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Mayor Kane: My Life in Wrestling and Liberty
The surprising story of how wrestling superstar Glenn "Kane" Jacobs beat all the odds to become the mayor of Knox County, Tennessee.
Even in his heyday in wrestling, Jacobs was inspired to pursue politics by popular libertarian figures such as former Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul, Republican Senator Rand Paul, Fox News' Judge Andrew Napolitano and others, and that led him to fulfill his own political ambitions.
Before becoming Mayor Kane, Glenn "Kane" Jacobs was one of WWE's top Superstars for over two decades and traveled the globe with the likes of "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, John Cena, Ric Flair, and many others. He dominated the WWE with The Undertaker as the "Brothers of Destruction." Kane reinvented himself with the help of Daniel Bryan forming "Team Hell No." He set "Good ol' JR," Jim Ross on fire.
The wrestler-turned-politician hasn't hung up his wrestling boots yet. Politics is a contact sport and Jacobs is using his wrestling skills in that arena. Jacobs supports President Trump and his agenda, and is implementing conservative policies in Tennessee.
Even in his heyday in wrestling, Jacobs was inspired to pursue politics by popular libertarian figures such as former Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul, Republican Senator Rand Paul, Fox News' Judge Andrew Napolitano and others, and that led him to fulfill his own political ambitions.
Before becoming Mayor Kane, Glenn "Kane" Jacobs was one of WWE's top Superstars for over two decades and traveled the globe with the likes of "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, John Cena, Ric Flair, and many others. He dominated the WWE with The Undertaker as the "Brothers of Destruction." Kane reinvented himself with the help of Daniel Bryan forming "Team Hell No." He set "Good ol' JR," Jim Ross on fire.
The wrestler-turned-politician hasn't hung up his wrestling boots yet. Politics is a contact sport and Jacobs is using his wrestling skills in that arena. Jacobs supports President Trump and his agenda, and is implementing conservative policies in Tennessee.
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Published November 26, 2019
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November 22, 2019
Mayor Kane: My Life in Wrestling and Politics is the story of professional wrestler turned mayor of Knox County, Glenn Jacobs.
The book begins the way most biographies do, the early years. Jacobs discusses growing up the youngest of three children and his struggle to fit in socially among his peers given his size and introverted nature. It isn't until he found his athletic abilities that he would begin to feel comfortable in his own skin. His sheer size and explosiveness would lead him to a roll as an offensive lineman in college football, but an untimely knee injury would all but end his hopes of a career in the NFL.
After catching an episode of Prime Time Wrestling, Jacobs and a friend decide to give pro wrestling a try. Training under Missouri wrestler T.C. Rocan, Jacobs would quickly pick up the skill set and make his debut under the name Angus King, billed from Glasgow, Scotland. Not content with the training schedule under Rocan, Jacobs began asking around for formal classes. Eventually, he got in touch with Jerry Jarrett, the promoter for USWA. Rather than getting the training he wanted, Jacobs would bounce between characters like a masked Russian and the Christmas Creature, and he wasn't exactly getting a steady schedule. He decided that if he wanted to make it in wrestling, he would need real, legit training. So he made the decision to head to a school operated by Boris Malenko.
Jacobs would eventually land in the World Wrestling Federation where he would go through a few character changes before settling on playing the role of The Undertaker’s younger brother, Kane. Jacobs goes through the creation, debut and the first two years of his career as Kane in considerable depth. Unfortunately, that’s about where things begin to take a bit of a turn. Jumping around a bit in the timeline before focusing on 2003 (no mention of the dreaded Katie Vick storyline) and the decision to take off his mask, Jacobs lightly touches on his feud with Rob Van Dam and Shane McMahon but it feels glossed over and very much like a “cole’s notes” version of what was going on at the time.
This was about where the book begins to feel like a fluff piece. There’s really nothing of substance here beyond the early 2000s when it comes to his in-ring career. Sure, he does speak about Team Hell No and his stint as Corporate Kane, but it’s in a manner where he just writes about what happened on television without any real insight other than being very complimentary about those he worked with at the time. There’s essentially nothing here from 2004 through to 2012 - nothing about the decision to put the mask back on in 2011, his second world championship run or several of the poor creative decisions made with his character during the bulk of his career.
Given the title of the book, Jacobs also discusses his run for Mayor of Knox County, a race he would ultimately win. He speaks at length about his libertarian views as well as the current political climate and his overall distaste for socialist policies. This is when the book feels like something else entirely. I’m certain this has its audience, but I found it jarring considering his tangents into his political opinions earlier in the book would relate to different points in his career so it felt less like soapboxing. This feels like a manifesto when he uses political phrases like “upsetting the establishment”, “the elites in Washington” and “fighting wars in places we cannot pronounce”.
Honestly, I came away from this book having learned very little outside of a few funny anecdotes involving travel horror stories and Jacobs’ time before joining up with the World Wrestling Federation. In an era where there are more wrestling books than ever, I struggle to see how this one would stand out amongst the rest.
The book begins the way most biographies do, the early years. Jacobs discusses growing up the youngest of three children and his struggle to fit in socially among his peers given his size and introverted nature. It isn't until he found his athletic abilities that he would begin to feel comfortable in his own skin. His sheer size and explosiveness would lead him to a roll as an offensive lineman in college football, but an untimely knee injury would all but end his hopes of a career in the NFL.
After catching an episode of Prime Time Wrestling, Jacobs and a friend decide to give pro wrestling a try. Training under Missouri wrestler T.C. Rocan, Jacobs would quickly pick up the skill set and make his debut under the name Angus King, billed from Glasgow, Scotland. Not content with the training schedule under Rocan, Jacobs began asking around for formal classes. Eventually, he got in touch with Jerry Jarrett, the promoter for USWA. Rather than getting the training he wanted, Jacobs would bounce between characters like a masked Russian and the Christmas Creature, and he wasn't exactly getting a steady schedule. He decided that if he wanted to make it in wrestling, he would need real, legit training. So he made the decision to head to a school operated by Boris Malenko.
Jacobs would eventually land in the World Wrestling Federation where he would go through a few character changes before settling on playing the role of The Undertaker’s younger brother, Kane. Jacobs goes through the creation, debut and the first two years of his career as Kane in considerable depth. Unfortunately, that’s about where things begin to take a bit of a turn. Jumping around a bit in the timeline before focusing on 2003 (no mention of the dreaded Katie Vick storyline) and the decision to take off his mask, Jacobs lightly touches on his feud with Rob Van Dam and Shane McMahon but it feels glossed over and very much like a “cole’s notes” version of what was going on at the time.
This was about where the book begins to feel like a fluff piece. There’s really nothing of substance here beyond the early 2000s when it comes to his in-ring career. Sure, he does speak about Team Hell No and his stint as Corporate Kane, but it’s in a manner where he just writes about what happened on television without any real insight other than being very complimentary about those he worked with at the time. There’s essentially nothing here from 2004 through to 2012 - nothing about the decision to put the mask back on in 2011, his second world championship run or several of the poor creative decisions made with his character during the bulk of his career.
Given the title of the book, Jacobs also discusses his run for Mayor of Knox County, a race he would ultimately win. He speaks at length about his libertarian views as well as the current political climate and his overall distaste for socialist policies. This is when the book feels like something else entirely. I’m certain this has its audience, but I found it jarring considering his tangents into his political opinions earlier in the book would relate to different points in his career so it felt less like soapboxing. This feels like a manifesto when he uses political phrases like “upsetting the establishment”, “the elites in Washington” and “fighting wars in places we cannot pronounce”.
