It led to him praying to the devil to help him one day become a bigger wrestling star than his father. Roberts slow, methodical and intense promo style was the opposite of the loud and boisterous ones of that era. [2] Smith also competed in Georgia, where he challenged Freddie Blassie for the NWA Georgia World Heavyweight Championship but was unable to win the title belt. Jake Roberts made a name for himself by bringing snakes along with him to the ring. He is best known by his ring name of Jake "The Snake" Roberts, and often brought snakes into the ring, including a boa constrictor named Damien and even a de-venomed cobra, named Lucifer. Roberts immediately began berating Randy Savage in a series of promos, aware that Savage who had lost a retirement match to the Ultimate Warrior at Wrestlemania VII was unable to exact revenge. Three of his children went on to become professional wrestlers: Aurelian Jr. as Jake "The Snake" Roberts, Michael as Sam Houston, and Robin as Rockin' Robin. By Raj Giri / Updated: Feb. 12, 2022 8:16 pm EST. To prevent Roberts from sustaining a further injury, he was quickly defeated by Austin; in a post-match interview, Austin mocked his recital of the biblical passage John 3:16 by saying "You sit there and you thump your Bible, and you say your prayers, and it didn't get you anywhere! PWA wrestler "Rockstar" Robbie Gillmore then interrupted Roberts and attempted to make an alliance based upon the fact that Robbie wears an 80s style shirt featuring a cobra. While in Stampede Wrestling, Roberts feuded with the Junkyard Dog.[7][8]. WWF president Jack Tunney reinstated Savage as an active wrestler to get revenge for the attack. So it was he posed for a "Just say no to drugs" poster, even if he couldn't say no himself. That's not bad at all, except he never saw that money. His father wrestled as Aurelian "Grizzly" Smith, his half-brother, Michael Smith, wrestled as Sam Houston, and his half-sister, Robin Smith, wrestled as 'Rockin' Robin. [7] Later in 1966, Smith and Brown won the American Wrestling Association's Midwest Tag Team Championship.[8]. He'd slither into the ring, pepper . [53], In 2007, WWE started a policy of paying all expenses for its former performers who wanted to start drug rehabilitation programs. It was in Georgia Championship Wrestling during 1983 that Roberts became part of Paul Ellering's stable, the Legion of Doom, and began a feud with Ron Garvin over the NWA World Television Championship that lasted into 1984. His single WCW pay-per-view match was against Sting at Halloween Havoc in 1992. But soon, Sid injured his biceps, which forced the feud to end.[10]. Not wanting to see his trainer and friend waste away any longer, Page pitched his DDP Yoga program, hoping to get Roberts back in shape and discipline him enough to stay sober. As he explained, "I never wanted you to trust me.". 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 where Damien was to retrieve it. A&E Network. After spending over a year in hiatus, Roberts returned to WWF at the Royal Rumble in 1996, as a Bible-preacher. All garments are made to order, please check size chart before ordering . After the match, Roberts placed his snake on Raven. It was at this time that Roberts' problems with the discs in his back were publicly acknowledged, as DiBiase attacked Roberts after a victory over his bodyguard Virgil on WWF Superstars of Wrestling. The feud continued with Steamboat winning most of the matches (losing only one because he threw Roberts back in the ring before the 10 count, while not beating the count himself), most notably a Snake Pit Match (ostensibly a no-DQ match) at The Big Event in Toronto, and the rematch on the October 1986 edition of Saturday Night's Main Event XII. Unknown to fans for years, Sam Houston and Rockin Robin are brother and sister to Jake and. The Hon. After the ill-fated night at 18, he learned the business through trial and error and got his ass handed to me often by veterans over his first two years. He was drunk out of his mind, slurred an incoherent speech about how he cheats at blackjack, and could barely stand up. There were also the lows of being away from his family and drug and alcohol addiction that left him wanting to die before getting help in 2012. Jake dealt with this fear (and pain) every night because he saw his snake as a wall to keep people from learning too much about the man behind the slithery creature. People were looking for somebody who they couldnt see through, Roberts said. Marsha Smith, MP was born and raised in the parish of Saint Ann. (Matsuda later recommended Smith's daughter Rockin' Robin to work for All Japan Women's Pro Wrestling in the 1990s). [5] Ted DiBiase said he enjoyed working with Roberts,[5] and Bad News Brown called him his second-best opponent. 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. The Snake had truly hit bottom, and even then it would take four more years before he found what would save his life. Roberts was set to wrestle Jim Neidhart, but a pre-match interview showed he was in no condition to wrestle, or do anything really. [3] He often brought snakes into the ring, most famously a python. Smith began wrestling in 1958. After several months, the feud culminated in a match at WrestleMania VII, in which both contestants were blindfolded (though both Roberts and Martel did later confess to having some limited vision due to mesh holes in the masks - these were briefly visible due to Jake putting his hand inside the mask after donning it shortly before the start of the match). Things got so awkward and bad, the promoter had to send two other wrestlers out to make it a tag team match, simply so Roberts didn't embarrass himself any further. She says things were so bad in 1998 she was grateful when he stayed away. Roberts, who still has four of his kids who currently dont want him back in their lives, said it was a gradual process getting accepted back by the other four starting with asking for forgiveness. [45] At Double or Nothing on May 23, 2020, Archer lost the final to Cody Rhodes after Mike Tyson prevented Roberts from interfering on Archer's behalf in the finals match for the new AEW TNT Championship. . In fact, he's been dealing with adversity from day one, thanks to his father. In January 1967, the Kentuckians showed up in Japan's International Wrestling Enterprise. From late The '80s to late The '90s, he feuded with their top tier talent. [36], Roberts made a one-night return to TNA in 2008 as a guest of "Black Machismo" Jay Lethal and SoCal Val's storyline wedding at Slammiversary.