Glenn Jacobs' gimmicks have gone from strange to inane. Now, under Kane's mask, he's a star. But what happens when Kane's identity is revealed? 

A famed song threatens that "you don't tug on Superman's cape", and "you don't pull the mask off that ol' Lone Ranger". In other words, there is a mystique associated with trademark objects adorning these men that you do not alter.

Kane's mask is one such subject. "Kane was an idea presented to me", said Glenn Jacobs, a.k.a. Kane, in an online interview. "It was the idea of a committee". When Kane entered the World Wrestling Federation on Oct. 5, 1997, he was a silent and stalking man-thing who targeted his "brother", The Undertaker. Refusing, or unable, to speak, he allowed his actions to do his talking. His "origin" focused around a fateful fire that forever deformed him physically and traumatized him mentally.

Nearly three years later, Kane has evolved into an upper-echelon superstar and a former WWF World Heavyweight Champion. His physical appearance - with a mask and tights emblazoned in red and black - has remained unchanged. But before the persona of Kane emerged and became a success, Jacobs endured failure with other gimmicks.

THE CORNETTE CONNECTION

Jacobs began his career in the early 1990's by working in independent promotions in Missouri, Florida and Puerto Rico. "It was in my personality to wrestle", said Jacobs in an interview with the Knoxville (Tenn.) News-Sentinel. "I was a little nervous at my first match, but I think I did okay. I went home after the match and watched the tape of it over and over. I wanted to do it again."

"My first few years," continued Jacobs, "I'd make maybe $10 for a match. Sometimes I wouldn't even get paid at all, but we were all in it because we loved it." Jacobs debuted in Memphis' (Tenn.) United States Wrestling Association on Dec. 14, 1992. In a sign of things to come, Jacobs competed behind a mask as The Christmas Creature. Two weeks later, he revealed his face after losing a "title vs. mask" match to USWA Champion Jerry Lawler.

Following the loss, Doomsday dawned in the USWA. On Oct. 19, 1993, Jacobs made his first of many WWF debuts. The Black Knight served as one of Lawler's masked assassins battling Bret Hart. Jacobs and his fellow knights teamed with Shawn Michaels at Survivor Series 1993 against Hart's faction. Following his WWF pay-per-view debut, Jacobs returned to USWA and his Doomsday gimmick. Doomsday evolved into Unabom in Jim Cornette's Smoky Mountain Wrestling and captured the SMW tag team title with Al Snow on April 7, 1995. Cornette helped Jacobs get another chance with the WWF.

"A lot of what has happened to me...has been about timing", reflected Jacobs in an interview with the News-Sentinel . "It's been about someone who has a God-given gift and an athletic background. I have determination and perseverance."

DRILLS AND FIRE

Jerry Lawler introduced Dr. Isaac Yankem to WWF fans as his personal dentist and soldier in his war against Hart. Yankem made his pay-per-view debut in the WWF at SummerSlam on Aug. 27, 1995, when he lost a bout to Hart by disqualification."

"I was intimidated when I started with the WWF", said Jacobs. "I would see all these people I used to watch on TV, and I thought, Wow! Look at them.""

The persona lasted mere months as the evil dentist was yanked from WWF television and deposited on the gimmick scrap heap. One year later, Jacobs returned to a federation suffering from the defections of Scott "Razor Ramon" Hall and Kevin "Diesel" Nash, among others, to World Championship Wrestling. A man of Jacobs' stature (nearly 7 feet tall) could certainly replace a giant such as Nash. However, the WWF had something else in mind for him. He would not just replace Nash; he would assume his WWF identity of "Big Daddy Cool.""

Following a "loser leaves town match," Jacobs returned to his Doomsday roots on June 28, 1997, and captured the USWA heavyweight title on July 13, 1997. Three months later, Jacobs made yet another return to the WWF, but this time, he would stick around for a while.

CHARACTER EVOLUTION

WWF storylines are driven by the characters the federation creates. Creating compelling characters and storylines is a strength that has brought the WWF unprecedented success. WWF characters have sold T-shirts, action figures and sundry items. Characters undergo a logical evolution based on scripted events and fan reaction. They are in a constant state of "tweak."No amount of tweaking could save Isaac Yankem or Diesel Part Deux. However, Kane has evolved from this tweaking. When he debuted, he had little to say, if anything at all. After a year, he began using a voice amplifier and became a man of limited vernacular, struggling with sentence fragments. Today, he is free of the amplifier and speaks to fans, allies and enemies. What has occurred with Kane's character is a natural and logical progression. Call it the humanization of Kane, recent events indicate the mask that covers Kane's purported "charred" face may disappear. On the June 12, 2000, RAW, the McMahon-Helmsley Faction threatened to reveal the scarred face of The Big Red Machine. Could that one attempted revelation lead to a successful one?"

Wrestlers undergo gimmick changes. The Undertaker was once silent and stalking, only to become a more "down-to-earth" biker character. For three years, Kane's physical appearance has remained stagnant. The next storyline step could very well be a "plastic surgery" angle that makes Kane's facial features more presentable."

THE MASKED MARVEL

The equation is simple. The "maskless" dentist Yankem and the sequel Diesel were not over with the fans. The masked Kane is a superstar. Yankem and Diesel were mid-carders, at best, struggling for the spotlight. Kane has a tight and fiery grip on the spotlight."

"Kane has the ability to draw a crowd", said Jacobs. "Kids like him because he looks like a super-hero." Kane's a super-hero akin to the Lone Ranger and Superman. The WWF has justifiably modified the man behind the mask to make him more marketable. Yet at some point, changes will be counter-productive."

The strength of Kane is his mystery, and the mask is the embodiment of his mysterious persona. To strip it away would be equivalent to taking away Kane's identity. He speaks freely. He is no longer a loner, as he forged alliances with Chyna, X-Pac, Tori and his brother. Those alterations have kept Kane's persona fresh. Clearly, the traumatized brother angle slipped into the "whatever happened to" file. No one speaks of Kane's tragic origin of burning alive in a morgue inferno allegedly started by The Undertaker. The supposed monster is now a superhero who rights wrongs and vanquishes the hated villains."

That evolution has made Kane a superstar. The enhanced and discarded ingredients have created a recipe for success. Just as the "Ringmaster" morphed into "Stone Cold" and the smiling Rocky Maivia became the cocksure "Rock," Kane has matured character-wise without showing facial expression, or a face for that matter. To be fair, any plans the WWF has for Kane to shed the mask are not confirmed. However, if wrestling history has taught fans anything, a masked man does not stay masked forever. Soon, there could be "title versus mask" bouts that put his very identity in jeopardy. The McMahon-Helmsley faction removed it for mere seconds. Those seconds may have planted significant storyline seeds that could blossom in the immediate future.The man behind that mask must continue to conceal his visage. The WWF must leave the mask on and resist the temptation to tug at Kane's cape.""

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