Honestly, I came away from this book having learned very little outside of a few funny anecdotes involving travel horror stories and Jacobs’ time before joining up with the World Wrestling Federation. In an era where there are more wrestling books than ever, I struggle to see how this one would stand out amongst the rest.
October 22, 2022
So, yeah. I read this on a dare. Sort of.
My dear friend Bryan and I have a habit of giving each other birthday "gag" gifts. He once gave me a giant toy Yankees truck, and I gave him some wacky stuffed animal. (Let's call that one foreshadowing to his Dr. Dolittle existence these days.) Bryan is the biggest wrestling fan I know, a guy who actually worked for WWE for a time. He saw that I read Rowdy: The Roddy Piper Story and noted that, well...wrestling bios aren't known for their literary quality. Never heard of this guy, don't know anything about wrestling that happened after 1985. Although I do love the movie "They Live." That said, the guy who's done so much for me, been such a kind and understanding friend, said to me, "I'd like to know what you think."
What am I supposed to do? Say no?
So, I took it with me on a ride to Yankee Stadium. Some woman smirked at me, and I said, "I'm just reading it for a friend." She nodded and pruned her lips, as if to say, "Sure you are, Rand Paul." I took off the jacket and left it in my office after that. Problem solved.
Anyway, here's my favorite aspect: it seems like Jacobs wrote it entirely himself. No "as told to by." In fact, it seems almost unedited. Short paragraphs, simple language, written in short bites. Liberal (bad choice of words, perhaps) use of exclamation points. Excuse me, I meant, "Exclamation points!" That gave it a personal and genuine quality. Messy in spots, but untouched by publishers, told in a down-to-earth language we can all understand. Doesn't talk down to the readers. There was something endearing about that. The early parts were also filled with gratitude. He was thankful to so many people in the wrestling world, and had no bad words to say about anyone. OK.
Of course, I don't follow wrestling, so the deep dive into the development of the Kane character didn't interest me. It's kind of like reading David Cone's book if you only have a passing interest in baseball: the detail is fascinating to the hardcore fan, mundane to everyone else. It's a trip down Memory Lane for all those great matches...that I'd have never watched. Also, the last sixty pages are so are a good impression of one of those irritating Rush Limbaugh books. You could drive a truck through each of the holes in the political logic. But it's not at heart a political book, I suppose, so I just ignored it all.
All in all, I think I'll take a break from wrestling books for a while. Anybody wanna borrow it? Bryan? Eh?
My dear friend Bryan and I have a habit of giving each other birthday "gag" gifts. He once gave me a giant toy Yankees truck, and I gave him some wacky stuffed animal. (Let's call that one foreshadowing to his Dr. Dolittle existence these days.) Bryan is the biggest wrestling fan I know, a guy who actually worked for WWE for a time. He saw that I read Rowdy: The Roddy Piper Story and noted that, well...wrestling bios aren't known for their literary quality. Never heard of this guy, don't know anything about wrestling that happened after 1985. Although I do love the movie "They Live." That said, the guy who's done so much for me, been such a kind and understanding friend, said to me, "I'd like to know what you think."
What am I supposed to do? Say no?
So, I took it with me on a ride to Yankee Stadium. Some woman smirked at me, and I said, "I'm just reading it for a friend." She nodded and pruned her lips, as if to say, "Sure you are, Rand Paul." I took off the jacket and left it in my office after that. Problem solved.
Anyway, here's my favorite aspect: it seems like Jacobs wrote it entirely himself. No "as told to by." In fact, it seems almost unedited. Short paragraphs, simple language, written in short bites. Liberal (bad choice of words, perhaps) use of exclamation points. Excuse me, I meant, "Exclamation points!" That gave it a personal and genuine quality. Messy in spots, but untouched by publishers, told in a down-to-earth language we can all understand. Doesn't talk down to the readers. There was something endearing about that. The early parts were also filled with gratitude. He was thankful to so many people in the wrestling world, and had no bad words to say about anyone. OK.
Of course, I don't follow wrestling, so the deep dive into the development of the Kane character didn't interest me. It's kind of like reading David Cone's book if you only have a passing interest in baseball: the detail is fascinating to the hardcore fan, mundane to everyone else. It's a trip down Memory Lane for all those great matches...that I'd have never watched. Also, the last sixty pages are so are a good impression of one of those irritating Rush Limbaugh books. You could drive a truck through each of the holes in the political logic. But it's not at heart a political book, I suppose, so I just ignored it all.
All in all, I think I'll take a break from wrestling books for a while. Anybody wanna borrow it? Bryan? Eh?
December 3, 2019
Legitimately one of the worst books I've ever read. As a wrestling book, you could create a more informative text by just copying and pasting Attitude era TV recaps together. Kane throws in a random detail here and there, like that his friend's car broke down on the way to Badd Blood 1997, but most of it is just telling you things you already knew. He also goes out of his way to defend WWE at every turn, even making the claim that he should have had a better attitude about the Isaac Yankem character. (No mention of No Mercy 2002 by the way.)
As a political pamphlet, (which, whether you bought it for this reason or not, about a fourth of the book is), it remains equally surface level. Get ready for lots of talk of how bad things are due to big government or socialism, and innovative things are because of the free market. Did you know that if the government did a lot about the environment it would be an autocracy?
I have no idea why this book was written. I have no idea why I read it to the end. I have no idea why I'm writing this. I have been a Kane fan for years, and this could have been so much better. I know this won't be the first time Kane has gotten one star in his career, and that if he ever reads this he won't care. But if he's so concerned about government waste, he should start by removing this book from shelves.
As a political pamphlet, (which, whether you bought it for this reason or not, about a fourth of the book is), it remains equally surface level. Get ready for lots of talk of how bad things are due to big government or socialism, and innovative things are because of the free market. Did you know that if the government did a lot about the environment it would be an autocracy?
I have no idea why this book was written. I have no idea why I read it to the end. I have no idea why I'm writing this. I have been a Kane fan for years, and this could have been so much better. I know this won't be the first time Kane has gotten one star in his career, and that if he ever reads this he won't care. But if he's so concerned about government waste, he should start by removing this book from shelves.
July 29, 2020
As a kid I loved watching WWE and I loved watching Kane on T.V. Reading this book it great to see what goes on behind the scenes. From a wrestler to being the Mayor of Tennessee. It’s a good book that I would highly recommend.
January 29, 2022
Glenn Jacobs (AKA WWE's Kane) is an interesting figure, to say the least. The story of The Big Red Machine becoming the mayor of Knox County Tennessee is without a doubt fascinating. And the autobiography is interesting because of this dynamic. In fact it read as two different books. Book One being about his career as a WWE wrestler and Book Two being about his political career. So I'll be writing my thoughts as if reviewing the two separate books.
As a long-time wrestling and a (long-time Kane) fan, I enjoyed Jacobs' discussion of his early years growing up (did you know he was almost a pro football player for the Chicago Bears?), and his time growing into a professional wrestling career. He went into a lot of detail about his early years and his WWE career as Dr. Isaac Yankem (gross) and Fake Diesel (as if Isaac Yankem wasn't bad enough) before finally landing the character he has made famous. He also gives a lot of detail about his first four or five years with the Kane character. This was excellent, aside from the cheesy "if you work hard and believe in yourself, you can accomplish anything" (I believe in hard work and chasing dreams, but this felt like a rehash of the same speech parents and school teachers have been giving for CENTURIES).
