Jake Roberts

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Jake the Snake redirects here. For the American football player, see Jake Plummer.
Jake "The Snake" Roberts
Statistics
Ring name(s) Jake Roberts
Billed height 6 ft 4 in (193 cm)
Billed weight 260 lb (118 kg)
Born May 30, 1955
Gainesville, Texas
Resides Pompano Beach, Florida
Billed from Stone Mountain, Georgia
Trained by self taught by trial and error
Debut May 13, 1975

Aurelian Jake Smith, Jr. (born on May 30, 1955 in Gainesville, Texas), better known by his ring name of Jake "The Snake" Roberts, is a second-generation American professional wrestler. Roberts is best known for his stint in the World Wrestling Federation throughout the 1980s. He was known for his spellbinding promos and his dark charisma, his extensive use of psychology in his matches and for inventing the DDT finishing maneuver. He is the son of former professional wrestler Grizzly Smith. He is currently working for Total Nonstop Action.

Jake Roberts is credited with training Diamond Dallas Page and Raven, as well as teaching much about wrestling psychology to Steve Austin and The Undertaker. Roberts and fellow wrestler Vader appeared on the ABC sitcom Boy Meets World for one episode.

Roberts is generally considered to be one of the greatest wrestlers to never win a major wrestling championship. He cites this to the ability of his character to get over with fans without the help of titles.

Contents

[edit] Wrestling career

[edit] National Wrestling Alliance

Roberts started his career in 1975 in the Georgia area and made his name in the NWA as part of Paul Ellering's heel stable The Legion of Doom. He feuded with Ron Garvin in the 1980s over the NWA World Television Championship.

[edit] The Origins of the DDT

During a match when he had his opponent in a front facelock, he slipped and fell down and his opponent fell on his head, legitimately knocking him out. From that match, he incorporated the move as his finisher naming it the DDT. For a long time, many fans had tried to figure out what DDT had stood for, with some even believing it stood for Damien's Dinner Time, as to the fact that Jake routinely placed his pet python Damien on top of unconscious wrestlers following the (usually match-ending) DDT. Most people believe the move referenced the pesticide DDT, which was perceived by the public to be a poision during the 1980s. When at last asked what the DDT stood for, Jake famously replied, "The End".

[edit] How He Became "The Snake"

Roberts derived his nickname from being thin and snake-like. Roberts also said that he got his nickname from Oakland Raiders quarterback Ken "The Snake" Stabler. To accentuate this, he often would slide ("slither") into and out of the ring on his belly under the bottom rope. Once he reached the WWF, Roberts would bring a huge, live python (though various snakes were used over the years, most were named "Damien", and for safety purposes, most were heavily sedated) to ringside in a canvas bag. After executing a DDT, Roberts would coil the constrictor around the opponent's neck, and the snake would slither around on top of the fallen wrestler, sometimes appearing to strangle him. It was a masterful show of kayfabe (besides the fact that numerous fellow wrestlers and commentators were legitimately ophidiophobic), as the wrestler lay twitching and sometimes foaming at the mouth with the monstrous snake appearing to squeeze the life out of him. This display of theatricality got over with professional wrestling fans when George Wells, former Canadian Football League player turned wrestler, played "victim" to Damien at WrestleMania 2. His frothing at the mouth sold the gimmick as being something lethal.

[edit] World Wrestling Federation

[edit] Ricky Steamboat

Roberts' first major feud was against Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat. Few WWF fans knew that the two were former tag team partners in the National Wrestling Alliance, as it was never acknowledged on camera. The feud began when, on a nationally televised episode of Saturday Night's Main Event in May 1986, Roberts DDT'ed Steamboat on the floor right in front of his wife, Bonnie, whom Roberts had pointed to just before delivering the blow. He later stated that he was initially against doing the angle for fear that he might seriously injure or kill Steamboat. While Vince McMahon and booker George Scott were adamant about wanting the DDT to take place on the floor, he refused until Steamboat told him that he would be able to adequately protect himself from injury. However, Roberts' fears were not unfounded: Steamboat was rendered unconscious and sustained a concussion from the force of the blow.

After Steamboat's recovery, the feud featured Steamboat introducing a komodo dragon as his "pet" to combat the psychological effects Roberts' reptilian counterpart had on most adversaries. The feud continued with Steamboat winning most of the matches, most notably a Texas Death Match at The Big Event in Toronto, and the rematch on the October 1986, edition of Saturday Night's Main Event. Since their feud ended, both men have cited tremendous respect for one another, stating that the feud was a personal favorite for both. When asked about "The Dragon" in an interview, Roberts stated, "[Steamboat] was a great wrestler, but an even better man."

