Have you seen me?

By Kevin Hunsperger

@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

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Long time WWE Superstar Kane has been missing in action for nearly eight months. The last time for the former World Heavyweight Champion appeared on WWE TV was Nov. 29, 2016, when he beat Luke Harper on SmackDown Live. The two had battled it out earlier in the month at Survivor Series. Kane won that encounter too.

Harper vs. Kane
Courtesy: WWE

There has been little talk of the Big Red Machine since that time. In fact, I don't know if he's been mentioned on WWE programming since late last year. I half expected him to either appear at or be a part of the promotion for the new Great Balls of Fire event for obvious reasons. But there was no hellfire and brimstone to be seen.

Of course, I know Glenn Jacobs, the man who brought Kane to life nearly 20 years ago (later this year I'll have a tribute blog up), is running for mayor of Knox County, Tennessee. Jacobs, now 50, has been vocal about his political aspirations in the past. My assumption is WWE is giving him time to run his campaign. I love that he has a fireball in his logo and his slogan is "Lighting the way for our future." I don't think he'll kick off council meetings by raising his arms and lowering them to flashes of fire, but it is a cool visual. Go ahead and think about it for a second. 

The election isn't until May 1, 2018, but it's my sincere hope we get to see at least one Kane match in 2017 to mark the 20 year anniversary of the character. Win or lose in May, I'd like to see him get a good send off. He's certainly earned it. Also, I'm excited to see that another Jacobs character, Isaac Yankem, DDS is the exclusive Elite figure from Toys R Us at this year's San Diego Comic Con. 

Spring Break: Then and Now

Spring Break views in 1995 and 2015

By Kevin Hunsperger
@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

In March 1995, a dozen of my Sigma Nu fraternity brothers loaded three different cars for a week of fun in the sun.  Our destination was Panama City Beach, Florida.  It was my senior year and first spring break getaway.  Fast forwarded twenty years, and my wife and I loaded our minivan and surprised our three kids with a spring break trip to Gatlinburg, Tennessee.

Obviously, spring break is much different when you're a 21-year-old college student compared to a 41-year-old father of three.  As I sat in the water park at our resort, I thought about how things had changed over the last 20 years.

In 1995, we all hung out at the infamous Club La Vela at night, having a good time...

In 2015, the only club I saw was the one I held during a rousing round of mini-golf at MagiQuest in Pigeon Forge.

In 1995, we paid $10 to drink all day at a place called Sharky's Beach Club.

Sharks at the Ripley's Aquarium

In 2015, we spent part of the day looking at sharks at the Ripley's Aquarium of the Smokies.

In 1995, a collection of pop tabs needed to be picked up and thrown away.

In 2015, Pop Tarts' crumbs were collected that needed to be picked up and thrown away.

Both trips were a blast for very different reasons, obviously.  New memories were made this time around with the four most important people in my life.