However, Jacobs ignores a large portion of his career and begins discussing things that happened in the 2010's. And even that is sparse coverage of a few events. It was interesting but left something to be desired. In addition to that, it is obvious that Jacobs is towing a company line. It's known in wrestling communities that there is a WWE narrative to wrestling history, and Jacobs sticks closely to it. It's understandable given his current employment in the company but made for a disappointing read.
When it comes to politics, I agreed in principle with Jacobs' politics. I also believe in small government and hold to conservative values. And his discussion of the reasoning behind his view was agreeable. However, here he towed a line as well. He praised Trump for upsetting the "political class" and the current "political system" which was good but seemingly ignored the shortcomings in the Trump administration. It's worth noting that this book was written prior to the 2020 election, so the events of Jan. 6, 2021 had not yet occurred.
However, his entire tone was one of an individual who simply wanted to help his community and one who was thankful for the life he has lived. And one can hardly be faulted for that.
Overall, I didn't think it was written well, but I still enjoyed it because of how much I have loved Glenn Jacobs over the years. It was worth the read, but probably won't be revisited.
As a long-time wrestling and a (long-time Kane) fan, I enjoyed Jacobs' discussion of his early years growing up (did you know he was almost a pro football player for the Chicago Bears?), and his time growing into a professional wrestling career. He went into a lot of detail about his early years and his WWE career as Dr. Isaac Yankem (gross) and Fake Diesel (as if Isaac Yankem wasn't bad enough) before finally landing the character he has made famous. He also gives a lot of detail about his first four or five years with the Kane character. This was excellent, aside from the cheesy "if you work hard and believe in yourself, you can accomplish anything" (I believe in hard work and chasing dreams, but this felt like a rehash of the same speech parents and school teachers have been giving for CENTURIES).
However, Jacobs ignores a large portion of his career and begins discussing things that happened in the 2010's. And even that is sparse coverage of a few events. It was interesting but left something to be desired. In addition to that, it is obvious that Jacobs is towing a company line. It's known in wrestling communities that there is a WWE narrative to wrestling history, and Jacobs sticks closely to it. It's understandable given his current employment in the company but made for a disappointing read.
When it comes to politics, I agreed in principle with Jacobs' politics. I also believe in small government and hold to conservative values. And his discussion of the reasoning behind his view was agreeable. However, here he towed a line as well. He praised Trump for upsetting the "political class" and the current "political system" which was good but seemingly ignored the shortcomings in the Trump administration. It's worth noting that this book was written prior to the 2020 election, so the events of Jan. 6, 2021 had not yet occurred.
However, his entire tone was one of an individual who simply wanted to help his community and one who was thankful for the life he has lived. And one can hardly be faulted for that.
Overall, I didn't think it was written well, but I still enjoyed it because of how much I have loved Glenn Jacobs over the years. It was worth the read, but probably won't be revisited.
May 19, 2023
If you expected this to be a typical wrestler autobiography chock full of road stories and behind the scenes details on a 20+ year career, prepare to be disappointed - Mayor Kane is part memoir, part political portfolio. It has more in common with one of Trump's books than it would a wrestler's autobiography, and Glenn has a terribly hard time with structuring this. About 60% of the book covers his early life and career in the barest details imaginable (for real, his Wikipedia page is more detailed) and every so often he'll try to find how some thing in the wrestling industry compares to libertarianism. It feels like a real grasping of straws a lot of time. Everything in Mayor Kane feels forced and there's nothing to gush over. Instead of describing the backstage stories you wouldn't find online, he just recaps events in his career that most readers are already fully aware of picking up the book. He even acknowledges that almost everybody who got the book is pretty familiar with Kane and isn't picking it up to support a local politician. The last 50 or so pages feel like a lecture you're forced to sit through. He doesn't try to change your mind on political ideals, but he'll waste a lot of time trying to explain why you're wrong to think a certain way. His writing style isn't captivating enough to keep you interested, either. Mayor Kane is both a slog to get through and feels too bare at the same time. Unfortunate that the Demon phones it in for a lame autobiography attempt.
June 30, 2020
Mayor Kane is a fine book, if not exceptional in any way. As he is a politician, as well as a genuinely nice guy, there is not anything very controversial or shocking in here. It is a pretty standard account of his life and highlights of his long career in wrestling. Towards the end, Jacobs gets more into his political beliefs, which is where the book becomes more interesting. While it is not at the level of wrestler biographies like the ones written by Bret Hart or Mick Foley, it is definitely something I would recommend to Kane fans, or wrestling fans in general.
June 22, 2020
Mayor Kane: A PG Advert for new political following for the WWE
May 9, 2024
The wrestling character Kane is one of my favorites. Glenn Jacobs, who plays him, seems pretty dull after reading this. The section about his wrestling career is quite interesting but doesn't go very deeply into whatever he might have been feeling during it. He seems like he was definitely conscious of ticking anyone off and made attempts to avoid it. Probably at the cost of the narrative. It then gets VERY boring when he starts in about politics. But, I knew it was in there so I can't say it was unexpected. The rah-rah Ameican Dream stuff is just annoying. Anyone can be anything if they just work hard enough! And it helps if you hit 6 feet 5 inches in junior high!
May 22, 2023
The best pro wrestling book I've read. Glen Jacobs comes across as a really good guy. Appreciative of his opportunity, humble, and very intelligent are characteristics that allow Glen to take the reader on a journey of his life. Hard work and dedication fostered his success. Kane serves as mayor of Knox County TN, and his account of his election and service to Knox County is fascinating. A true treasure for the wrestling fan or political junkie.
March 23, 2020
I feel bad for anybody that payed more than 3 dollars for this. I don't get why he thought that it was a great idea to rehash everything that everyone saw on television already.
February 25, 2020
Look. I'm a simple man. I see wrestling, I'm interested. That said this book was big OOF. Just know that if you pick this up, you're getting a literal 50/50 split on politics and wrestling. Not politics IN wrestling, by the way. Just know that, because of that, this review will mention politics. No stances will be made ON politics, just on how it is presented and represented in the book.
It's written like it was made by and for a very young audience which can't possibly be the case since the last couple chapters are dedicated to Glenn trying to explain his politics (soooo many exclamation marks)... unless the goal is to indoctrinate the youths? I'm kidding. I say trying because nothing says I'm so full of sh**, don't actually believe, or actively misunderstand my own stances quite like "I'm a libertarian, not republican. So, I joined the GOP and ran as a republican". And that would be the case regardless of which party he had used. Also, Glenn's explanations for certain viewpoints are either absurdly misrepresented or he is actively misleading or maybe, just maybe, he doesn't actually understand it. I don't know him personally, so I can't tell you for sure. All of this is based on his book.
That said the wrestling parts were really enjoyable, getting behind the scenes looks and discussions about various parts of his career in the wrestling business. I'm a mark for some good wrestling, storytelling, and wrestling history, and Glenn Jacobs provides that here. It's not too in-depth, but it's still pretty cool.
- Matthew
It's written like it was made by and for a very young audience which can't possibly be the case since the last couple chapters are dedicated to Glenn trying to explain his politics (soooo many exclamation marks)... unless the goal is to indoctrinate the youths? I'm kidding. I say trying because nothing says I'm so full of sh**, don't actually believe, or actively misunderstand my own stances quite like "I'm a libertarian, not republican. So, I joined the GOP and ran as a republican". And that would be the case regardless of which party he had used. Also, Glenn's explanations for certain viewpoints are either absurdly misrepresented or he is actively misleading or maybe, just maybe, he doesn't actually understand it. I don't know him personally, so I can't tell you for sure. All of this is based on his book.
