|
Jake "The
Snake" Roberts was one of the most feared men in
professional wrestling. His finishing move "The DDT"
ended many a wrestling match and the fact that it could be
applied out of nowhere made Jake all the more dangerous.
Even more dangerous than the DDT though was Jake's diabolical
mind. His psychological games could be just as
devastating as his finishing hold.
The son of wrestler
"Grizzly" Smith, Jake began wrestling in Stu Hart's Calgary
Stampede Wrestling (CSW) where he earned his first
championship by defeating Big Daddy Ritter (aka the Junkyard
Dog) for the North American Heavyweight title.
Jake wrestled in the U.S. for Mid-Atlantic Championship
Wrestling (MACW) and Mid-South Wrestling (MSW) as a
babyface. In MSW, Roberts began using the kneelift
as his finishing move after he was taught the move by Mr.
Wrestling II. Roberts competed against the Grappler and
won the Mid-South North American Heavyweight title. He
then lost the title to Paul "Mr. Wonderful"
Orndorff.
After his time in MSW,
Roberts turned heel and wrestled as part of Kevin
Sullivan's Satanic cult in Championship Wrestling from Florida
(CWF). In CWF, Roberts was
one of Sullivan's devil-worshipping minions who aided Sullivan
in his intense feud with "The American Dream" Dusty
Rhodes. During a Loser Leaves Town cage between Rhodes
and Sullivan, Roberts disguised himself as Santa Claus and
helped Sullivan defeat Rhodes, leading to Rhodes disappearing
from Florida and a mysterious wrestler known as the Midnight
Rider appearing in Rhodes' absence.
Georgia
Championship Wrestling (GCW) was Roberts' next
destination. Roberts battled Ronnie Garvin for the NWA
National TV Title and the belt exchanged hands between both
men (later becoming the NWA World TV Title). In GCW,
Roberts was a member of "Precious" Paul Ellering's Legion of
Doom along with the Road Warriors and the Spoiler.
Around this time, Jake began using a new move known as
the DDT. In the DVD "Jake 'The Snake' Roberts: Pick Your
Poison", Jake explains that the DDT was the result of a
botched move in the ring which got a great fan reaction and
led to the implementation of the DDT. The DDT
became Jake's signature move and helped him become a
rising star.
Jake
also competed in World Class Championship Wrestling (WCCW)
where he won the World Six Man Tag Team Title with Chris Adams
and Gino Hernandez.
While Jake enjoyed wrestling, his
true love was booking matches. In GCW, Roberts helped
book matches. Unfortunately his booking was cut
short when Vince McMahon Jr. purchased Georgia Championship
Wrestling. Jake refused McMahon's offer of employment
and went to work for Bill Watts.
|
Jake delivers a kneelift to Dick
Slater |
Jake cuts a promo in
Mid-South |
Roberts continued his winning ways in Bill Watts' Mid-South
Wrestling (MSW) where he won the Mid-South TV title from Dick
Slater. Roberts also feuded with Lord Humongous in MSW. To
combat the protective mask Humongous wore during his matches,
Jake fought fire with fire by wearing his own hockey
mask to the ring. Unfortunately for Jake, he had
problems dealing with promoter Bill Watts and looked to the
WWF for possible employment. After phoning McMahon,
he was soon hired as the next WWF Superstar.
Wrestling as a heel in the WWF, Jake quickly
gained the fans' emnity by carrying a boa constrictor named
Damien to the ring and unleashing it on his opponents
after he knocked them out with the DDT. Roberts made
his Wrestlemania debut at Wrestlemania II where he
defeated George "Master G" Wells. Roberts made a name for himself when he
fought Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat
on Saturday Night's Main Event. Before the match even
started, Roberts attacked Steamboat and delivered his DDT to
Steamboat on the concrete. He then unleashed Damien on
Steamboat. Steamboat and Roberts feuded for several
months. One of the biggest matches of their feud occured
at "The Big Event" in Toronto, Ontario with Steamboat gaining
the pinfall after he reversed a nonchalant pin by an
overconfident Jake.
After his feud
with Steamboat ended, Roberts battled other top level WWF
superstars such as Randy "Macho Man"
Savage and Hulk Hogan. However fans in the WWF began
taking a liking to Jake "The Snake". They appreciated
his unique style and the memorable interviews he gave.
Roberts began hosting an interview segment known as "The Snake
Pit". During one of these segments, Roberts ridiculed
The Honkey Tonk Man (HTM), leading an angry HTM to ambush
Roberts and smash a guitar over his head (Unfortunately
the guitar was not gimmicked as it was supposed to be and
the attack ruptured two discs in Roberts'
neck.). Roberts turned face and began feuding with
HTM, leading to a match at Wrestlemania III where rock star
Alice Cooper accompanied Jake to ringside. Although HTM
defeated Jake, Roberts gained a measure of revenge when he
unleashed Damien on HTM's manager, "Colonel" Jimmy
Hart.
