Republican Tennessee Mayor of Knox County Glenn Jacobs publicly challenged Democratic Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz to a charity wrestling match Thursday.
Jacobs, also known by his ring name “Kane” when he was a World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) fighter, issued his challenge after Walz said Tuesday that he thought he could “kick most of their ass” in a reference to Trump supporters. (RELATED: Tim Walz Claims Without Evidence That Segregation Will Return If Education Department Is Closed Down)
“I think I can kick most of their ass. I do think that,” Walz told Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom on his podcast. “But I don’t know if we’re going to fall into that place where want to challenge you to a WWE fight here.”
How do we win voters back? By going on the offense. pic.twitter.com/1qGE1aE63x
— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) March 18, 2025
Jacobs promptly seized on the imagery. “With that steely stare and chiseled physique, who wouldn’t be intimidated seeing this across the ring from you?” he wrote satirically.
With that steely stare and chiseled physique, who wouldn’t be intimidated seeing this across the ring from you? https://t.co/324MLTzBJH pic.twitter.com/0DpCsog7bT
— Glenn Jacobs (@GlennJacobsTN) March 19, 2025
He later issued his challenge to the governor. “All joking aside, Governor Tim Walz, let’s put our money where our mouth is…in a charity wrestling match. We’ll split the gate 50/50 between our chosen organizations. I’ll kick things off myself with a $10,000 donation. What do you say?” the former WWE fighter wrote.
All joking aside, @GovTimWalz, let’s put our money where our mouth is…in a charity wrestling match. We’ll split the gate 50/50 between our chosen organizations. I’ll kick things off myself with a $10,000 donation. What do you say? #TennesseeWalz#LetsDance pic.twitter.com/2VV6j4RYs2
— Glenn Jacobs (@GlennJacobsTN) March 20, 2025
Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis stepped in and offered to host the match in his state. “Florida can serve as the neutral site host. We’ve got a lot of great spots and a lot of wrestling fans,” he wrote Friday.
Florida can serve as the neutral site host.
We’ve got a lot of great spots and a lot of wrestling fans… https://t.co/ZSt4VVLqp4
— Ron DeSantis (@RonDeSantis) March 21, 2025
Walz has yet to respond to the challenge. Jacobs fought in 3,019 matches during his WWE career, according to CageMatch. He won 51.9 percent of the time and lost 44.3 percent of his matches. Some 117 matches — 3.9 percent of his total fights — ended in a draw. He was awarded a whole slew of wrestling titles, including World Heavyweight Champion in 2010, according to CageMatch. Jacobs was inducted into WWE’s Hall of Fame in 2021, KTVO reported.
Jacobs was elected mayor of Knox County — the third most populous in the state of Tennessee — in 2018 and was reelected in 2022, The Hill reported.
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