That said the wrestling parts were really enjoyable, getting behind the scenes looks and discussions about various parts of his career in the wrestling business. I'm a mark for some good wrestling, storytelling, and wrestling history, and Glenn Jacobs provides that here. It's not too in-depth, but it's still pretty cool.
- Matthew
February 13, 2020
Mostly Memoir. Part Treatise. Some Genuflecting. The biggest thing to know about this book is that it is mostly memoir of Glenn Jacobs' life *pre* becoming Mayor of Knox County, TN. Indeed, the longest chapters and the most chapters overall deal specifically with his 20+ years working for Vincent Kennedy McMahon in World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment. Which is where at least part of the genuflecting comes in - his praise of Vince... well, Kane has been known to employ less smoke than Jacobs blows when speaking of McMahon. (And don't get me wrong, I'm one of the fans that generally thinks McMahon has truly been one of the smarter men in sports entertainment over the last 30+ years, largely for the reasons Jacobs elaborates on quite a bit.)
The next largest part of the book is Jacobs' mostly general political philosophy with a few specifics. Here, Jacobs actually makes a very strong case for libertarianism and those that find themselves agreeing with his thoughts here should look into a newly announced (at the time of writing this review) Presidential candidate John Monds, the first Libertarian ever to earn more than 1 million votes. However, this is also where more of the genuflecting comes in, as Jacobs devotes a fair amount of time to praising the current occupant of the White House. If you like that person, you'll like what he says here. If you don't, know that this is a small section of the book overall, but coming near the end leaves a bit of a bitter taste in the mind of that type of reader.
Ultimately primarily sports entertainment memoir, this is one of the better written ones I've come across, and I've read several from over half a dozen of Jacobs' contemporaries and even a few legends. Very much recommended.
The next largest part of the book is Jacobs' mostly general political philosophy with a few specifics. Here, Jacobs actually makes a very strong case for libertarianism and those that find themselves agreeing with his thoughts here should look into a newly announced (at the time of writing this review) Presidential candidate John Monds, the first Libertarian ever to earn more than 1 million votes. However, this is also where more of the genuflecting comes in, as Jacobs devotes a fair amount of time to praising the current occupant of the White House. If you like that person, you'll like what he says here. If you don't, know that this is a small section of the book overall, but coming near the end leaves a bit of a bitter taste in the mind of that type of reader.
Ultimately primarily sports entertainment memoir, this is one of the better written ones I've come across, and I've read several from over half a dozen of Jacobs' contemporaries and even a few legends. Very much recommended.
January 27, 2020
3.75 stars, rounded up to 4.
Worthy of your time simply because of the staggeringly surreal nature of the story: One of the most popular WWE stars gets elected as the mayor of Knox County. As a Knoxvillian, I felt that checking this out was mandatory.
Jacobs writes swiftly, deftly balancing the details of his trek to stardom, keeping the pace of his ascension engaging, readable for non-wrestling fans; I should note that his WWE career takes up 3/4 of the book--I mean, come on, he's basically just started his political career, so there's not much to report right now and obviously most readers here are salivating at his recollections of some of his most memorable Kane moments.
Speaking of those, I'm happy to report that those tales are great to read about. Jacobs doesn't skimp for a second on issuing gratitude, and freely brings the reader along for a ride on what it's like for a wrestler behind-the-scenes.
Probably the top thing I was interested in when beginning this work was what my current county mayor thought about the current political climate; if you're completely adverse to hearing about his thoughts on libertarianism, the free market, and a little more than that, then you might wanna either steer clear or just hunt and peck through the pages for the wrestling anecdotes. While, as a reader who doesn't subscribe to a political party, I find his thoughts provoking, I wonder if his professional relationship (via the WWE) with our current president and Trump's "outsider" mentality (which inspired Jacobs to run for office) has clouded the author's view of the man, as the dealings in divisiveness/espousing hate, schoolyard-bully name-calling, and continual criminal activity (to begin) are evident no matter what news channel spins the coverage. I applaud Jacobs, nonetheless, for refraining from diving in to the blame-game and trying to envision what he himself might do to help out, should he have the chance on a global scale. I would very much like to know what Mr. Jacob's thoughts are on LGBTQ+ rights, as libertarian thought would allow for full equality, which stands in stark contrast with many his fellow GOP party members.
He's just a guy doing his best to leave the country better than he found it, and he's written an incredibly interesting account of how he's done it so far.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Center Street for the advance read.
Worthy of your time simply because of the staggeringly surreal nature of the story: One of the most popular WWE stars gets elected as the mayor of Knox County. As a Knoxvillian, I felt that checking this out was mandatory.
Jacobs writes swiftly, deftly balancing the details of his trek to stardom, keeping the pace of his ascension engaging, readable for non-wrestling fans; I should note that his WWE career takes up 3/4 of the book--I mean, come on, he's basically just started his political career, so there's not much to report right now and obviously most readers here are salivating at his recollections of some of his most memorable Kane moments.
Speaking of those, I'm happy to report that those tales are great to read about. Jacobs doesn't skimp for a second on issuing gratitude, and freely brings the reader along for a ride on what it's like for a wrestler behind-the-scenes.
Probably the top thing I was interested in when beginning this work was what my current county mayor thought about the current political climate; if you're completely adverse to hearing about his thoughts on libertarianism, the free market, and a little more than that, then you might wanna either steer clear or just hunt and peck through the pages for the wrestling anecdotes. While, as a reader who doesn't subscribe to a political party, I find his thoughts provoking, I wonder if his professional relationship (via the WWE) with our current president and Trump's "outsider" mentality (which inspired Jacobs to run for office) has clouded the author's view of the man, as the dealings in divisiveness/espousing hate, schoolyard-bully name-calling, and continual criminal activity (to begin) are evident no matter what news channel spins the coverage. I applaud Jacobs, nonetheless, for refraining from diving in to the blame-game and trying to envision what he himself might do to help out, should he have the chance on a global scale. I would very much like to know what Mr. Jacob's thoughts are on LGBTQ+ rights, as libertarian thought would allow for full equality, which stands in stark contrast with many his fellow GOP party members.
He's just a guy doing his best to leave the country better than he found it, and he's written an incredibly interesting account of how he's done it so far.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Center Street for the advance read.
January 28, 2020
Glenn Jacobs aka Kane is one of the more interesting wrestlers to emerge from the WWE over the last 30 years. From failed gimmicks to a successful entry into the political arena, Jacobs marks several boxes for an interesting journey. This book covers the totality of his life, but I still wanted more. Several stories were glossed over or quite vanilla, omitting much description in favor of playing it safe and certainly minimizing any backlash Jacobs might face in his current vocation. Fans of the Attitude era of WWE will find some value in this book, as will anyone curious about the journey from portraying a character like Kane to holding an elected office.
I received an ARC of this book via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
I received an ARC of this book via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
January 3, 2020
Kind of a disappointment. I was so looking forward to this book as Kane was my favorite wrestler growing up. There wasn't any nuance to his wrestling stories; just a retelling of the events. He is actually more impassioned when talking about his political beliefs. It is legitimately wonderful that he has such strong opinions and wants to spread his beliefs but let's be honest: no one is buying this book to get a civics lesson in libertarianism.
January 8, 2020
Loved reading about my favorite all time wrestler, but felt he was a little restricted in telling his stories. I enjoyed that he got a platform to discuss issues important to him in life and politics, and would be interested to continue hearing his perspective. I would hope Glenn will get the opportunity in future years to talk more about his experience and mayor and share more stories from his storied career.
