Acrylic on 24″ x 24″ wood
There are few people to have accomplished as much in wrestling as Glenn ‘Kane’ Jacobs has. Jacobs debuted in 1992 in the St Louis, MO area before working at the USWA as Doomsday, winning their World Title within the first three years of his career. In 1995 he was signed by the then WWF as Dr Isaac Yankem, DDS, Jerry Lawler‘s personal dentist (that is so hilarious to type out!). He largely worked as a jobber in that role, before being repackaged as the fake Diesel after Kevin Nash and Scott Hall left the company. That gimmick went over like a lead balloon, probably the best thing that could have happened to Jacobs.
Off the air for a few months, he was then given the role of Kane, the Undertaker’s lost brother. Managed by the late Paul Bearer, Kane had what many consider to be the best debut in wrestling history following months of creepy vignettes back in St Louis where his career began. During the first ever Hell in a Cell match between ‘Taker and Shawn Michaels, the lights go out, then funereal music hits and under only red lights out walks Bearer and the masked Kane. On commentary, Vince McMahon shouts, “That’s Paul Bearer! And that…that’s gotta be…THAT’S GOTTA BE KANE! THAT’S GOTTA BE KANE!” Kane then tears the door off the cage and proceeds to destroy the Undertaker. My hairs are standing up on my arms just thinking about it.
And the character just worked and instantly caught on with the fans. His imposing look, his music, his pyro, it all seamlessly gelled together. After an extremely notable feud with the Undertaker the two would partner as the Brothers of Destruction, one of the most intimidating tag teams in history. He would go on in his career to win 18 different championships in the WWE, including the WWF Championship, the ECW Championship, and the World Championship, making him the first of only three men to have held all three of the company’s world championships. He has also held the Intercontinental Championship, the Hardcore Championship, and 12 tag team championships. He is the company’s third Grand Slam Champion, and holds the record for the fastest successful cashing in of the Money in the Bank contract (I was there for that one!). Other records he holds include the most eliminations at the Royal Rumble, the most consecutive appearances at the Rumble, and the fastest elimination of another competitor at 1.9 seconds. He also won the fastest ever Wrestlemania match ever in eight seconds when he won the ECW World Title (I was there for that one, too!).
He’s been unmasked, which made him even creepier, and was then remasked and it still worked. He went from non-verbal, to using a voice box, to fully speaking and made each one work. He’s now in a comedic role as one half of the Tag Team Champions with Daniel Bryan, and he even makes that not just work, but get way over with the crowd. He has made numerous new wrestlers step up to a new level while still keeping himself strong. He’s simply one of the best ever.
About the piece: I kept this one simple. Really, the piece itself kept it simple. I had originally planned to do some fun collage work but once I had the face painted I felt it was unnecessary. I considered adding other painted elements, but those would have also overpowered the intensity of this. I decided to just follow the KISS rule: Keep It Simple, Stupid!