"The Snake"
continued to remain in the top tier of the WWF as he battled
such stars as "King Kong" Bundy and Killer Khan. Then
Roberts began an intense feud with "Ravishing" Rick Rude after Rude tried
to kiss Roberts' wife Cheryl at ringside. The two
superstars battled to a double count-out at Wrestlemania IV
but their feud was just starting. Rude escalated things
when he wore a pair of tights with Cheryl Roberts' face
airbrushed on them to ringside. Jake warned Rude to
never wear the tights. When Rude ignored his warning,
Roberts attacked Rude and stripped him naked during a
nationally televised match! The two were still feuding
when Rude's fellow Bobby Heenan Family member Andre the Giant interfered in a
match between Rude and Roberts. Roberts evened the odds by
unleashing Damien. Unknown to Roberts, Andre was deathly
afraid of snakes, and he suffered a heart attack in the
ring!
Andre and
Jake began feuding. Although Andre outsized and
outpowered Jake, his fear of snakes gave Roberts a weapon he
was more than happy to use. After Andre eliminated Jake
from the 1989 Royal Rumble, Jake unleashed Damien on Andre,
making Andre eliminate himself from the ring just so he could
escape Damien! The feud continued at Wrestlemania V
where Jake won by disqualification after Andre attacked
special referee "Big" John
Studd.
The
feud with Andre was barely over before Jake began feuding with
"The Million Dollar Man" Ted
DiBiase. Roberts formed a team to compete against DiBiase
at the 1989 Surivor Series and won against DiBase, Zeus, and
the Powers of Pain. The feud continued in 1990 when Jake
Roberts stole the Million Dollar Belt from DiBiase.
DiBiase battled Roberts at Wrestlemania VI and won the belt
back after defeating Roberts by countout.
Jake's next big feud was with "The Model" Rick Martel.
During an interview with Martel, Roberts mocked him, which led
to Martel spraying his cologne "Arrogance" in Roberts eyes,
blinding him. Jake's eyesight slowly came back over the next
few months as he battled Martel at the Survivor Series, Royal
Rumble, and eventually at Wrestlemania VII. At
Wrestlemania VII, Roberts evened the odds by having himself
and Martel blindfolded during their match. The match
is regarded as one of the most boring Wrestlemania matches of
all time. Roberts won the match and eventually, regained
his full sight.
After
years of bringing Damien to the ring, Jake was devastated when
the mammoth wrestler known as Earthquake killed Damien.
Earthquake performed his Earthquake Squash on Damien.
Jake brought in a new snake known as Lucifer, much to
Earthquake's dismay.
When the Ultimate Warrior found
himself challenged by the
Undertaker, he turned to Roberts for help in understanding
the path of darkness. "The Snake" appeared on "The
Funeral Parlor" and told Paul Bearer that he was going to
share the secrets of the dark side with the Ultimate
Warrior. Roberts agreed to help the Ultimate Warrior and
over the next few weeks, he prepared various ordeals for the
Ultimate Warrior to undergo. The first had Roberts place
the Ultimate Warrior in a coffin and lock him in, much the
same as the Undertaker had just weeks before. The next
challenge involved the Warrior being buried up to his neck in
a graveyard. The final challenge came when Roberts
instructed the Warrior to go into a darkened room. When
the lights went on, the Warrior found himself in a room full
of snakes! Roberts had led the Ultimate Warrior into a
trap and it was soon revealed that Roberts was working with
the Undertaker and Paul Bearer.
Now allied with
the Undertaker and Paul Bearer, Roberts started a feud with Randy "Macho Man" Savage by
crashing the wedding reception of Savage and the lovely
Elizabeth. Elizabeth and Savage were opening presents
when a snake jumped out of one of the packages. The
Undertaker bludgeoned Savage with an urn, knocking him
out. Only the intervention of Sid Justice kept things
from escalating.
Roberts' assault on
Savage and Elizabeth drove the Macho Man into a frenzy.
Unfortunately for Savage he had lost a retirement match at
Wrestlemania VII and he could not face Roberts in the
ring. For months, Roberts taunted the Macho Man but
Savage was unable to do anything. Wrestling fans
petitioned WWF President Jack Tunney to reinstate "The Macho
Man" but he refused to do so. Finally, after an incident
in which Roberts had tied Savage up in the ring ropes and
unleashed a Cobra on Savage, Tunney relented.
Roberts and Savage met
at the "Tuesday in Texas" PPV but nothing was settled.