December 7, 2019
Not the worst wrestling bio I’ve ever read, but no where near the best either.
If you are a wwe/Kane fan than its worth it, but I expected a little more.
If you are a wwe/Kane fan than its worth it, but I expected a little more.
November 6, 2020
Kane is one of my top 5 favorite wrestling characters of all time. He was big, intimidating just by standing in the ring, but still agile, strong, and when the Brothers of Destruction got together, oh how beautiful the chaos was!! They say the badder the bad guy, the better the good guy (or something similar) and Kane burned hell fire during the era of Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Rock. In fact, there is valid argument that they, and the Attitude Era, would not have been as successful without the likes of Kane and the Undertaker. Reading this biography of the man behind the mask, how the character came to be, how the world of WWE worked for him (I'm discovering that each wrestler has different experiences with how the WWE works, despite most of them working together at the same time, which is odd and interesting). And the stories are fascinating, particularly hearing about the travel routines and the things that happen to the wrestlers outside of the ring, when not performing.
But, there are parts of the book that you can tell where written separately, and then put together to make up the book, as the author repeats himself on several points often. An editor (particularly for a book this short), should have edited some of them out. Another slight detractor (I say slight, because it was still entertaining), is how often the other tells us "this is my favorite time as Kane" with small changes (like, 'Kane as singles wrestler' and 'Kane as tag team champ' and 'Corporate Kane'), but the phrase was used so often, it's redundant of saying he loved being Kane, as almost EVERY story was his favorite of being Kane. Which is good, we want the good stuff...but, (again, particularly in a book this short), it would've been nice to counter with a few more of tough or difficult times as Kane. We also get a small glimpse of his family, which is nice, and I understand they are more reserved, private people, but a better idea of his family life or how he spends his limited off time would have been nice. And my final critique, you can skip the last couple chapters that are actually about him being mayor. While that part I was most intrigued with, there is just a lot of repetition about his love of the free market and Austrian economics. I mean...a lot. I think I counted 18 times he mentioned the free market (and how it's the answer to everything) in a 4 page span.
At the time of the writing, he's obviously mayor, but I'm not sure if he is still currently mayor or if he's getting ready to retire, or move on to another adventure. Either way, I do get the sense that the biggest, baddest monster in the mask the WWE ever had was portrayed by quite possibly one of the nicest people ever. And, even though he is over 50, it's still quite possible he can make another appearance in the WWE. There is a strong 'never say never' quality he has, and it's not just because it's the WWE, it's also the way he carries himself and talks about his life. He has a natural ability of letting go of the things he can't control, and working and living in the world he can...and because of that, he's fully capable of doing just about anything that comes his way. Personally, I hope he decides to burn some more hell fire and brimstone in the WWE some more. They could use it.
But, there are parts of the book that you can tell where written separately, and then put together to make up the book, as the author repeats himself on several points often. An editor (particularly for a book this short), should have edited some of them out. Another slight detractor (I say slight, because it was still entertaining), is how often the other tells us "this is my favorite time as Kane" with small changes (like, 'Kane as singles wrestler' and 'Kane as tag team champ' and 'Corporate Kane'), but the phrase was used so often, it's redundant of saying he loved being Kane, as almost EVERY story was his favorite of being Kane. Which is good, we want the good stuff...but, (again, particularly in a book this short), it would've been nice to counter with a few more of tough or difficult times as Kane. We also get a small glimpse of his family, which is nice, and I understand they are more reserved, private people, but a better idea of his family life or how he spends his limited off time would have been nice. And my final critique, you can skip the last couple chapters that are actually about him being mayor. While that part I was most intrigued with, there is just a lot of repetition about his love of the free market and Austrian economics. I mean...a lot. I think I counted 18 times he mentioned the free market (and how it's the answer to everything) in a 4 page span.
At the time of the writing, he's obviously mayor, but I'm not sure if he is still currently mayor or if he's getting ready to retire, or move on to another adventure. Either way, I do get the sense that the biggest, baddest monster in the mask the WWE ever had was portrayed by quite possibly one of the nicest people ever. And, even though he is over 50, it's still quite possible he can make another appearance in the WWE. There is a strong 'never say never' quality he has, and it's not just because it's the WWE, it's also the way he carries himself and talks about his life. He has a natural ability of letting go of the things he can't control, and working and living in the world he can...and because of that, he's fully capable of doing just about anything that comes his way. Personally, I hope he decides to burn some more hell fire and brimstone in the WWE some more. They could use it.
June 10, 2025
What happens when one of professional wrestling’s most intimidating characters—a seven-foot-tall, masked monster who terrorized WWE audiences for decades—steps out of the ring and into the political arena? How does someone transition from setting opponents on fire to setting policy? In “Mayor Kane: My Life in Wrestling and Politics,” Glenn Jacobs offers readers a fascinating journey through his evolution from the demonic Kane character to his current role as Mayor of Knox County, Tennessee. Unlike many wrestling memoirs that focus solely on behind-the-scenes drama, Jacobs weaves together his in-ring career with his intellectual development as a libertarian thinker and eventual political candidate, creating a narrative that’s as much about ideological transformation as physical performance.
The memoir’s dual focus provides unique insights into both the wrestling business and the political motivations that eventually led Jacobs to public office. Wrestling fans will appreciate his candid reflections on developing the Kane character, working with industry legends like The Undertaker, and navigating the physical and creative challenges of WWE’s demanding schedule. Yet what distinguishes this book from standard wrestling fare is Jacobs’ parallel account of his growing interest in libertarian philosophy, Austrian economics, and limited government principles. His descriptions of reading authors like Friedrich Hayek and Ludwig von Mises while traveling between wrestling events presents an unexpected intellectual dimension to a performer primarily known for his intimidating physical presence and theatrical pyrotechnics.
Perhaps most compelling is Jacobs’ exploration of how his wrestling career prepared him for politics in surprising ways. Rather than downplaying his sports entertainment background, he thoughtfully examines how performing as Kane—understanding audience psychology, communicating through both words and physical presence, and executing complex narratives—developed skills transferable to political campaigns and governance. His account of transitioning from beloved villain to mayoral candidate offers valuable insights into both the advantages and challenges of celebrity political candidacy. The prejudices he faced from those who couldn’t reconcile “Kane” with serious political leadership create some of the book’s most reflective moments about public perception and personal identity.
“Mayor Kane” ultimately succeeds by challenging stereotypes about both professional wrestlers and politicians. Jacobs emerges as a thoughtful, principled individual whose unlikely career path reflects deeper American themes about reinvention and civic engagement. While some readers may disagree with his libertarian political perspectives, his articulation of how these principles guide his approach to governance provides a refreshing ideological clarity often absent in political memoirs. What does it mean when our entertainment figures become our political leaders? As Jacobs demonstrates in this engaging memoir, sometimes the most interesting public servants are those who arrive at leadership through unconventional routes, bringing unique perspectives and experiences that enrich rather than diminish their capacity to serve their communities.
The memoir’s dual focus provides unique insights into both the wrestling business and the political motivations that eventually led Jacobs to public office. Wrestling fans will appreciate his candid reflections on developing the Kane character, working with industry legends like The Undertaker, and navigating the physical and creative challenges of WWE’s demanding schedule. Yet what distinguishes this book from standard wrestling fare is Jacobs’ parallel account of his growing interest in libertarian philosophy, Austrian economics, and limited government principles. His descriptions of reading authors like Friedrich Hayek and Ludwig von Mises while traveling between wrestling events presents an unexpected intellectual dimension to a performer primarily known for his intimidating physical presence and theatrical pyrotechnics.
