Honestly, if you grew up watching the Attitude Era, you remember that specific feeling of dread when the lights went red. Then the explosion. Then that hulking, silent monster walking down the ramp. For years, the image of kane with long hair peeking out from under a red and black mask was the stuff of nightmares for every kid in the late '90s.
But there is a weirdly heated debate that has lived on in wrestling forums for decades. Was that hair actually real? Or was the Big Red Machine rocking a hairpiece from day one? It sounds like such a trivial detail, but for a character built entirely on the mystery of "what’s under the mask," the hair was a massive piece of the puzzle.
The Great Wig Debate: Real or Fake?
Here is the truth. For the vast majority of his early career, kane with long hair was 100% authentic. Glenn Jacobs—the man behind the mask—actually grew out his hair during his transition from the "Fake Diesel" and "Isaac Yankem" gimmicks into the Kane persona. If you go back and watch footage from 1997 to roughly 2002, you can see the hair moving naturally. It gets matted with sweat. It gets caught in the mask's straps.
Everything changed in 2003.
The night Kane was forced to unmask after losing to Triple H on Raw is legendary for being one of the most unsettling reveals in TV history. When the mask finally came off, he didn't have the flowing locks we expected. He had this bizarre, patchy, half-shaved mess.
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What really happened backstage that night
The story goes that Bruce Prichard was halfway through shaving Glenn Jacobs’ head backstage to prepare for the reveal. Apparently, Vince McMahon walked in, saw the half-finished job, and basically said, "Stop right there. That looks way more demented."
So, for that one specific night in Madison Square Garden, the "hair" attached to the mask was actually a wig. They had to use a hairpiece because Glenn’s real hair was already mostly gone by the time he stepped through the curtain. He looked like a man who had tried to cut his own hair with a lawnmower in a dark room. It worked. It made him look genuinely unhinged.
Why the long hair mattered for the character
The hair wasn't just an aesthetic choice. It served a functional purpose in the ring. When Kane would take a "bump" or get hit, the way the hair flew around added a sense of violent motion to his movements. It made him look bigger. It made him look more animalistic.
When he eventually went bald, he became a different kind of scary—more cold and calculating. But that original run? That was pure, chaotic horror.
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The transition through the years
- 1997–2002: The Classic Era. Thick, real hair. This is the version that most fans consider the "true" Kane.
- 2003: The Unmasking. A mix of a wig (on the final night) and then a completely shaved head.
- 2011: The Return. When Kane brought back the mask for the "Embrace the Hate" storyline, he also brought back the long hair. This time, however, it was permanently attached to the mask.
- 2013–Present: The Corporate Look. Short, neat hair for his role as Director of Operations (and eventually, Mayor Glenn Jacobs).
The "Burns" and the Hairline
One of the biggest misconceptions is that the hair was supposed to be part of his "burn" injuries. In the early storyline, Paul Bearer claimed Kane was hideously disfigured. When he finally unmasked, we saw that the "burns" were mostly psychological—or at least, they weren't as severe as the legend suggested.
The weird hairline he sported immediately after unmasking was a deliberate choice to make him look like a "burn victim" who had lost patches of hair to fire. It was a visual representation of his trauma.
Is the long hair ever coming back?
Probably not.
Glenn Jacobs is currently serving as the Mayor of Knox County, Tennessee. He’s 58 years old. While he still makes sporadic appearances for WWE—usually for Hall of Fame segments or the occasional legend's cameo—the days of the flowing, sweaty mane are likely over. He’s traded the spandex and the wig for a suit and a tie.
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It’s kind of wild to think about. The man who once set Jim Ross on fire and tombstoned a priest is now responsible for local government budgets.
How to spot the difference in modern figures
If you are a collector or a fan looking at old footage, the easiest way to tell if the hair is real is to look at the forehead. In the late '90s, you can see the natural hairline through the top of the mask. In the 2011 "Resurrection" era, the hair is clearly stitched into the leather of the mask itself.
Next Steps for Fans:
If you want to see the "Real Hair" era at its peak, go back to the WWE Network and watch King of the Ring 1998. The visual of Kane winning the title with his original attire and real hair is peak "Big Red Machine" aesthetic. You might also want to check out the Ruthless Aggression documentary series, where Glenn Jacobs himself talks about the physical toll of maintaining that look for years on the road.