[edit] Hulk Hogan

Jake also began a brief feud with Hulk Hogan, but the angle was dropped when Roberts started receiving cheers from the crowd (even though Jake was initially intended to be a heel). This was seen as bad for business considering that Hogan was the top box office draw for the WWF.

[edit] Honkey Tonk Man

One of the more memorable moments in his career was when he had Alice Cooper in his corner during WrestleMania III in 1987. Jake's WrestleMania III opponent, The Honky Tonk Man, brutally attacked Jake with a guitar on Jake's interview segment The Snake Pit. In reality, The Honky Tonk Man's guitar shot legitimately injured Jake's neck, rupturing two discs. Jake admitted in interviews that the shot was prior to the use of breakaway guitars, so when Honky clubbed him, he really got hit hard. Jake started using pain killers following the injury, which led to severe opiate addictions later in his life.

[edit] Rick Rude

Perhaps his best-known feud was against "Ravishing" Rick Rude, who was doing a gimmick where he would select a woman from the audience to kiss after each match. Rude inadvertently chose Jake's real-life wife Cheryl, who refused the kiss; Jake rescued her before Rude could attack, although Cheryl slapped him hard enough to send Rude reeling. At another event, Rude wore a pair of tights emblazoned with a visage of Mrs. Roberts, which an irate Jake tore off, sending Rude running apparently naked from the ring when shown on TV, when those at the arena saw Rude in a thong. The feud ended due to a reportedly real-life affair between Rude and Cheryl, though Roberts has stated that, to the best of his knowledge, there was no affair.

[edit] André the Giant

Next, "The Snake" engaged in a feud with André the Giant. In this storyline, Roberts used his snake to gain a psychological edge over the ophidiophobic André, to nullify the Giant's overwhelming size and strength advantage. Jake can claim a victory via disqualification over André after André attacked special guest referee "Big" John Studd at WrestleMania V. In retrospect, he views his feud with André as a compliment, citing that since André usually worked with the top guys in each territory, he believes WWE management was subliminally telling him he had the potential to be a top guy.

[edit] Ted DiBiase

Shortly after his feud with André had ended, Roberts entered into a feud with "The Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase. It was at this time that Roberts' disc problems were publically acknowledged, as DiBiase attacked Roberts after a victory over his bodyguard Virgil on WWF Superstars of Wrestling. In the attack, Roberts was "injured" by DiBiase, and needed time off to have surgery to repair the damage.

After successful surgery, Roberts returned and feuded with DiBiase throughout the end of 1989 into 1990. The culmination of their feud took place at WrestleMania VI, where DiBiase gained a count-out victory over Roberts. After the match, Roberts, to the delight of his fans at the packed SkyDome in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, mounted an offensive against DiBiase and Virgil, and began giving away DiBiase's "money". One of the recipients was actress Mary Tyler Moore, who was seated at ringside.

[edit] Rick Martel

After a brief feud with Bad News Brown in the summer of 1990, Roberts feuded with "The Model" Rick Martel throughout late 1990 into early 1991, after Martel blinded Roberts (kayfabe) by spraying cologne into his eyes. Roberts went so far as to wear white contact lenses to 'prove' his blindness. After several months, the feud culminated in a match at WrestleMania VII, in which both contestents were blindfolded. The bout ended after Roberts vanquished his rival with the DDT.

[edit] Earthquake

In early to mid-1991, Roberts engaged in a bitter feud with Earthquake after his 450-pound body "squashed" Damien (in actuality, it was hamburger stuffed in pantyhose with a small motor to make it look like a live snake was in the bag), and then used Damien's "carcass" to make "Quakeburgers", which he fed to on-air commentator Lord Alfred Hayes.

Jake would appear on Brutus Beekcake's interview segment "The Barbershop" and stated that "you could do two things: Roll over and die, or get yourself a bigger snake", in which he revealed that his new snake was a larger python, a reticulated python whom he named "Lucifer"- the supposed big brother of Damien and "the devil himself."