Perhaps most compelling is Jacobs’ exploration of how his wrestling career prepared him for politics in surprising ways. Rather than downplaying his sports entertainment background, he thoughtfully examines how performing as Kane—understanding audience psychology, communicating through both words and physical presence, and executing complex narratives—developed skills transferable to political campaigns and governance. His account of transitioning from beloved villain to mayoral candidate offers valuable insights into both the advantages and challenges of celebrity political candidacy. The prejudices he faced from those who couldn’t reconcile “Kane” with serious political leadership create some of the book’s most reflective moments about public perception and personal identity.
“Mayor Kane” ultimately succeeds by challenging stereotypes about both professional wrestlers and politicians. Jacobs emerges as a thoughtful, principled individual whose unlikely career path reflects deeper American themes about reinvention and civic engagement. While some readers may disagree with his libertarian political perspectives, his articulation of how these principles guide his approach to governance provides a refreshing ideological clarity often absent in political memoirs. What does it mean when our entertainment figures become our political leaders? As Jacobs demonstrates in this engaging memoir, sometimes the most interesting public servants are those who arrive at leadership through unconventional routes, bringing unique perspectives and experiences that enrich rather than diminish their capacity to serve their communities.
September 4, 2020
Mayor Kane - My Life In Wrestling and Politics BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A few months back, I was fortunate enough to obtain an advanced copy of Under The Black Hat: My Life In The WWE And Beyond by Jim Ross, a book which many were heralding as arguably the greatest wrestling book ever written. While I disagreed with that assessment, I noted that it absolutely belonged in the upper echelon of books written about the business, sitting alongside those written by Bret Hart, Chris Jericho, Mick Foley and Gary Hart. Today, we take a look at a book sadly on the other end of the spectrum, Mayor Kane: My Life In Wrestling And Politics, written by the man behind the mask, Glenn Jacobs.
Given his incredibly lengthy and historic career, in addition to the interesting post-wrestling career choice, this one seemed like a layup for a great read. Unfortunately, it reads more like an extended Cliff’s notes of the man’s wrestling career along with his transition into the world of politics.
Jacobs spends little time recounting his life before wrestling, which for some may be a good thing. Wanting a book to dive into the subject matter of which you are attached is a normal thing, but it also leaves us without a connection to our narrator. Jacobs discusses his love of sports and the way he was able to move easily into the business due to his sheer size, something which a former WWE star once advised can’t be taught.
At an almost breakneck pace, he moves through his early days of training in the remains of the territorial systems, before moving to Jim Cornette’s Smoky Mountain Wrestling. It is here where he first caught the eye of WWE officials, who brought him up as Isaac Yankem, D.D.S., a character which Jacobs admits he outright hated. He does acknowledge it may have had legs had he embraced the gimmick, and so he made that decision with his run as the fake Diesel. It does appear that while we all know that gimmick was not long for this world, his great attitude about it is what helped spawn the character of Kane, which would finally give him his big break.
If you are looking for backstage stories or rumour-mongering, you can move along now. It may seem cruel to say it, but every word seems like it was put through the WWE hype machine and approved by Vince McMahon himself. Jacobs gives one of the most laughably uninformed and embarrassing recollections of the Montreal Screwjob, and a half-page chapter about Owen Hart’s death essentially defends the choice to continue the show. Many of his more salacious storylines are completely ignored, including his long angle with Matt Hardy, Edge and Lita, and the infamous Katie Vick storyline. Maybe the most revealing story comes with his disastrous Tombstone on Linda McMahon, with him stating that he purposefully kept her head a full foot away from the landing and the camera crew was supposed to cut away. He describes Vince as absolutely losing his mind at the camera crew for this snafu.
The latter half of the book describes Jacobs's entrance into politics and his views as a Libertarian. Given the current political climate of the United States, it does seem a little tone-deaf for him to lean so hard into this, especially his choice to run as a Republican and spend a few pages defending the actions of Donald Trump as President.
I didn’t expect to enjoy the political aspect of the book but was hoping to at least enjoy the wrestling content and maybe learn a little more about Glenn Jacobs the man, which we get fleeting glimpses of. In the end, he describes his career as a gift and the ability to bring joy to others through his work, something of which he truly seems genuine about. But that doesn’t save the book from being anything more than a slight chore to make it through the first half, and a slog through the political parts.
Final Verdict: Pass
A copy of this book was provided by Center Street Publishing for this review.
BOOK REVIEW
A few months back, I was fortunate enough to obtain an advanced copy of Under The Black Hat: My Life In The WWE And Beyond by Jim Ross, a book which many were heralding as arguably the greatest wrestling book ever written. While I disagreed with that assessment, I noted that it absolutely belonged in the upper echelon of books written about the business, sitting alongside those written by Bret Hart, Chris Jericho, Mick Foley and Gary Hart. Today, we take a look at a book sadly on the other end of the spectrum, Mayor Kane: My Life In Wrestling And Politics, written by the man behind the mask, Glenn Jacobs.
Given his incredibly lengthy and historic career, in addition to the interesting post-wrestling career choice, this one seemed like a layup for a great read. Unfortunately, it reads more like an extended Cliff’s notes of the man’s wrestling career along with his transition into the world of politics.
Jacobs spends little time recounting his life before wrestling, which for some may be a good thing. Wanting a book to dive into the subject matter of which you are attached is a normal thing, but it also leaves us without a connection to our narrator. Jacobs discusses his love of sports and the way he was able to move easily into the business due to his sheer size, something which a former WWE star once advised can’t be taught.
At an almost breakneck pace, he moves through his early days of training in the remains of the territorial systems, before moving to Jim Cornette’s Smoky Mountain Wrestling. It is here where he first caught the eye of WWE officials, who brought him up as Isaac Yankem, D.D.S., a character which Jacobs admits he outright hated. He does acknowledge it may have had legs had he embraced the gimmick, and so he made that decision with his run as the fake Diesel. It does appear that while we all know that gimmick was not long for this world, his great attitude about it is what helped spawn the character of Kane, which would finally give him his big break.
If you are looking for backstage stories or rumour-mongering, you can move along now. It may seem cruel to say it, but every word seems like it was put through the WWE hype machine and approved by Vince McMahon himself. Jacobs gives one of the most laughably uninformed and embarrassing recollections of the Montreal Screwjob, and a half-page chapter about Owen Hart’s death essentially defends the choice to continue the show. Many of his more salacious storylines are completely ignored, including his long angle with Matt Hardy, Edge and Lita, and the infamous Katie Vick storyline. Maybe the most revealing story comes with his disastrous Tombstone on Linda McMahon, with him stating that he purposefully kept her head a full foot away from the landing and the camera crew was supposed to cut away. He describes Vince as absolutely losing his mind at the camera crew for this snafu.
The latter half of the book describes Jacobs's entrance into politics and his views as a Libertarian. Given the current political climate of the United States, it does seem a little tone-deaf for him to lean so hard into this, especially his choice to run as a Republican and spend a few pages defending the actions of Donald Trump as President.
I didn’t expect to enjoy the political aspect of the book but was hoping to at least enjoy the wrestling content and maybe learn a little more about Glenn Jacobs the man, which we get fleeting glimpses of. In the end, he describes his career as a gift and the ability to bring joy to others through his work, something of which he truly seems genuine about. But that doesn’t save the book from being anything more than a slight chore to make it through the first half, and a slog through the political parts.
