WWE Hall of Famer Kane brought the ring to the campaign trail on Saturday. Glenn Jacobs, the former Knox County mayor, was the first speaker at President Donald Trump’s midterm rally in Clarksville, Tennessee, and he closed his remarks with a pro wrestling-style call to action.
“With your help, our great conservative candidates are going to suplex socialism, they’re going to chokeslam communism, and they’re going to ensure that the American dream remains the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world,” Jacobs told the crowd at F&M Bank Arena on October 10.
Jacobs opened by praising Trump, who he said is “incredibly tough” and “gracious, funny, and warm” in person, and noted that the two share a spot in the WWE Hall of Fame. Trump was inducted in the celebrity wing in 2013. Kane was inducted in 2021.
Introducing himself as a product of the American dream, Jacobs said he went from a small farm in Missouri to the top of professional wrestling because of the freedoms the country offers. He then argued that those freedoms are “under siege like never before,” and painted a picture of what he said America would look like under Democratic control. His list included socialism replacing capitalism, an open border, boys in girls’ sports, a weakened Second Amendment and defunded police.
Local outlet Clarksville Now reported that Jacobs was the first speaker of the afternoon, with Trump scheduled to take the stage at 2:30 p.m. CT.
A Political Battle Royal
The wrestling language did not stop at the closing line. Jacobs called the November election “a battle royal for the soul of America” and urged the crowd to back a full slate of Tennessee Republicans:
- Marsha Blackburn for governor
- Bill Hagerty for another term in the United States Senate
- Matt Van Epps and eight other House members, so that Tennessee’s entire congressional delegation is Republican
He signed off by welcoming Trump back to the state “from one Hall of Famer to another.”
Why It Matters to Wrestling Fans
Jacobs has been one of the most visible wrestling figures in electoral politics for years. He won two terms as Knox County mayor and has campaigned alongside Trump before, including a 2024 rally in Indianola, Iowa, where Trump singled him out from the stage as “Kane” and joked about his size. Saturday’s appearance gave him a much bigger platform to open a presidential event in his home state.
The rally came just days before early voting begins in Tennessee. The general election is November 3.
Jacobs spent more than two decades in WWE as Kane, a three-time world champion and 12-time world tag team champion, and is best known for his run as one half of the Brothers of Destruction with The Undertaker.