[edit] The Ultimate Warrior

In mid-1991 Jake Roberts turned heel again. For weeks, he was the one the Ultimate Warrior turned to in his feud with The Undertaker. The angle involved Roberts telling the Warrior that he would have the knowledge of the dark side necessary to defeat his adversary after passing three tests, which would be shown on WWF TV in consecutive weeks. The first was to be locked inside of a coffin, repeating an incident that occurred on The Funeral Parlor (which was hosted by 'Taker's manager Paul Bearer), a few months prior. The second test had Roberts "bury" the Warrior alive in dirt and walk offscreen. The third test involved Warrior entering a room full of snakes to and having to walk through them to find "the answer" in a chest in the middle of the room. When the Warrior opened the chest, he was alarmed to find a king cobra, which (kayfabe) bit him in the face; in actuality, the snake was devenomized and in fact, never actually bit him. As Warrior "weakened" from the "effects" of the cobra's strike, Roberts was joined by The Undertaker and Paul Bearer, revealing the three were in cahoots all along.

While beautifully planned out, the two were set for what WWF hoped would be one of the hottest feuds of 1991 after SummerSlam 1991, but, due to a financial dispute that the Warrior had with the WWF around this same period, the match never materialized. Warrior was fired after the event, but WWE still struck while the iron was hot and turned a negative (losing one of their biggest stars and, with it, the money grossing potential the feud had) into a positive.

[edit] Randy Savage

Afterward, Roberts had an extremely intense feud with "Macho Man" Randy Savage, after he interrupted the Savage's wedding reception at SummerSlam and later famously used a (devenomed) cobra to bite the Macho Man's arm (the snake died after the incident, due to a toxic reaction). WWF president Jack Tunney reinstated Savage, who had lost a retirement match (to the Ultimate Warrior) earlier that year at WrestleMania VII, as an active wrestler to get revenge for the attack, and he and Roberts feuded for the next few months. Their first match was at the Tuesday In Texas pay-per-view, which saw the "Macho Man" earn a victory over Roberts, but it was Roberts who would have the last laugh as he attacked Savage after the match and slapped Savage's wife, Miss Elizabeth, in the middle of the ring. The feud would continue through the early part of 1992, and included Savage eliminating Roberts from that year's Royal Rumble match.

The feud would end on Saturday Night's Main Event, with Savage getting the duke. Roberts, livid at having lost to his arch-nemesis and having received two of Savage's patented flying elbow drops (one of which happened after the match; Savage was going for a third until officials intervened), was helped backstage and, enraged, grabbed a steel chair, saying that he was going to hit whoever came backstage first, whether it was Savage or Elizabeth. Just as he was about to swing the chair, someone stopped him. While Savage and Liz, seeing they had averted a potential tragedy, got out of dodge, Jake turned to confront The Undertaker, who distracted Roberts long enough so that Savage could hit Roberts with a chair instead.

[edit] The Undertaker

In early 1992, Jake turned on The Undertaker, who had been his partner in the assault on Savage's wedding, completing the Undertaker's turn into a babyface. After an incident on The Funeral Parlor in which Roberts locked the Undertaker's hand in a casket and DDT'ed the show's host and Undertaker's manager Paul Bearer, the two continued building momentum for their encounter at WrestleMania VIII. Roberts lost to his opponent at WrestleMania VIII and left the WWF soon after that, upset that WWF chairman Vince McMahon didn't offer him a position on the writing staff despite being promised previously. After Pat Patterson stepped down from his post on the writing staff, Vince decided that out of respect for Patterson, the spot would be left vacant. Jake felt he was not only being lied to but also betrayed. In response, Jake threatened to no-show WrestleMania VIII if he wasn't given a release from his contract.

[edit] World Championship Wrestling

Jake went on to work for World Championship Wrestling alongside his father, Grizzly Smith, where he aligned himself with The Barbarian and Cactus Jack to feud with Sting and Nikita Koloff. Before he could officially join WCW, he had to wait for almost 90 days. Jake had negotiated a major contract with Kip Allen Fry, who was running the company at the time, would earn him $4 million and give him 50 percent of all merchandise sold as opposed to the eight cents you got per shirt sold in the WWF. Just a few days before his contract could officially go into effect, Jake's old real-life adversary back in the NWA, Bill Watts took over for Kip Fry. Watts had promoted Roberts on his own merits in the old Mid-South Wrestling, and disliked the snake-bearing gimmick the WWF had put on him. With Watts now in control, Jake went from making about $4 million to half a million.

His one WCW pay-per-view match was against Sting at Halloween Havoc in 1992, after picking their match via a wheel, which was inspired by the movie Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome. There was a series of gimmick matches on the wheel, but because the wheel wasn't gimmicked, it landed on what many pundits believed was the worst option - The Coal Miner's Glove Match. However, it was the company's top-selling PPV for several years, but Jake soon left WCW after his wife gave him an ultimatum to either focus on his career or his family. The two would divorce not long afterwards.

