His Best Feud: Jake The Snake Roberts

[The Brain]

This is another idea for a regular thread. I will pick a random wrestler, past or present, and give my opinion to what his best feud was. I’ll try to do this every few days, but with no pattern. Just whenever I feel like posting again. I will also list what I feel that wrestler’s top five or ten feuds were depending on how long his career was. It will be a simple list where I only go into detail on my number one choice. Just stating that so it’s not confused with spamming.

First up is Jake The Snake Roberts. Jake was always a major player in the WWF even though he never got a main event run. Things were a lot different in Jake’s day. He was around for years, never main evented, never got a single title run, but is still considered a success. He was always relevant and had a lot of great feuds with a lot of top stars. Obviously the World Champion is the top dog, but back then you didn’t have to be in the title hunt to be considered successful. I miss the days where the mid card feuds were given the hype, respect, and attention that they did back in the 80’s and 90’s. Anyway here’s my list for Jake’s best feuds. I’m a WWF/E guy so that’s what I’m sticking with on my list. Feel free to include other promotions on yours.

10. Ultimate Warrior
9. Earthquake
8. Honky Tonk Man
7. Undertaker
6. Rick Martel
5. Andre The Giant
4. Ricky Steamboat
3. Randy Savage
2. Ted Dibiase
1. Rick Rude

I would say the feud with Rick Rude was the best of Jake’s career. It was extremely personal. Rude had a gimmick where after a match he would pick a woman from the crowd and give her a kiss. One day he chose Jake’s wife Cheryl. He did not know she was Jake’s wife at the time and when he found out he verbally abused her. Jake ran out to her defense and the feud was on. For months Rude would continue his advance toward Cheryl. He even had her picture on his tights. This infuriated Jake and he would run out and attack Rude every time he wore those tights. This feud lasted for about six months.

Jake had been a face for a little over a year at the time of this feud. He was always popular, but I think this feud brought him to a new level. The fans seemed to connect with him during this feud and it brought his popularity to new heights. It helped that Rude played his role perfectly too. He was so easy to hate. That’s why I choose Rude as Jake’s #1 feud.

I hope to see some replies here. Let me know what you think of my list and give me yours. I’m looking forward to see some other opinions.

 

[Musiq]

when I think of Jake Roberts, 1st thing that comes 2 mind is Randy Savage. The snake biting Savage tripped me out as a kid & I was like "wow". It blew my mind, and i also remember him sayin somethin like "this is not the beginning of the end, but the end of the beginning". Also, him waitin 4 Savage behind the curtain with a chair, only 2 be stopped by the Undertaker 4 some unknown reason.

& of course...the beginning of Austin 3:16! but i would still put the Savage feud above that

 

[LEGEND KILLER]

Your 100% bang on....

Jakes feud with Rude was one of his best right next to his feud with Macho Man...i still remember when macho was tied in the ropes and Jake had his snake bit macho's arm.....this was at a time when i was very young and i thought macho was poisened for sure....the similarity here is that both the macho/jake and rude/jake feud had a realistic feel to it. Why wouldnt Jake go after a man who kissed and harrassed his wife? Why wouldnt macho go after a man who had a snake bit him? These feuds were Jakes best as a heel and a face....

Jake didnt need a title to be great bc he brought something to the table regardless of a belt around his waist.

Today it seems as if you arent a somebody untill you hold a major title....

i surely do miss the good ol days

 

[tsull2121]

The thing about Jake Roberts is that he was SO talented in the ring he colud make ANY feud into a main event feud. Jake thrived more in the interview segments than in the ring, and to this day is STILL the best interview in pro wrestling EVER!

When I saw the title of this thread the FIRST thing that popped to my mind was RICK RUDE.

He was vicious as either a face or a heel and his ring work was only surpassed by his incredible psychology both IN and OUT of the ring.. his interviews set the standard.. one which will NEVER be reached.

But I would definitely say hands down his defining feud was Rick Rude without a shadow of a doubt

 

[CKDaimen]

First of all, great thread idea. And I think you're dead on. I was thinking and about to post Randy Savage as #1, but you and the last poster convinced me that Rude was in fact #1. Although his fued with Dibiase went on longer, I would have to have Savage is at #2 at least, though. For many of the same reasons his fued with Rude was #1. It involved a man's wife and it got very personal. The man slapped Miss Elizabeth, that alone makes the fued in the top 10 of that decade by default, lol. Especially for back then, when the WWE was so PG, and you never saw any moves, etc done on a woman, Jake Roberts slapped the MOST beloved woman at the time, Miss Elizabeth. The heat he had was incredible and it was the angriest we ever saw the temper carrying Randy Savage. But his fued with Rude was also very personal, involved a wife, and it did go on longer. Plus they were evenly matched, whereas Savage was the favorite against Roberts. Again, great thread idea. Look for me on all of these posts.

 

[NDN Souljaa]

Jake. Is. The. Man.
'nuff said.

For all you young kids out there, just watch this promo:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qKSUxDkQGno

but I would rank the Undertaker fued in the top 5, due to what it did for UT's career. I would put the Ricky Steamboat saga lower cuz I dont Jake ever won any of the matches did he? Again, thats not to take away from what they did inside and what it did for both their reps, but it'dve been nice to have a bit more of a see-saw battle IMO.
Agreed that the Rick Rude feud was his best. With the Rude Awakening vs DDT match, the time limit draw of WM IV, to Jake stripping him down. Amazing work from both sides.
From what i think, his feud with Andre didnt really do much for him did it? Andre was well on his way out by then, and im sure most fans could see that. So I wouldnt put that into my top5.
In regards to Macho, the actual match of This Tuesday in Texas left me desiring a bit more, though the post match shenanigans are legendary.