The two battled with one goal in mind, eliminating the other
one from wrestling. Savage and Roberts would feud for
several months before Savage destroyed Roberts in a match on
Saturday Night's Main Event. Savage had clearly shown
his superiority over Roberts but even that wasn't enough to
slow Roberts down. As Savage and Elizabeth returned to
the dressing room, Roberts waited with a steel chair ready to
ambush them, caring not whether it was Elizabeth or Savage he
struck. However Elizabeth was saved by an unlikely hero,
none other than the Undertaker! The Undertaker grabbed
the chair and prevented Roberts from blasting Elizabeth with
the chair, saving her from what would likely have been
permanent injury.
"The Snake" was
not happy with the Undertaker's actions and he made his
displeasure known on an episode of "the Funeral Parlor".
Roberts confronted the Undertaker and asked the Dead Man which
side he was on. The Undertaker replied "Not
yours". A furious Jake "The Snake" then trapped the
Undertaker in a coffin and beat up Paul Bearer. Roberts
and the Undertaker met at Wrestlemania where the Undertaker
obliterated Roberts. Around this time, Jake's father
Grizzly Smith was working at World Championship Wrestling
(WCW) and had arranged for a lucrative deal for Roberts.
According to Roberts, he demanded his release from Vince
McMahon or he would no-show Wrestlemania. McMahon
relented and Jake went to WCW only to find
After
leaving the WWF, Roberts showed up in World Championship
Wrestling where he caught Sting's attention by DDTing him on a
steel chair. Sting was wrestling Cactus Jack when
Roberts appeared out of the audience and attacked
Sting. The two met at the
1992 Halloween Havoc pay-per-view in a "Spin the Wheel,
Make the Deal" match. A special wheel was spun with
various matches listed on it. The two ended up fighting
in a Coal Miner's Glove Match with Sting getting
the victory. After the match, Roberts was bit by
the snake he brought into the ring.
Campaigning in Smokey Mountain Wrestling
(SMW), Jake challenged the Dirty White Boy for the SMW
Heavyweight Championship. The Dirty White Boy was
wrestling at a disadvantage due to an eye injury he had
sustained. True to form, Roberts capitalized on the eye
injury throughout the match, maintaining an advantage
despite his foe's determined fight. The match ended
after Roberts attacked a camera boy at ringside, took his
flash box, and set off the flash in Dirty White Boy's
eye. Roberts then DDTed his stunned opponent and pinned
him to win the belt. Roberts would hold the belt for two
months before Dirty White Boy regained it.
In 1996, Jake "The Snake" surprised fans
by appearing at that year's Royal Rumble. While he did
not win the Rumble, he quickly won the fans over as a
babyface. Roberts was now preaching the gospel of Jesus
Christ, professing his faith as a born again Christian.
Roberts appeared on WWF television where he discussed his
battles with the personal demons of drug and alcohol abuse and
how he had conquered them with Christianity. Jake also
had a new snake with him named Revelations and he was
determined to be a force in the WWF.
At Wrestlemania XII, Jake teamed with
Ahmed Johnson and Yokozuna to take on Owen Hart, the British
Bulldog, and Vader. Jake defeated Hunter Hearst Helmsley and Justin
"Hawk" Bradshaw on his way to advancing to the 1996 King of
the Ring finals. During the semi-final match, Roberts
beat Vader by disqualification but Vader injured Roberts'
ribs, putting him at a distinct disadvantage in the final
round against "Stone Cold" Steve Austin. Austin won the
match and afterwards, mocked Roberts' faith in his famous "Austin 3:16" speech.
Roberts soon found the sincerity of his
beliefs challenged by Jerry "The King"
Lawler. Lawler mocked Roberts' past struggles with
alcoholism and at one point slapped Roberts in the face
parodying Christ's instruction to "turn the other
cheek". After Lawler slapped Roberts again, he quickly
learned the folly of mocking Roberts as "The Snake" proceeded
to choke Lawler on WWF television.
The two met in a series of matches
including a bout at SummerSlam where Lawler won the match by
blasting Jake with a bottle of alcohol. The feud
culminated in an elimination match at Survivor Series where
the team of Jake Roberts, Marc Mero, Ahmed Johnson, and Rocky
Maivia defeated Jerry Lawler, Hunter Hearst Helmsley, Goldust,
and Crush. Roberts continued wrestling in the WWF and
appeared at the 1997 Royal Rumble before leaving the
federation for several years.
Recently, Jake Roberts resurfaced in World
Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) where he confronted Randy Orton
prior to his match with the Undertaker. Roberts warned
Orton of the dangers of fighting the Undertaker and told him
how his career had never been the same after battling the Dead
Man. When Orton mocked Roberts, Roberts replied with a
short arm clothesline. Before he could DDT Orton though,
he was caught in Orton's RKO and joined the list of legends
who had been taken out by Orton.
 |
In the fall of
2005, WWE Home Video released a 2 disc collection
of Jake Roberts' matches entitled "Pick Your Poison".
The collection features a 2 hour feature on the life and
career of Jake Roberts in which Roberts candidly
discusses his troubled childhood and the personal demons
that have plagued him throughout his life.
|
| 