Final Verdict: Pass
A copy of this book was provided by Center Street Publishing for this review.
July 29, 2020
Subtitle: My Life in Wrestling and Politics
I received an advance reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I requested a copy of this book through Net Galley because Glenn Jacobs grew up about 10 miles from my hometown in northeast Missouri. I’ve never met him personally, but my younger brother played basketball against him in high school. The guy who convinced Jacobs to start training as a wrestler was best man at my brother’s wedding. I’ve enjoyed his work as Kane through the years and was looking forward to reading what he had to say about his wrestling career.
I would divide the book into two sections. The first section deals primarily with his early life and his introduction to pro wrestling and success in WWE. This section makes up roughly 70% of the book. The second section deals extensively with his political beliefs and successful campaign to become mayor of Knox County, TN. This section is about 30% of the book.
I enjoyed the first section. It shed a lot of light on Jacobs’ childhood and college athletic career prior to starting his wrestling training. It included lots of stories about wrestlers and events both before and during his time in WWE. As someone who has been a sporadic WWE viewer through the years, I appreciated Jacobs’ analysis of the evolution of Kane as a character.
The second section was much less enjoyable. There is a lengthy discussion of libertarian principles – which he is fully entitled to, but makes for dry reading compared to the first section. Then there is a section supporting Donald Trump. Probably the less said about that, the better.
I gave Mayor Kane four stars on Goodreads. If I could have rated the two sections of the book separately, I would have given five stars for part 1 and three stars for part 2. I really would’ve loved to give this five stars but the second part frankly was nowhere near a good as the earlier portion.
I received an advance reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I requested a copy of this book through Net Galley because Glenn Jacobs grew up about 10 miles from my hometown in northeast Missouri. I’ve never met him personally, but my younger brother played basketball against him in high school. The guy who convinced Jacobs to start training as a wrestler was best man at my brother’s wedding. I’ve enjoyed his work as Kane through the years and was looking forward to reading what he had to say about his wrestling career.
I would divide the book into two sections. The first section deals primarily with his early life and his introduction to pro wrestling and success in WWE. This section makes up roughly 70% of the book. The second section deals extensively with his political beliefs and successful campaign to become mayor of Knox County, TN. This section is about 30% of the book.
I enjoyed the first section. It shed a lot of light on Jacobs’ childhood and college athletic career prior to starting his wrestling training. It included lots of stories about wrestlers and events both before and during his time in WWE. As someone who has been a sporadic WWE viewer through the years, I appreciated Jacobs’ analysis of the evolution of Kane as a character.
The second section was much less enjoyable. There is a lengthy discussion of libertarian principles – which he is fully entitled to, but makes for dry reading compared to the first section. Then there is a section supporting Donald Trump. Probably the less said about that, the better.
I gave Mayor Kane four stars on Goodreads. If I could have rated the two sections of the book separately, I would have given five stars for part 1 and three stars for part 2. I really would’ve loved to give this five stars but the second part frankly was nowhere near a good as the earlier portion.
January 23, 2020
Glenn Jacobs is well known as Kane in the WWE. He has three sides of him. The mean guy in the wrestling business and was nicknamed the big red machine. He has fought many wrestlers, won a few championship belts, and has worked his way to the top by becoming corporate.
Then there is his personal side, where he is married and took in his wife's two daughters. In this book he talks about them as well as his journey in the WWE. He became mayor of Knox County, Tennessee in 2015. Since then he has not been a wrestler, instead he has been tackling political issues as a mayor..
I have to admit I didn't finish the whole book because the second half he talked about Politics and how he feels about them. I'm not a political person. I do think that this was like the other books that were written by the wrestlers in the WWE. The good things are he has a good heart.He has written how passionate he is career, the friends he made, and his family. Do I think you should read this book? Yes because he is passionate and real about the his careers both in wrestling and as Mayor. I am glad that Netgalley, the publishers, and the author gave me a chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
I give this four stars only because of the political stuff. Other than that Please do read this book :)
Then there is his personal side, where he is married and took in his wife's two daughters. In this book he talks about them as well as his journey in the WWE. He became mayor of Knox County, Tennessee in 2015. Since then he has not been a wrestler, instead he has been tackling political issues as a mayor..
I have to admit I didn't finish the whole book because the second half he talked about Politics and how he feels about them. I'm not a political person. I do think that this was like the other books that were written by the wrestlers in the WWE. The good things are he has a good heart.He has written how passionate he is career, the friends he made, and his family. Do I think you should read this book? Yes because he is passionate and real about the his careers both in wrestling and as Mayor. I am glad that Netgalley, the publishers, and the author gave me a chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
I give this four stars only because of the political stuff. Other than that Please do read this book :)
March 13, 2020
Kane always has and always will be my favourite wrestler. He scared the hell out of me as a kid and I've loved him every since. The book was good but I feel it could have been great if Glenn had gone into more depth about his career after his unmasking. He covered the first two years or so of Kane's history excellently but then just started jogging through the rest of his career. He skims over more than a decade of it and says very little or nothing about his rivalries with Shawn Michaels, Matt Hardy, Edge, Umaga, Great Khali, John Cena and his third feud with Undertaker over the World Heavyweight title. I can't blame him for not wanting to talk at length about the Katie Vick disaster or the Fake Kane storyline, but I felt it was a bit of a copout for Glenn not to talk about some of the crappy angles he got saddled with. I get that he doesn't want to seem bitter or ungrateful to WWE, but Mick Foley managed to be both critical and reverential to WWE in his numerous memoirs. I wanted to know more about Glenn's thoughts on his acting career and his reign as World Heavyweight Champion in 2010. I also appreciated the even-handed approach he took to politics. I'm a very liberal person myself but I could see the value in some of Glenn's views. I hope a second book will fill in some of the gaps this one has.
April 5, 2020
I have always loved the character of Kane and the man who played it - Glenn Jacobs and so was really excited about reading this book since the time it came out because I really wanted to know a lot about the backstage happenings and the anecdotes of some of my favorite WWE moments featuring Kane. The excitement to read an autobiography of a wrestler with a normal gimmick, perhaps, would have been less in my mind butfor a character like Kane that had so much of mystique to it - the mask n all - I felt superior curious to get to know more of some really interesting backstories. However, after reading the book, I was left a little disappointed. He didn't touch on many incidents- matches and promos that I remembered, especially from the attitude era - and instead just gave very brief details of backstage happenings. Also he skipped a major part of his career after the attitude era and never mentioned anything of the latter part of his career.
Jacobs also has written extensively about his politics, his run for mayor, and his political career as a whole, and surprisingly, for an autobiography of a man who is predominantly a wrestler, I found his thoughts and insights on politics to be far more interesting than those on wresting. But having said that, I wasn't reading the book for mayor Glenn Jacobs but for the big red monster Kane and there I was let down.
Jacobs also has written extensively about his politics, his run for mayor, and his political career as a whole, and surprisingly, for an autobiography of a man who is predominantly a wrestler, I found his thoughts and insights on politics to be far more interesting than those on wresting. But having said that, I wasn't reading the book for mayor Glenn Jacobs but for the big red monster Kane and there I was let down.
February 25, 2021
Short and not so sweet!
I was really looking forward to this book. Written by a wrestler who I’d grown up watching for a number of years and one I wanted to know he story of. This just lacks some help it’s insane. This feels like the draft, rather than the finished product. He skips so much of his life and career. Whether he thought it not important or what, I don’t know. But I was left not really learning much about Glen Jacobs the man, wrestler or politician.
