That’s Gotta Be a Kane Tattoo!

Making his wrestling debut in 1992, Glenn Jacobs was signed to the then-WWF just three years later. After wrestling under a number of names and gimmicks, 1997 would see Jacobs making a lasting impact in professional wrestling history.

After The Undertaker injured Paul Bearer with a fireball at In Your House 14: Revenge of the ‘Taker, Bearer threatened to reveal The Undertaker’s “deepest, darkest secret” to the world. Bearer’s coercive control lasted just a couple of months until The Undertaker cut all ties with him.

Kane, The Undertaker’s long-lost brother was first mentioned by Bearer on an episode of RAW and it was revealed that he was still alive.

Fans got their first look at “The Big Red Machine” on October 5, 1997 at Badd Blood: In Your House when this happened:

What followed was one of my favourite storylines of the Attitude Era; combine horror elements with wrestling and you’ve got my attention.

Mirroring his “brother” and his chokeslam and tombstone piledriver finishers, Kane stood out with his red and black attire with flame accents, and a mask to hide his supposed burns. Kane was first unmasked 20 years ago, but in 2011 went back to wearing a new style of mask.

As Kane, Jacobs was a three time world champion, and an impressive 12-time world tag team champion with various partners (including Mankind and The Undertaker).

His kayfabe brother has the greatest-ever WrestleMania record, and Kane holds his own for the Royal Rumble. Kane’s made a record 20 Royal Rumble match appearances, and the most eliminations at 46.

Despite having vastly different looks, Jacobs shares a few similarities with former wrestler, Jesse Ventura as they’ve both acted and ventured into the political arena. Jacobs portrayed Jacob Goodnight in the WWE Studios produced See No Evil (2006) and it’s 2014 sequel, See No Evil 2. For the past five years, Jacobs has been the Mayor of Knox County, Tennessee.

Tattoo collectors also seem to yearn for the Attitude Era as its this version of Kane which they favour in tattoo form. Which version of Kane will inspire your tattoo?