Jake
"The Snake" Roberts
Real Name: Aurelian Smith,
Jr.
Height/Weight: 6'5"/246
Signature Moves: DDT
WCCW Titles Held: WCCW Television Champion, WCCW Six Man Tag Team
Championship (with Chris Adams and Gino Hernandez).
Notable WCCW Feuds: Mike Von Erich
Need to Know Facts: Born Aurelian Smith, Jr. on May 30, 1955 in
Gainesville, Texas, Jake "The Snake" Roberts' interviews and in-ring
psychology should be considered the essential "ABC's" to those wanting to
master the craft that is pro wrestling.
Although some might dispute it, Roberts is credited with inventing the
finishing maneuver known as the DDT, which is essentially a front facelock to
his opponent as Roberts falls backwards, crashing the opponent's head to the
canvas. Over the years, arenas all around the world have been rocked
with "DDT! DDT!" chants. By merely raising a finger and staring
out into the crowd, Roberts would cause crowds to erupt as they knew he was
about to use the maneuver on a helpless victim.
Son
of veteran wrestler and booker Grizzly Smith, and half-brother of
Sam Houston and Rockin' Robin, Roberts began his pro career
in 1974 in the Louisiana area as both a referee and wrestler. (He got
his nickname of "Snake" due to his tall and lean build.) After a stint
in Stu Hart's Calgary-based Stampede Wrestling, Roberts ventured into Bill
Watts' Mid-South Wrestling promotion, and later into Georgia Championship
Wrestling. Unbeknownst to many fans today, Roberts was a charter member
of the original Legion of Doom along with King Kong Bundy and The Road
Warriors, led by manager "Precious" Paul Ellering.
While in the Georgia area, Roberts feuded with future NWA World Champion
Ronnie Garvin over the NWA National Television Championship (which later
became simply the NWA World Television Championship). The two wrestling
legends exchanged the title with each other on two separate occasions.
After his stint in Georgia had come to an end, Roberts entered World Class
Championship Wrestling in September of 1984. Jake almost immediately
aligned himself with Gino Hernandez, and the two formed a vastly talented
partnership along with their valet, Nickla "Andrea the Lady Giant" Roberts
(who later became "The Perfect 10", Baby Doll in Jim Crockett Promotions, and
Jake's future sister-in-law).
On September 28, 1984, during a match where Roberts and Hernandez faced
off against Kevin Von Erich and Chris Adams, Adams turned on Von
Erich, igniting one of wrestling's hottest feuds of 1984-85. Adams (now
managed by Gary Hart) teamed with Roberts and Hernandez to capture the WCCW Six Man Tag Team titles from Kerry and Mike
Von Erich and "Fantastic" Bobby Fulton (who was a substitute for the injured
Kevin Von Erich) on October 27, 1984 in the Cotton Bowl.
The trio would go on to hold the titles until losing it back to the Von Erich
brothers on December 31, 1984 in Fort Worth, Texas. Roberts left the World
Class territory shortly thereafter. Despite being involved in the early
stages of the legendary Von Erich-Dynamic Duo feud, Roberts was
sadly underutilized during his WCCW stay.
After another stint in the Mid-South promotion, Jake signed on with the World
Wrestling Federation (WWF) in March 1986, quickly becoming one of the
federation's most feared competitors. Roberts began carrying a massive
Burmese python he called Damien in a canvas bag (though several snakes played
the role of Damien through the years) to the ring. After finishing off his
opponent with the DDT, Roberts would open his bag, and unleash Damien onto his
helpless victim.
While
in the WWF Roberts had an interview segment called The Snake Pit.
Roberts also had legendary battles with The Honky Tonk Man, Ricky Steamboat,
Rick Rude, Randy Savage, Andre the Giant, Ted DiBiase and The Undertaker.
Unfortunately, Roberts never got a major run with WWF Champion Hulk Hogan;
many speculate that Hogan was concerned with Roberts' ever-increasing
popularity, and nixed the idea of a run with "The Snake", convincing WWF
management that such a match might hinder Hulk's popularity.
After a brief and unhappy run (due to the restructuring of his contract) in
World Championship Wrestling, where he feuded with Sting, Roberts journeyed to
Mexico's Asistencia Asesoría y Administración (AAA) promotion where he had a
hot feud with Konnan, who managed to defeat Roberts in a hair vs. hair match.
Roberts would return to the WWF in January 1996, debuting at the Royal Rumble.
Now a born-again Christian, Jake merged his beliefs into his wrestling
persona, and even began bringing a snake named Revelations to the ring.
He was pushed as something of a Cinderella story (with the WWF frequently
mentioning on television the addictions that Roberts had been attempting to
overcome) and faced Stone Cold Steve Austin in the final match of the 1996
King of the Ring tournament. After Austin defeated Roberts to win the
event, he mocked "The Snake's" recital of the Biblical passage John 3:16, thus
beginning the era of "Austin 3:16" and a T-shirt fashion trend that lasted for
several years in the late 1990's.
Roberts
made a brief return to AAA in 1997 after leaving the WWF. In 1999, he
appeared in director Barry Blaustein's documentary Beyond the Mat.
Roberts heavily criticized the film for showing him in a negative light,
complaining that he was lied to about the subject of the film, as he was told
that it was to focus on the effects of drug and alcohol abuse. Late that
same year, he headlined the infamous Heroes of Wrestling PPV in Bay St. Louis,
Mississippi; Roberts showed up for the event in no condition to wrestle, with
chaotic and embarrassing results. Relocating to the UK in 2002, Jake
launched the Real Stars of Wrestling promotion; in recent years he has made
brief appearances in both WWE and TNA. WWE featured Roberts in a 2005
DVD retrospective entitled Pick Your Poison, a two-disc set which
featured a biography of the star and some of his greatest matches.
Despite the personal demons he has struggled with for much of his career, Jake
"The Snake" Roberts will always be regarded as a master of the art of pro
wrestling, and as one of the true legends of the squared circle.
