History Wrestling / JakeRoberts

-- '''Jake "The Snake" Roberts''', ''[[Wrestling/{{WWE}} WWF]] Superstars''

Wrestling/StoneColdSteveAustin, who had been on the cusp of breaking out and just needed a really good [=catchphrase=], defeated Jake to win the King of the Ring Tournament in 1996. In Austin's victory promo, in re the supposed born-again [=Christian=] Jake having referenced [[Literature/TheFourGospels John 3:16]], Austin struck gold with the following.

* ArchEnemy: Wrestling/DustyRhodes, Barry Windham, Wrestling/RickySteamboat, [[Wrestling/HonkyTonkMan the Honky Tonk Man]], Wrestling/RickRude, Wrestling/AndreTheGiant, [[Wrestling/TedDiBiase Ted [=DiBiase=]]], Rick Martel, [[Wrestling/UltimateWarrior the Ultimate Warrior]], Randy Savage, Wrestling/TheUndertaker, Wrestling/JerryLawler
* BadSamaritan: When [[Wrestling/UltimateWarrior The Ultimate Warrior]] looked for his help against Wrestling/TheUndertaker.

* BashBrothers: With Wrestling/KevinSullivan, [[Wrestling/JohnNord Nord the Barbarian]], Wrestling/TheUndertaker

* DigitalBikini: Inversion--Roberts was feuding with lady-killer [[Wrestling/RickRude "Ravishing" Rick Rude]] and Rude began to wear tights with a portrait of Roberts' wife on them, claiming they had been together. Roberts made good on his promise to rip the tights off Rude if he ever wore them again, leaving Rude running from the arena trying to cover his blurred crotch, despite the fact that he was actually wearing flesh-colored underwear.

* NeverWorkWithChildrenOrAnimals: WCW booked a match between Wrestling/{{Sting}} and Jake where the finish was for Jake to sic a (real, but devenomed) cobra on Sting, only to have it turn on him. But Jake couldn't get the snake to bite him, so he ended up holding it to his face while it flailed stupidly.

** (in Florida): Wrestling/KevinSullivan's Army of Darkness

* WhyDidItHaveToBeSnakes: A psych-out technique he used on many wrestlers, most notably Wrestling/AndreTheGiant and Wrestling/{{Kamala}}

* ArchEnemy: Wrestling/DustyRhodes, Barry Windham, Wrestling/RickySteamboat, [[Wrestling/HonkyTonkMan the Honky Tonk Man]], Wrestling/RickRude, Wrestling/AndreTheGiant, [[Wrestling/TedDiBiase Ted [=DiBiase=]]], Rick Martel, [[Wrestling/UltimateWarrior the Ultimate Warrior]], Wrestling/RandySavage, Wrestling/TheUndertaker, Wrestling/JerryLawler

* KickTheDog: Jake's attempt to take a steel chair to Ms. Elizabeth, [[Wrestling/RandySavage The Macho Man's]] valet

* WeddingSmashers: Jake's notorious attempted steel chair attack on Ms. Elizabeth occurred at the reception of her wedding to Wrestling/RandySavage.

* WouldHitAGirl: Slapped [[Wrestling/RandySavage Macho Man's]] valet, Elizabeth, hard across the face, and later tried to attack her with a steel chair.
* Website/{{WrestleCrap}}:
** Earthquake "squashing" Damien and serving him up as [[IAteWhat "Quakeburgers"]].
** His "training" the Wrestling/UltimateWarrior that effectively confirmed his heel turn.
** The "Spin the Wheel Make The Deal" mini-movie setting up his Coal Miner's Glove Match with Wrestling/{{Sting}} at ''WCW Halloween Havoc 92'', and the match itself.
** ''Heroes of Wrestling'', of course. The "match" with Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart got hastily turned into a tag match with, Neidhart[=/=]Wrestling/KingKongBundy vs. Jake[=/=]Wrestling/{{Yokozuna}}. The monsters got tagged in and Bundy splashed Jake, who wasn't the legal man, and the ref quickly counted to three to end the whole mess. Yoko never even got into the ring (due to the fact that he had grown so fat that he couldn't get a wrestling license since he couldn't get the needed medical clearance), and the show went off the air some 22 minutes ahead of schedule without even a farewell from the announcers.

