Glen Jacobs made his debut as Kane in October 1997. The Undertaker’s storyline younger brother would have a legendary career spanning more than two decades.
However, Jacobs was better also known to WWE fans as the evil dentist Dr. Isaac Yankem before Kane became a regular on WWE television.
On an episode of WWE’s “Table for 3,” Jacobs talked about Vince McMahon pitching the character:
“I didn’t know him, and he’s the most powerful guy in professional wrestling, and I’m thinking to myself, man, I’m just happy to be here at this point,” Jacobs said. “And he looks at me and said, ‘Glenn, have you ever been afraid to go to the dentist?’ I didn’t know what he was getting at. I didn’t know if it was a psychological, deep-seated thing. But I was like, I just told the truth and said, ‘No.’ And he says, ‘I’ve always had an idea for this character.’ ”
McMahon began to mime his teeth being pulled out and explained: “A wrestling dentist: Isaac Yankem, get it? I yank ’em?”
“And immediately I’m just like, ‘Aw, man, you flew me all the way up here to tell me I’m going to be a wrestling dentist?’” Jacobs laughed. “I’m trying to keep a poker face because this is Vince McMahon and this is a big break, but still it wasn’t necessarily like I considered myself in a role as a wrestling dentist before he brought that up.”