoved in their encounter. They are weary of having preached at, screamed at, identified as racist, homophobes, bigots, and every thing else just due to the fact they may well not concur with some points."

He ongoing, "I consider what is actually transpired is the woke people today have truly overplayed their hand. And you know, the rest of the region – who possibly tends to make up the extensive majority of individuals – are actually tired of becoming denigrated just for expressing their opinions."

Glenn Jacobs attends the 2011 WWE Corridor Of Fame Induction Ceremony at the Philips Arena on April 3, 2011, in Atlanta. (Moses Robinson/Getty Illustrations or photos)

Now, in 2022, Jacobs is operating for re-election. He introduced his decision early previous 12 months with a statement boasting his accomplishments by the pandemic and financial uncertainty.

"Four decades in the past, I pledged to keep real to my conservative values as mayor. No one could have envisioned a pandemic and the financial shutdown that adopted, but I’m very pleased Knox County has been capable to climate the storm without having a tax increase," Jacobs explained to local stores. 

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"By tightening our belt and generating smart cuts, we well balanced our spending budget though continuing to make forward-wondering investments in our community. If re-elected, the public can assume 4 more decades of leadership with conservative values prime of head," he added.

WHD News' Steve Credo and Benjamin Brown contributed to this report.