#WWE star Kane, known for mask, votes against mask mandate as mayor

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Knox County mayor Glenn Jacobs used to wear a mask performing as Kane in WWE.
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Glenn Jacobs rose to fame as WWE star Kane, the horrifying brother of the Undertaker who wore a mask for much of his career. Now, as the mayor of Knox County in Tennessee, Jacobs doesn’t seem as keen on masks.

Jacobs, 53, was the only member of the Knox County Board of Health to vote against a mask mandate for most people inside public buildings, according to the Knoxville News Sentinel. The board, which voted 7-1, features Jacobs, six medical professionals and a representative for Knox County Schools.

The mandate takes effect Friday and will lasts until the board rescinds it, per the report, which says new coronavirus cases and hospitalizations have increased in recent days.

One of the board of health members, who has spent 15 years at the University of Tennessee Medical Center working as a pulmonary and critical care physician, says the mask mandate can help limit hospitalizations.

“Masks impact transmissions, so in three weeks cases have not spiked, so in six weeks hospitalizations have not been affected,” Dr. James Shamiyeh told the paper. “There’s a natural lag in any conversation that you have around COVID.”

Jacobs first appeared as Kane in WWE (then known as the WWF) on Oct. 5, 1997. He still occasionally performs for the company.