Jake Roberts

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Aurelian Smith
Statistics
Ring name(s) Jake Roberts
Billed height 6 ft 5 in (196 cm)
Billed weight 260 lb (118 kg)
Born May 30, 1955
Gainesville, Texas
Resides Pompano Beach, Florida
Billed from Stone Mountain, Georgia
Debut May 13, 1975

Aurelian Jake Smith, Jr. (born on May 30, 1955), better known by his ring name of Jake "The Snake" Roberts, is a second-generation American professional wrestler, the son of former wrestler Grizzly Smith. Roberts is best known for his stint in the World Wrestling Federation from 1986 to 1992.

Roberts was known for his promos and his dark charisma, his extensive use of psychology in his matches and for inventing the DDT finishing maneuver.

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.

Contents

[edit] Wrestling career

[edit] Mid-South Wrestling and National Wrestling Alliance

Roberts started his career in 1975 in the Georgia area, making his name with Mid-South Wrestling and the National Wrestling Alliance. It was in the NWA during 1983 that Roberts became part of Paul Ellering's heel stable, The Legion of Doom, and began a feud with Ron Garvin over the NWA World Television Championship that lasted into 1984. Roberts returned to Mid-South Wrestling for 1985, ending his run there in February 1986 after a feud with Dick Slater.

[edit] The Origins of the DDT

Once during a match in his NWA days, Roberts had his opponent in a front facelock, but slipped and fell. Roberts' opponent fell on his head, legitimately knocking him out. From that match, Roberts incorporated the move as his finisher, naming it the DDT, though instead of falling back, he stepped back before falling (which, as he explained on his DVD Pick Your Poison, was the quickest way to drive his opponent's head into the mat, and also gave the move a "snap" effect).

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 or Damien's Death Touch, 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 poison 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 in March 1986, 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.

In later shoot interviews, Roberts recounted that jobbers were always offered more money to work with him, since Roberts would inevitably unleash the snake on them at the end of the match. Roberts also said that most wrestlers generally enjoyed working with him, although some (like Kamala) specifically requested that Jake keep the snake in the bag.

[edit] World Wrestling Federation

[edit] The Many Feuds of "The Snake"

[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 and then proceeded to rest Damien on top of a prone Steamboat, going so far as to put the snake in Steamboat's mouth. 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" (actually a small alligator) 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 Snake Pit Match (obstensibly a no-DQ 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 and chants of "DDT", 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] Honky 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, making Roberts into a babyface. 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. The Honky Tonk Man denies that he legitimately injured Jake.

[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 (who as part of the angle staged a heart attack on national television), 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 publicly 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, including a point where Roberts stole Dibiase's Million Dollar Belt, daring him or Virgil to reach into the canvas sack to retrieve it. The culmination of their feud took place at WrestleMania VI, where in a match where the Million Dollar Belt was on the line, DiBiase gained a count-out victory over Roberts, thus regaining the non-sanctioned title. After the match, Roberts, to the delight of his fans at the packed SkyDome in Toronto, Ontario, 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

Following 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 contestants 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 "the Barber" Beefcake'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 once 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 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 with Roberts telling Warrior "Never trust a snake".

Although 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 Randy Savage after he interrupted the Savages' wedding reception by putting a snake in one of the gift boxes at SummerSlam and later famously used a (devenomed) cobra to bite Savage'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 1992 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 attack, left, 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, thus 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 to build 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 being 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 against Sting and Nikita Koloff. However, before he could officially join WCW, he had to wait almost 90 days. Jake had negotiated a major contract with Kip Allen Fry, who was running the company at that time, that would earn him $4 million and give him 50 percent of all merchandise sold, as opposed to eight cents per shirt sold in the WWF. Just a few days before his contract could officially go in to 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 back in 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 single WCW pay-per-view match was against Sting at Halloween Havoc in 1992. Their match was determined via the Spin the Wheel, Make the Deal gimmick, 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 on his family. The couple would divorce not long afterwards.

[edit] Return to WWF

Jake returned to the WWF at the Royal Rumble in 1996, as a Bible-preaching face (his new snake was named “Revelations”). Roberts claimed to be a changed man who regretted his past and admitted on-camera to substance abuse, although some in the industry felt he was holding religious seminars as a way to make money rather than out of genuine faith[citation needed].

Roberts was pushed as a "Cinderella story" and faced 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!". King of the Ring 96 was the Stone Cold Steve Austin story, and "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 feuded with Jerry "The King" Lawler, who went to great lengths to ridicule Jake's past bouts against alcoholism. Later, Roberts and Lawler both said this angle was uncomfortable for them; 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, as a result of 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 featured two notorious incidents showcasing the depths that Roberts' drug and alcohol addiction had sunk to.

Jake was unflatteringly featured in the wrestling documentary Beyond the Mat. Throughout the film he made numerous confessions about his tragic past, including the murder of his sister and the collapse of his marriage. Amongst the more disturbing moments was Roberts reportedly smoking crack in a hotel room after a reunion with his daughter Brandy, though the act is not shown on camera. 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 UK. Pitbulls

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 £800 and was banned from keeping animals in the UK.

Jake would later return to action for the World Association of Wrestling and became 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.

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.

[edit] Total Nonstop Action Wrestling

Jake made an appearance on the October 19, 2006 edition of TNA iMPACT!, making a surprise appearance to a huge pop from the live audience. He announced he would referee the Monster's Ball match between Brother Runt, Abyss, Raven, and Samoa Joe at Bound for Glory. Jake proceeded to cut a rambling, incoherent promo that was barely audible to the live audience. At least once he ended up on his back during the promo and had trouble getting up. The promo lasted a couple of minutes live but was so incoherent that it was edited down to about 15 seconds on iMPACT. He had a snake in a bag, which he placed on Brother Runt after Runt came out and confronted Jake. At one point he even stuffed the snake's head down the front of Runt's pants. The confrontation was only partially aired on iMPACT. 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
  • AWF Puerto Rican Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
  • Regional

[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. She was also involved in a WWF storyline in the late 1980s. 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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