There are few things that I find funnier today than modern American politics. 

Whether it’s Pete Hegseth leaking classified information to a journalist at The Atlantic, Democrats thinking Joe Biden was a great candidate for president in May or Cory Booker delivering the longest non-filibuster in American history, you can’t deny that politics can be laughable. Even if it’s only to keep any sort of sanity. 

But maybe the funniest bit of political news came via a Tennessee mayor challenging Minnesota Governor and former Vice Presidential candidate Tim Walz to a wrestling match. 

This is not just any mayor though. He is Glenn Jacobs, the mayor of Knox County in Tennessee. Who is… oh my God, is that Kane from the WWE? 

Yes, you read that right. A former WWE wrestler is the mayor of Knox County. 

You couldn’t make it up if you tried. Well I guess maybe you could since Linda McMahon, estranged wife of disgraced WWE founder Vince McMahon, is somehow leading the (maybe soon-to-be defunct) U.S. Department of Education. But, I digress. 

Jacobs first started in WWE in the 90s under the gimmicks of “Fake Diesel” and “Issac Yankem DDS.” But he wouldn’t find major success until adopting the ring name “Kane,” the kayfabe brother of “The Undertaker” who survived being burnt alive. 

Together Kane and Undertaker would be known as “The Brothers of Destruction” and were often both teammates and brutal enemies. The two provided devastating moves to their opponents, such as the tombstone pile-driver and the infamous chokeslam. 

Kane saw some great singles success as a wrestler, too, becoming a multi-time world champion. To put it lightly, he wasn’t a slouch in the WWE. 

After wrapping up his in-ring career, Jacobs became the mayor of Knox County in 2018.  Now at the time, I thought it would be cool for this to happen. After all, I and so many others around the world grew up watching Kane. 

Except, well, he somehow is almost as MAGA as Trump, which is astonishing. 

Now, those who know me know how I feel on that front. But I got to thinking about it and I wonder: Would I want to see a wrestling match between Jacobs and Walz just for the heck of it? 

Maybe. 

We all know Jacobs at nearly 7-feet-tall would destroy Walz. But if we can’t get the long-awaited golf match between Trump and Biden (who allegedly has a handicap of 6 for you golf fans out there), then this is a good second choice. 

But then I also thought… Maybe the Democrats need a proverbial chokeslam to wake them up. 

Very clearly, it was not by accident that Kamala Harris lost the 2024 Presidential election. Honestly, I’m shocked it wasn’t worse than it was. 

The Democratic Party hasn’t had an identity since Biden’s infamous debate performance against Trump. On a night where Trump was poor in his performance, Biden was 100x worse. It was truly a complete momentum killer for the party. 

And right now there are no signs of that slowing down, even at the state level. 

Take, for example, the 2026 Georgia elections. We all know that Attorney General Chris Carr will be running for governor. It is possible that other Republicans like Lt. Governor Burt Jones, Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, State Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene and others will throw their names in the hat. 

On the Democratic side, you have well… maybe Stacey Abrams again? 

In the U.S. Senate election, incumbent Jon Ossoff could have some steep competition in current Governor Brian Kemp. While Kemp hasn’t declared his intent to run for the seat, it is believed to be a strong possibility. 

Folks, I’m not sure Ossoff beats Kemp. At best, he wins in a runoff at this particular point. 

Now let’s take it back to the national level where a crop of rising Republican politicians could run for the Presidency in 2028. Vice President J.D. Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and former governor/ presidential candidate Nikki Haley could all be viable candidates to run in the Republican primary. 

But who do the Democrats have? *Maybe* Josh Shapiro. *Maybe* Gavin Newsome. *Maybe* Cory Booker, if he’s able to stand anymore. Heck, even Stephen A. Smith — one of the GOATs of sports commentary — has been brought up as a candidate. No disrespect to Stephen A., but really? 

All I’m saying is, the Democrats need to find a spark if they want to fare well in the upcoming elections. Maybe a proverbial chokeslam will wake them up. 

And if not, well, at least we have the Kane v. Tim Walz wrestling match to fall back on. 

Evan Newton is the managing editor of The Covington News. He can be reached at enewton@covnews.com.