** ''Heroes of Wrestling'', of course. The "match" with Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart got hastily turned into a tag match with, Neidhart[=/=]Wrestling/KingKongBundy vs. Jake[=/=]Wrestling/{{Yokozuna}}. The monsters got tagged in and Bundy splashed Jake, who wasn't the legal man, and the ref quickly counted to three to end the whole messYoko never even got into the ring (due to the fact that he had grown so fat that he couldn't get a wrestling license since he couldn't get the needed medical clearance), and the show went off the air some 22 minutes ahead of schedule without even a farewell from the announcers.

** ''"I was never able to tell the difference between Jake Roberts the performer and Jake Roberts the person, because frankly I never knew which one I was talking to. I don't know that they're not the same."'' -[[Wrestling/VinceMcMahon Vince [=McMahon=]]] in ''Beyond The Mat''

* BashBrothers: With Wrestling/KevinSullivan, [[Wrestling/JohnNord Nord the Barbarian]],

* KickTheDog: Jake's attempt to take a steel chair to Ms. Elizabeth, [[RandySavage The Macho Man's]] valet

!!'''Tropes associated with Jake 'The Snake' Roberts include:'''

* BadSamaritan: When [[{{Wrestling/UltimateWarrior}} The Ultimate Warrior]] looked for his help against Wrestling/TheUndertaker.

* GrandfatherClause: Though the [=DDT=] is now a common move, Roberts (who invented it) and a few others ([[Characters/{{ECW}} Tommy Dreamer]], Wrestling/{{Raven}}) still use it as a finisher, since they were doing it ''before it was cool''.

* WeddingSmashers: Jake's notorious attempted steel chair attack on Ms. Elizabeth occurred at the reception of her wedding to RandySavage.
* WhatCouldHaveBeen: Was originally to start a feud with then-WWE Champion [[Wrestling/BretHart Bret 'The Hitman' Hart]] , including a main event match at ''Survivor Series 1992''. Contract issues kept it from happening, and the match was given to [[Wrestling/ShawnMichaels a talented rising star]] for his first main event.
** Prior to that, Jake was originally planned to feud with Wrestling/HulkHogan for the WWE Championship in the 80's, but as Jake himself put it: ''"I DDT Hogan on the stage, the crowd starts chanting Jake The Snake, and Vince immediately pulled the plug"''.

* WouldHitAGirl: Slapped [[RandySavage Macho Man's]] valet, Elizabeth, hard across the face, and later tried to attack her with a steel chair.

----

* ThrowItIn: Roberts stated that the DDT was invented accidentally when, in a match with Len Denton, he had Denton in a front facelock and literally tripped over the man's feet, falling backwards and driving him into the mat. It looked completely brutal (and, if not done correctly by either man, can lead to serious head or neck injuries), so instead of saying "Dammit, Jake, don't trip in the ring!" it was decided he would do it [[FinishingMove every time he would win a match]].

Wrestling/StoneColdSteveAustin, who had been on the cusp of breaking out and just needed a really good [=catchphrase=], defeated Jake to win the King of the Ring Tournament in 1996. In Austin's victory promo, in re the supposed born-again [=Christian=] Jake having referenced [[{{Literature/TheBible}} John 3:16]], Austin struck gold with the following.

'''Jake 'The Snake' Roberts''' is a second-generation professional wrestler best known for his years with the Wrestling/{{WWE}} in the late eighties and early nineties when he feuded with their top tier talent, including StoneColdSteveAustin, AndreTheGiant, RandySavage, TheUndertaker, and Sid Justice. He was notable for his mic work, cutting dark, cerebral promos, for bringing his live, pet snakes into the ring, and for innovating the [='DDT'=] maneuver. Unfortunately, years of family troubles and drug abuse (and his resulting in-ring behavior) have made him notorious, and he has had trouble maintaining employment with any of the large companies, though he has worked continually on the road as an independent since his [=WWE=] days.

It was during a feud with StoneColdSteveAustin that Roberts mentioned the biblical passage John 3:16, prompting Austin's career-defining response: "Well, Austin 3:16 says 'I just whupped your ass!'".