[edit] Return to WWF

Jake “The Snake” Roberts with his snake, “Revelations”
Jake “The Snake” Roberts with his snake, “Revelations”

Jake returned to the WWF in 1996, as a Bible-reading face (his new snake was named “Revelations”). Roberts claimed to be a changed man who regretted his past, though some in the industry felt he was holding religious seminars as a way to make money rather than out of genuine faith.

Roberts was pushed as a "Cinderella story" and faced Stone Cold Steve Austin in the final match of the King of the Ring tournament. Austin won, and as Roberts was helped to the back, Austin mocked the Snake's recital of the biblical passage John 3:16, saying "Austin 3:16 says I just whipped your ass!" "Austin 3:16" became a catchphrase that helped propel Austin to the top of the WWF and pro wrestling for the next three years.

Jake later feuded with Jerry "The King" Lawler, who went to great lengths to ridicule Jake's past bouts with alcoholism. Roberts and Lawler both later said this angle was uncomfortable; at one point Lawler spat real whiskey at Roberts.

[edit] Independent Circuit

Roberts was fired from the WWF in 1997 for failing to show up for work during a series of house shows, brought on by an ongoing lapse in his sobriety. He competed briefly in Mexico, where he was shaved bald by Konnan, and began appearing in the independent circuit in the U.S. and Great Britain, largely out of the view of most wrestling fans.

Jake got a high amount of Internet buzz in 1999 as a candidate to be The Undertaker's 'Higher Power'. When Vince McMahon was revealed to be the one, he specifically cited on the air the speculation over Roberts.

[edit] Beyond the Mat & Heroes of Wrestling

1999 also contained two notorious incidents showcasing the depths that Roberts' drug and alcohol addiction had sunk to.

Jake was unflatteringly featured in a wrestling documentary entitled Beyond The Mat, which contained compelling and disturbing images, including Roberts dealing with his personal demons by reportedly smoking crack in a hotel room after a reunion with his daughter, Brandy. In 2005, Jake, along with others, heavily criticized the film for showing him in a negative light, complaining that the depiction of him was "not the real Jake Roberts". Roberts also claimed that director Barry Blaustein and Terry Funk lied to him about the aims of the film, telling him it was a television special on the effects of drug and alcohol abuse.

Also in 1999, at a Independent PPV show entitled Heroes of Wrestling, Jake cut a rambling, incoherent promo in which he heavily slurred his words. Minutes later, he staggered toward the ring, apparently drunk, for an awkward match with Jim Neidhart, at one point even asking a hesitant female fan at ringside to fondle his pectoral muscles. During the match, when Jake's snake wriggled free from the bag, he waved the snake toward the audience while it was protruding from his crotch.

For more details on this topic, see Heroes_of_Wrestling#The_infamous_Jake_Roberts_interview.

[edit] 2001-2005

In 2001, Jake Roberts moved to Great Britain, where he began competing for Brian Dixon's All-Star Wrestling. In December, he made his debut for Ricky Knight's World Association of Wrestling in Lowestoft, teaming with Steve Quintain against the U.K. Pitbulls

Early in 2002, Jake was fired from the World Association of Wrestling roster by Ricky Knight, who claimed that Jake had failed to live up to his end of the bargain with regards to several business and financial agreements.

On October 20, 2002, Jake Roberts became the NWA (UK) Hammerlock Heavyweight Champion in Maidstone, Kent, England by defeating "Vigilante" Johnny Moss. Moss defeated him for the title the next night in Ashford, Kent, England, though. In November 2002, Jake started his own wrestling promotion in the UK, called Real Stars of Wrestling. Jake would later go on to open his own training school.

Jake's legal troubles continued, after he was accused of animal cruelty for leaving the snakes at his house unfed for several months. One python subsequently died from starvation. Jake was fined stg£800 and was banned from keeping animals in the U.K.

Jake was scheduled to wrestle for Jon Farrer's Global Wrestling Force show against Robbie Brookside in Blackburn. However, when the ring failed to turn up, the show was cancelled. For a short while it was claimed that Steve Lynskey, the man who was meant to be delivering the ring to the show, had had a falling out with Jake and used this as a way to get back at him. Others claimed that because of legal reasons Jake couldn't compete in this particular ring anyway. There have been many other reasons given for Lynskey not delivering the ring, none of which have been proven.

