Kane Releases a Political Ad, and It’s Weird to Watch (Video)

Glenn “Kane” Jacobs has officially released a political advertisement in his bid to become Mayor of Knox County, Tennessee.

Watching professional wrestlers perform outside the ring is nothing new. Hulk Hogan famously starred as “Thunderlips” in Rocky III. Roddy Piper kicked ass and chewed bubblegum in the sci-fi classic, They Live. And of course, John Cena began his road towards Hollywood by starring in the 2006 film, The Marine. But something to keep in mind is that professional wrestlers are, above all, performers, and acting in film and television is simply another form of that same art.

This brings us to Glenn Jacobs (AKA Kane), who himself is no stranger to the silver screen having starred in the horror films See No Evil 1 and 2. Earlier this week, Jacobs announced that he would be trading in his boots and tights for a suit and tie by announcing his intention to run for Mayor of Knox County, Tennessee in 2018. While I applaud Jacobs for entering an entirely different area of entertainment, watching his totally serious (and pyro-free) political campaign ad is still extremely weird:

No matter what he’s saying, I still see and hear Kane. Well, Corporate Kane anyway. It seems that even outside the WWE, Jacobs wants to remind people that his former television character had a storyline that revolved around fire and brimstone. You undoubtedly noticed the cartoon flame placed prominently in the center of his name as well as the ham-fisted campaign slogan of “lighting the way for our future”. Very clever, Glenn. I highly doubt that he will make any reference to his former fictional “brother” being an undead mortician with supernatural powers. Instead, Jacobs reaffirmed his love for his community:

"“This is a great place to work, live, and raise a family. I want to do my part to make sure it remains a great place and that our future is as bright as ever.”"

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Name recognition alone may be able to put Jacobs into office since so many Generation X, Y, and Millennial voters are familiar with his work in WWE. You’ll notice that I made no mention of his specific policies because they truly don’t matter to me. The good people of Knox County will have to decide whether Kane’s libertarian brand of politics appeals to them or if they simply can’t forgive him for the Katie Vick incident. Choose wisely, Knox County voters.