* BadSanta: Dressed up as one to help [[{{Wrestling/KevinSullivan}} Kevin Sullivan]] defeat Dusty Rhodes in Florida 1982, as [=Sullivan=], as the masked "Bonebuster", had paid off Jake for injuring Barry Windham.

* DigitalBikini: Inversion--Roberts was feuding with lady-killer 'Ravishing' Rick Rude and Rude began to wear tights with a portrait of Roberts' wife on them, claiming they had been together. Roberts made good on his promise to rip the tights off Rude if he ever wore them again, leaving Rude running from the arena trying to cover his blurred crotch, despite the fact that he was actually wearing flesh-colored underwear.

* GrandfatherClause: Though the [=DDT=] is now a common move, Roberts (who invented it) and a few others ([[Characters/{{ECW}} Tommy Dreamer]], Wrestler/{{Raven}}) still use it as a finisher, since they were doing it ''before it was cool''.

* MoralityPet: The {{Kayfabe}} death of his favorite snake, Damien, prefigured a very serious FaceHeelTurn, and though it wasn't stated outright as the reason for the change, it makes for a logical StartOfDarkness.
* NeverWorkWithChildrenOrAnimals: WCW booked a match between Wrestler/{{Sting}} and Jake where the finish was for Jake to sic a (real, but devenomed) cobra on Sting, only to have it turn on him. But Jake couldn't get the snake to bite him, so he ended up holding it to his face while it flailed stupidly.

** ''"I was never able to tell the difference between JakeRoberts the performer and JakeRoberts the person, because frankly I never knew which one I was talking to. I don't know that they're not the same."'' -VinceMcMahon in 'Beyond The Mat'

* WhatCouldHaveBeen: Was originally to start a feud with then-WWE Champion [[BretHart Bret 'The Hitman' Hart]] , including a main event match at ''Survivor Series 1992''. Contract issues kept it from happening, and the match was given to [[ShawnMichaels a talented rising star]] for his first main event.

* WhyDidItHaveToBeSnakes: A psych-out technique he used on many wrestlers, most notably [[{{Wrestling/AndreTheGiant}} Andre the Giant]] and [[{{Wrestling/Kamala}} Kamala]].

* WrestlingPsychology: Jake is widely considered to be one of the finest practitioners of wrestling psychology, to the point where younger wrestlers are often sent to him for an education in the art. Despite having a pot belly, skinny legs and a quite limited moveset, Jake was always massively over with the fans due to a combination of his classic promos and uncanny knack to always do the right thing in the ring, when it was the right time to do it. Even modern day stars like RandyOrton have been schooled by Jake in the art of Psychology.

'''[[Wrestling/JakeRoberts Jake 'The Snake' Roberts]]''' is a second-generation professional wrestler best known for his years with the Wrestling/{{WWE}} in the late eighties and early nineties when he feuded with their top tier talent, including StoneColdSteveAustin, AndreTheGiant, RandySavage, TheUndertaker, and Sid Justice. He was notable for his mic work, cutting dark, cerebral promos, for bringing his live, pet snakes into the ring, and for innovating the [='DDT'=] maneuver. Unfortunately, years of family troubles and drug abuse (and his resulting in-ring behavior) have made him notorious, and he has had trouble maintaining employment with any of the large companies, though he has worked continually on the road as an independent since his [=WWE=] days.

It was during a feud with StoneColdSteveAustin that Roberts mentioned the biblical passage John 3:16, prompting Austin's career-defining response: "Well, Austin 3:16 says 'I just whupped your ass!' ".

* CatchPhrase: "Trust Me."

8 Catchphrase: "Trust Me."

* WhyDidItHaveToBeSnakes: A psych-out technique he used on many wrestlers, most notably AndreTheGiant and Kamala.

* WhatCouldHaveBeen: Was originally to start a feud with then-WWE Champion [[BretHart Bret 'The Hitman' Hart]] , including a main event match at Survivor Series 1992. Contract issues kept it from happening, and the match was given to [[ShawnMichaels a talented rising star]] for his first main event.

[[caption-width-right:292: [[MemeticMutation "You wanna play 21?"]]]]

