The WWE wrestler known as Kane has won the race for mayor in Tennessee’s third largest county.

Kane, whose real name is Glenn Jacobs, is a Republican who also runs an insurance and real estate company.

He was leading Democrat Linda Haney by a large margin with most of the votes counted in Knox County.

Glenn Jacobs, right, with Republican official Buddy Burkhardt
Glenn Jacobs, right, with Republican official Buddy Burkhardt (Caitie McMekin/Knoxville News Sentinel/AP)

The Knoxville News Sentinel said Mr Jacobs claimed victory at his watch party, saying his decision to seek the mayor’s job was met at first with “pretty resounding laughter” from some politicians.

The 6ft 8in Jacobs said he does not normally use wrestling analogies for campaigning.

“But this professional wrestler got into a no-holds-barred, last-man-standing match, and when the bell rung, he was victorious,” he said.

“We were victorious.”

He won a close primary in May. Results from the primary were delayed when the county’s election reporting website crashed after a concerted cyber attack that experts deemed malicious.

County officials said no voting data was affected, the vulnerability was fixed, and additional safeguards were put in place.

Ms Haney ran small businesses with her husband before she retired. She was considered an underdog in the solidly Republican county.