Jake would later return to action for the World Association of Wrestling, having made his peace with Ricky Knight, and would become a regular on their shows again. He would also go on to compete for the Ultimate Wrestling Alliance, owned by Paul Tyrell and Phil Powers.

[edit] 2004-2005

In February 2004, Jake wrestled for Wrestle Zone Wrestling, who are the leading wrestling promotion in the North-east of England. Jake headlined WZW's first sellout tour of Scotland and Carlisle. The tour would bring about even more controversy to Jake's already controversial career. On the night of the first show in Dumfries, Jake got into a backstage confrontation with established UK wrestler Alex Shane. Alex, after being taunted by Jake, attacked the legendary wrestler. Alex later said that he couldn't take anymore of Jake's insults and felt it necessary to hit Jake. Jake, after a warning by then-WZW owner Gary Graham went out and faced the UK Hardcore Icon Iceman. Jake won via his patented DDT. The next night at the Lakes Court Hotel in Carlisle, Jake lost his match to Phil Powers, but on the afternoon show Jake would get his revenge, when he beat Powers in what has been described as Jake's best match this side of the Atlantic.

Amazingly, Jake was later booked by Alex Shane on an FWA show as a late replacement for Steve Corino, who had been unable to attend the show because of flight problems. Jake was soon given his marching orders though, after getting into a backstage confrontation with Steve Lynskey, who worked for the FWA as a referee, with regards to the Blackburn incident a year before.

Jake made his final British appearance at WAW's October Outrage show in Canvey Island, Essex, once again teaming with Steve Quintain against the U.K. Pitbulls. However, Jake turned up at the show "in no fit state to compete", but went ahead with his match. Jake cut a drunken promo paying tribute to Ray Traylor, who had died a few days before, and almost got into a scuffle with several WAW wrestlers who were sent out to defuse the situation. This involved challenging the young Zak Zodiac, son of Ricky Knight and Sweet Saraya, and who was only 13 at the time, to a fight.

During 2004, Jake caused further controversy by entering into a relationship with a female trainee of his, with whom he lived for six months, and who later went on to become popular UK-based wrestler, Aphrodite.

Jake made a WWE appearance on March 14, 2005 on RAW, where he confronted Randy Orton, who was preparing to challenge the Undertaker at WrestleMania 21. Roberts warned Orton that facing The Undertaker, particularly at WrestleMania, could be a soul-altering experience; he then fell victim to Orton's signature "RKO," helping to fuel Orton's "Legend Killer" gimmick. He worked with the company to create a DVD retrospective of his career, which was released later that year.

In the DVD Jake claimed that he moved to Britain to "get clean", which is something that several of the promoters Jake worked for would dispute, given the fact that he was often seen drinking heavily and taking drugs backstage at shows.

[edit] Total Nonstop Action Wrestling

Jake made an appearance on the October 19, 2006 edition of TNA iMPACT!, and announced he would referee the Monster's Ball match between Brother Runt, Abyss, Raven and Samoa Joe at Bound for Glory. He had a snake in a bag. Whether this was supposed to be Lucifer is unknown. At TNA Bound For Glory on October 22, 2006, he performed a DDT on Raven, giving Samoa Joe the win in the Monster's Ball match.

[edit] In wrestling

  • Finishing and signature maneuvers

[edit] Championships and accomplishments

  • Americas Wrestling Federation
  • 1-time AWF Puerto Rican Heavyweight Champion
  • PWI ranked him # 100 of the 500 best singles wrestlers of the PWI Years in 2003.
  • PWI Most Inspirational Wrestler Award (1996)
  • 1-time Stampede Wrestling North American Heavyweight Champion
  • World Wrestling Association
  • 1-time WWA Puerto Rican Heavyweight Champion

[edit] Personal life

Jake is the son of wrestler Aurelian "Grizzly" Smith, with whom he has a strained relationship.[1] He has a half-brother, Michael (the former wrestler known as Sam Houston) and a half-sister, Robin (Rockin' Robin), both of whom also became wrestlers.

His ex-wife is Cheryl Roberts, with whom he has four children, who was actually involved in a WWF storyline in the late 1980s. The storyline involved Rick Rude, but was stopped when he and Cheryl allegedly had a real-life affair. Jake remarried in February 2006, to his second wife, Judy.

He also lived in London Colney, UK for some time, and for a short time in Aldershot, UK.

Valerie Burnham, the woman whom Jake lived with during his time in Britain, has announced that she is writing a book about her life with Jake.

[edit] External links

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