-- '''Jake "The Snake" Roberts''', ''[[{{WWE}} WWF]] Superstars''

'''[[Wrestling/JakeRoberts Jake 'The Snake' Roberts]]''' is a second-generation professional wrestler best known for his years with the {{WWE}} in the late eighties and early nineties when he feuded with their top tier talent, including StoneColdSteveAustin, AndreTheGiant, RandySavage, TheUndertaker, and Sid Justice. He was notable for his mic work, cutting dark, cerebral promos, for bringing his live, pet snakes into the ring, and for innovating the [='DDT'=] maneuver. Unfortunately, years of family troubles and drug abuse (and his resulting in-ring behavior) have made him notorious, and he has had trouble maintaining employment with any of the large companies, though he has worked continually on the road as an independent since his [=WWE=] days.

* GrandfatherClause: Though the [=DDT=] is now a common move, Roberts (who invented it) and a few others ([[{{Characters/ECW}} Tommy Dreamer]], {{Wrestler/Raven}}) still use it as a finisher, since they were doing it ''before it was cool''.

* NeverWorkWithChildrenOrAnimals: WCW booked a match between {{Wrestler/Sting}} and Jake where the finish was for Jake to sic a (real, but devenomed) cobra on Sting, only to have it turn on him. But Jake couldn't get the snake to bite him, so he ended up holding it to his face while it flailed stupidly.

* TemporaryBlindness: Lasting several months, after 'The Model' Rick Martel sprayed him in the face with cologne--eventually leading to a 'blindfold match'.

* WhyDidItHaveToBeSnakes: a psych-out technique he used on many wrestlers, most notably AndreTheGiant and Kamala.

* MoralityPet: The {{Kayfabe}} death of his favorite snake, Damian, prefigured a very serious FaceHeelTurn, and though it wasn't stated outright as the reason for the change, it makes for a logical StartOfDarkness.

* ImmuneToDrugs: He's not exactly in a good place in terms of health, finances or professional standing, the fact that he should, by rights, be ''dead'' by now might count.

'''[[Wrestling/JakeRoberts Jake 'The Snake' Roberts]]''' is a second-generation professional wrestler best known for his years with the {{WWE}} in the late eighties and early nineties when he feuded with their top fleer talent, including StoneColdSteveAustin, AndreTheGiant, RandySavage, TheUndertaker, and Sid Justice. He was notable for his mic work, cutting dark, cerebral promos, for bringing his live, pet snakes into the ring, and for innovating the [='DDT'=] maneuver. Unfortunately, years of family troubles and drug abuse (and his resulting in-ring behavior) have made him notorious, and he has had trouble maintaining employment with any of the large companies, though he has worked continually on the road as an independent since his [=WWE=] days.

* AnimalMotifs

* FeatherBoaConstrictor
* FinishingMove: The [=DDT=], which he innovated, which has since become a standard move in every wrestler's repertoire. It is unknown whether the name refers to the illegal pesticide or some now-forgotten acronym.
** One of the theories says it stands for "Damien's Dinner Time", perhaps because anybody on the receiving end of it would be in no condition to stop Jake's pet python Damien from eating him. Another story says it stands for "Drop Dead Twice." When Roberts was asked for its meaning, he simply (and famously) replied: "The end."
* FiveMovesOfDoom: jab, jab, [[RuleOfThree jab]], haymaker/clothesline, short-arm clothesline, DDT.

* OffTheWagon
* PsychoForHire
* ReptilesAreAbhorrent

* SmugSnake

'''Jake 'The Snake' Roberts''' is a second-generation professional wrestler best known for his years with the {{WWE}} in the late eighties and early nineties when he feuded with their top fleer talent, including StoneColdSteveAustin, AndreTheGiant, RandySavage, TheUndertaker, and Sid Justice. He was notable for his mic work, cutting dark, cerebral promos, for bringing his live, pet snakes into the ring, and for innovating the [='DDT'=] maneuver. Unfortunately, years of family troubles and drug abuse (and his resulting in-ring behavior) have made him notorious, and he has had trouble maintaining employment with any of the large companies, though he has worked continually on the road as an independent since his [=WWE=] days.