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Sunday marked anniversary of iconic wrestling moment for Knox Co. Mayor Glenn Jacobs

On this date, 16 years ago, Kane unmasked himself for the first time on live television.

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Sunday, June 23 is the 16th anniversary of one of the most recognizable moments in professional wrestling history. 

It involves Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs. He was not the mayor back then, of course. He was Kane. 

On the June 23, 2003 episode of Monday Night Raw, Kane unmasked for the first time ever on live television. 

That night, Raw took place at Madison Square Garden and Kane put his mask on the line in a match against Triple H. Upon losing, he slowly stripped the mask off and revealed his face. 

The sold-out crowd was nearly silent in shock. WWE Hall of Fame commentators Jim Ross and Jerry "The King" Lawler shouted "Is that a human?" and "Get a shot of that face" to add even more excitement to the scene.

Kane immediately followed the unmasking by choke-slamming Rob Van Dam and raising and lowering his arms to signal streams of fire from the four ring posts. 

The crowd flashed photos from their digital and disposable cameras to capture the iconic moment.

Taking a look behind-the-scenes, Jacobs told WWE Classic that he was ready to unmask after doing all that he could with it since his debut in 1997.

Jacobs portrayed the unmasked Kane character for eight years before re-emerging with a mask in December 2011. Kane last wrestled in November 2018. 

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