Kane and Undertaker are two of the most intimidating characters in the history of WWE, but in real life, the men behind the gimmicks are actually introverted.
Speaking with Yahoo Sports, the man behind Kane, Glenn Jacobs spoke about how he and The Undertaker, Mark Calaway, are actually introverted when they're not in front of the bright lights of the WWE cameras.
“I’m actually an introvert, Mark’s actually an introvert, but in this business, you’re in the spotlight,” Jacobs said. “In this [industry] you’re competing, you’re in the spotlight and it’s what we had known for so long. In many ways, it defines who you are. It’s hard to put that behind you. Now, in my job in politics, I’m still in the news -- not always for reasons I want to be -- I’m kind of still in the public eye. That can be hard because you have worked your entire life to get there and in wrestling, that’s what success means.”
He continued, “Out of respect for him, you didn’t want to bring personal history up or behind the scenes stuff. Despite the fact that with social media our business is out there and the curtain has been pulled back on it, I still am a bit of a traditionalist. It’s like David Copperfield and magic, the trick is ruined if people can see the wires and I hate it when people point out the wires of wrestling. The stories and stuff are cool, but there are things I still prefer to keep to myself. If Mark is cool with it though, I’m cool with it.”
The latest WWE documentary series, Undertaker: The Last Ride, has taken a deep dive into the life of the man behind The Undertaker character and explores his vulnerabilities and fears about never having a storybook send-off. The next episode will be made available on-demand on WWE Network on Sunday, June 14.