It felt like he couldn’t wait to get to the chapters about politics. I understand that’s his life now and he’s excited about it. But, the majority of people buying a book about Kane, wrote by the guy himself, wants the whole starry on wrestling. He literally skips from around 2004, right to 2013. Skipping about 10 years of his career, years I was most looking forward to reading about, including his WHC Title run.
It’s such a shame as when he does talk wrestling, it’s great. Short and sweet mind, but great. I don’t know who helped structure the book, but it’s rather poor. I feel I could have read an article on Kane’s career and learned a lot more. I must admit, the politics part of the book was rather interesting and Glen quite clearly is a really bright guy who knows his stuff. I just wish more was given to his wrestling career. Could and definitely should have been a lot better.
I was really looking forward to this book. Written by a wrestler who I’d grown up watching for a number of years and one I wanted to know he story of. This just lacks some help it’s insane. This feels like the draft, rather than the finished product. He skips so much of his life and career. Whether he thought it not important or what, I don’t know. But I was left not really learning much about Glen Jacobs the man, wrestler or politician.
It felt like he couldn’t wait to get to the chapters about politics. I understand that’s his life now and he’s excited about it. But, the majority of people buying a book about Kane, wrote by the guy himself, wants the whole starry on wrestling. He literally skips from around 2004, right to 2013. Skipping about 10 years of his career, years I was most looking forward to reading about, including his WHC Title run.
It’s such a shame as when he does talk wrestling, it’s great. Short and sweet mind, but great. I don’t know who helped structure the book, but it’s rather poor. I feel I could have read an article on Kane’s career and learned a lot more. I must admit, the politics part of the book was rather interesting and Glen quite clearly is a really bright guy who knows his stuff. I just wish more was given to his wrestling career. Could and definitely should have been a lot better.
September 5, 2020
**I received and voluntarily read an e-ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**
It was nice to get a few more tidbits about Jacobs' life with the WWE, but most of what was in the book were things that have been known by fans for a while now. What new information I did find seems as if Jacobs' made sure to leave the door open should he ever need to call on McMahon and the WWE again. There is definitely no controversial material about his wrestling career that would slam the door shut.
I had hoped that by time the book got around to his run up to and winning his election for Mayor, that we would have had more insight into what in his life and wrestling career influence his policies today. Maybe a run-in with a Make-a-wish kid or one of the behind the scenes WWE employees that made him see things in a certain light. But no such information was really there.
Unfortunately, this book just doesn't seem to find its legs: it neither falls into a wrestling memoir (what I was really hoping for) nor political pamphlet, and I think that's really the downfall here.
Overall, if you're here for the wrestling, I'd go elsewhere. If you're both a fan of Jacobs' policies as mayor and a fan of wrestling, this book is for you.
It was nice to get a few more tidbits about Jacobs' life with the WWE, but most of what was in the book were things that have been known by fans for a while now. What new information I did find seems as if Jacobs' made sure to leave the door open should he ever need to call on McMahon and the WWE again. There is definitely no controversial material about his wrestling career that would slam the door shut.
I had hoped that by time the book got around to his run up to and winning his election for Mayor, that we would have had more insight into what in his life and wrestling career influence his policies today. Maybe a run-in with a Make-a-wish kid or one of the behind the scenes WWE employees that made him see things in a certain light. But no such information was really there.
Unfortunately, this book just doesn't seem to find its legs: it neither falls into a wrestling memoir (what I was really hoping for) nor political pamphlet, and I think that's really the downfall here.
Overall, if you're here for the wrestling, I'd go elsewhere. If you're both a fan of Jacobs' policies as mayor and a fan of wrestling, this book is for you.
February 4, 2020
Really just...not good. Which is very unfortunate given that Kane is one of my favorite wrestlers. Ever. It was just a very frustrating read. He WAY overused the term "I will never forget" throughout the entire book as he shared little moments or anecdotes. It got so bad I actually texted a pic of the pages I was on to a friend because, on side-by-side pages, he used "I will never forget..." and I wanted my wrestling-fan friend to see exactly what I was talking about.
Plus, for reasons unexplained to the reader, he skipped over many important parts of his career. At one point he literally jumps from recapping a feud in 2003 to 2012. What about the nine years in between? For god sakes he won the world heavyweight championship in 2010 and he doesn't even mention it!
Maybe it wasn't his writing that caused this time-jump problem. Maybe it was whoever edited the book? Who knows. But as a fan of Kane, even if I already know his full story and know the important things that happened in his career...tell it to me anyway!
A real letdown of a book, which is sad given how excited I was when I learned he'd written one.
Plus, for reasons unexplained to the reader, he skipped over many important parts of his career. At one point he literally jumps from recapping a feud in 2003 to 2012. What about the nine years in between? For god sakes he won the world heavyweight championship in 2010 and he doesn't even mention it!
Maybe it wasn't his writing that caused this time-jump problem. Maybe it was whoever edited the book? Who knows. But as a fan of Kane, even if I already know his full story and know the important things that happened in his career...tell it to me anyway!
A real letdown of a book, which is sad given how excited I was when I learned he'd written one.
February 11, 2020
Alright. So. I love me some Big Red Machine, The Brothers of Destruction, and Team Hell No. And really, this book gets 3 stars specifically for the insider wrestling look from Glenn Jacob A.K.A. Kane. Outside of the, like, 1/4 of the book that was strictly wrestling, this was so difficult to get through. It's written like the intended audience was a juvenile reader, but the entire last 50-70 pages are political with Glenn's personal views (I mean he is mayor of Knox County so alright cool), so I guess the audience isn't children? Also, come on man. "I'm libertarian, but I ran as a Republican as part of the GOP because boy oh boy I'm not right or left" is one of the dumbest things I think I've read. I mean, I'll spare the political banter from this review, just know that what he explains as core beliefs are pretty easily debunk-able and flat out just GOP stuff which is funny since he spends so much time saying he isn't. It's whatever. I get the book's subtitle is My Life in Wrestling and Politics, just kind of expected a bit more wrestling maybe?
Eh.
Eh.
May 16, 2021
Thank You Mayor
I loved the real feel of the American dream, as you blended a successful career with service to our country. I am a former soldier and as mayor you serve as as did as a scout spec 4 ,only you get much more done. I like your political views of freedom to choose your ow. Destiny. I wish our politicians could figure it out. I would love to meet you o e day to talk freedom,I think know that would e cool. My company just took o ers a company with a. Wholesale branch in your area. They were Jamison but now Master Halco. I have been the Fresno California mgr for almost 30 years and am looking for a fire idly place to slow Dow. And retire. I thought about that location and you made the area sound welcoming, Your leadership will help keep that part of the world truly America. Until we meet my friend. Ed Douthit aka Eldo Corona.
I loved the real feel of the American dream, as you blended a successful career with service to our country. I am a former soldier and as mayor you serve as as did as a scout spec 4 ,only you get much more done. I like your political views of freedom to choose your ow. Destiny. I wish our politicians could figure it out. I would love to meet you o e day to talk freedom,I think know that would e cool. My company just took o ers a company with a. Wholesale branch in your area. They were Jamison but now Master Halco. I have been the Fresno California mgr for almost 30 years and am looking for a fire idly place to slow Dow. And retire. I thought about that location and you made the area sound welcoming, Your leadership will help keep that part of the world truly America. Until we meet my friend. Ed Douthit aka Eldo Corona.
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