[37]. First reports indicated that Roberts had fallen unconscious, but his manager/lawyer, Kyle P. Magee, confirmed that Roberts was alert and awake during the flight and notified the flight attendant of his pain and shortness of breath. In 1996, Roberts, Vader, and Brother Love appeared on the ABC sitcom Boy Meets World for one episode.[52]. In October 1999, Roberts was one of several former NWA, WWF, and ECW wrestlers brought in to compete in the first Heroes of Wrestling event in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi. It's a sign that, at long last, he's ready to live the good life he's always deserved. During the post-SummerSlam wedding reception of Savage and Miss Elizabeth (in reality they had been married since 1984), Elizabeth opened a gift package containing a live cobra. Advertised as "a grueling 40 city campaign" containing pretty girls, wrestling, amazing circus stunts, and a fist fight, the tour features Jim Rose and wrestler Sinn Bodhi as "Team Jake". Roberts made an appearance at Booker T's Houston-based Pro Wrestling Alliance (PWA) promotion, in which he cut a promo urging those who want to enter the wrestling business to not follow along his path. Sid and Jake wrestled on Superstars a week later. Then, once released, she and her ex collected the money from Jake's sister's life insurance and ran off together. Knowing what Jake's gone through, it's little surprise that the Snakeman eventually turned to drugs and alcohol to cope with life. He was diagnosed with the flu two weeks earlier and ignored doctors' advice of rest and continued to travel to events. They were able to salvage some footwear and canned food, but flooding destroyed the remainder of their belongings. If you're not an Amazon Prime subscriber, the immersive documentary is also available to rent on Vudu ($2. [15] This began a heated feud throughout the summer of 1988, which escalated after Rude began wearing a pair of tights emblazoned with a visage of Mrs. Roberts, which an irate Roberts tore off. Roberts was featured in another wrestling documentary in 2015 entitled The Resurrection of Jake the Snake, which chronicled his time living with Diamond Dallas Page beginning in October 2012.[5]. If you've never seen the film, it follows Jake through an independent wrestling event "I like his snakes, I like his style!" and a failed attempt to reconnect with his daughter, and speaks. . You start getting involved, go to church with the kids, do this with the kids, and become involved in what theyre doing and not what youre doing, he said. Damien, to put it mildly, kicked his butt. Me and the boys, we go fishing and all sorts of things, Roberts said. You dont have a car because youve already sold it and you dont give a fk., All you think about is where youre gonna get your next hit and you didnt care what you did to do it, Roberts said. The team never won the tag titles and went back south. Smith began wrestling in 1958. As Jake recalled in his documentary, he had a sister, whose name he didn't disclose. Smith had a strained relationship with his son Aurelian Jr. (Jake Roberts), which Roberts stated was partially the result of his father not informing his children of the scripted nature of professional wrestling. Jake The Snake in Quarantine at DDP's Recovery Crib - YouTube 0:00 / 6:35 #DDP #JakeTheSnake #DDPY Jake The Snake in Quarantine at DDP's Recovery Crib 261,793 views Premiered May 10, 2020. JakeSnakeDDT That in itself is usually a very bad idea, but how it ended took it from "bad idea" to pure tragedy. The attack led to their match at WrestleMania III in which Roberts had Detroit native Alice Cooper (a known lover of snakes) in his corner. Jake "The Snake" Roberts WWE While working in Mid-South in 1986 he caught the eye of Vince McMahon and WWE - then the WWF. Roberts wrestled for the WWE in the late '80s and '90s and was infamous for bringing a pet snake . Articles by Marsha Smith How a Book Club Became My Joint. Apparently, Watts had a deal with WCW where he made a percentage of the money he saved the company, so he was cutting down contracts left and right, including Jake's. The initial plan was for Roberts to win the Intercontinental Championship shortly after The Honky Tonk Man's win over Steamboat and begin an angle with "The Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase, but because of the injuries from the guitar shot, the decision was made to keep the belt with The Honky Tonk Man.[14]. If that wasn't enough, Jake also had to deal with said grandmother dying of cancer, his beloved stepfather being electrocuted to death, and constant abuse from his stepmother. Forever ditching his birth name of Aurelian Smith Jr., Jake "The Snake" Roberts becomes lost in the character he's playing in the ring, often to his detriment. Roberts, who was so drunk that he could not stand up, took the fall in the match after Bundy splashed and pinned him. Jake "The Snake" Roberts. 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