So my top 5 would be: Rude, UT, Macho, DiBiase, and Warrior (the "never trust a snake" vignettes were just awesome for his heel persona).

Awesome thread!

 

[T Dub EPT]

Fantastic thread! I love a good reason to post on these things, and reliving my youth in wrestling is certainly one of those reasons. I don't think "The Snake" ever had a feud that he couldn't pull off. From the classics detailed above by others, or even the ones not so often remembered. When "The Model" Rick Martel blinded Jake on "The Brother Love Show" (which was a pretty big deal back in those days) i remember being absolutely devastated as a young buck... When they finally showed the eye blinded weeks later... all the taunting from that prick Rick Martel... through becoming the last member of his team at Survivor Series... and all the promos from one the absolute best on the microphone EVER... I couldn't wait for him to get his revenge on "The Model" Although it culminated in possibly one of the worst Wrestlemania matches ever, I remember this feud vividly and was highly emotionally involved (which is something Wrestling these days sorely lacks) That being said i really just used this feud to make the point that Jake Roberts could make anything in wrestling... no matter how lackluster... and bring out the absolute best in any storyline or situation. Other examples include those fantastically creepy vignettes against The Ultimate Warrior or returning in 1996 as a reformed alcoholic drug addict. He could take anything and make it absolutely compelling! Thank You Jake "The Snake" Roberts!

His feud against "The Million Dollar Man" Ted Dibiase is my favorite after it all though... The Promo he cut right before their match at Wrestlemania 6 is one of the greatest ever! (If you've never seen it... i highly suggest you check it out) There will never be another Jake "The Snake" Roberts

"...And how appropriate the money you grovel for is your very own... A victim of your own greed... Wallowing in the muck... of avarice" -Jake Roberts
Just AMAZING!

 

[byrnside]

Jake. Is. The. Man.
'nuff said.

For all you young kids out there, just watch this promo:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qKSUxDkQGno

but I would rank the Undertaker fued in the top 5, due to what it did for UT's career. I would put the Ricky Steamboat saga lower cuz I dont Jake ever won any of the matches did he? Again, thats not to take away from what they did inside and what it did for both their reps, but it'dve been nice to have a bit more of a see-saw battle IMO.
Agreed that the Rick Rude feud was his best. With the Rude Awakening vs DDT match, the time limit draw of WM IV, to Jake stripping him down. Amazing work from both sides.
From what i think, his feud with Andre didnt really do much for him did it? Andre was well on his way out by then, and im sure most fans could see that. So I wouldnt put that into my top5.
In regards to Macho, the actual match of This Tuesday in Texas left me desiring a bit more, though the post match shenanigans are legendary.

So my top 5 would be: Rude, UT, Macho, DiBiase, and Warrior (the "never trust a snake" vignettes were just awesome for his heel persona).

Awesome thread!

Ah Brain, you've done it again. Jake Roberts probably one of my top 5 favorite wrestlers to this day. Every night before I go to sleep I pray for the new/young wrestling fans out there that they discover Jake the Snake Roberts. By far one of THE greatest promo men of all time, and his ring psychology is unparalleled. Sometimes I feel like Jake wore off on Randy Orton because of the whole "psychotic/viper" gimmick, but Orton doesn't even come close. I'd have to agree with Brain on this one, the Rick Rude feud stands out to me more than anything. The picture of Cheryl on the tights was classic Rude! Any of Roberts' feuds could easily be at the top of anyone's list because of the way Jake could work a mic.

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[LynchCats]

The first person I thought of was Rick Rude, from the Ravishing one having his wife spray painted on his tights, to the blindfold match they had.

 

[DiscipleofWrestling]

I have to admit that I wasn't watching wrestling back when Jake the Snake Roberts was really at the top of his game. But as I watched all the WrestleManias that came before I started watching wrestling in late 92, I noticed something: Jake Roberts was quite frankly special. There was something about Jake that drew you into his work. It wasn't his matches. It wasn't Damien or Lucifer. It was the power of his promos.... the eyes that told you to walk into the shadows and be enlightened by the words he was saying. To this day, I set the bar with Jake Roberts when it comes to promos, especially the WrestleMania 6 promo. I couldn't agree with those of you who posted before: that was flat out one freaking awesome promo.

Now, having owned Jake's DVD and watched a lot of Jake Roberts' matches and strictly from a "what I've seen" standpoint, I am splitting my vote for either his feud with Rick Rude or with Ted DiBiase. Watching Jake's matches with Rick Rude was a great treat enough, especially the Rude Awakening vs. DDT match. But the promos were great with Rude going after his wife and Jake's promo on The Brother Love Show sticking out in my mind. The Ted DiBiase feud was a pretty long drawn out feud if I remember correctly. They had an encounter at WrestleMania V when DiBiase and Virgil interfered in Jake's match with Andre. Then, Jake took the Million Dollar Belt and stuffed it in Damien's sack. You really never see that anymore... an investment in a feud that builds up to the boiling point.

They named Superstar Billy Graham's DVD with a name which reflected that Graham arrived before his time. I'd have to say the same thing about Jake. If Jake Roberts was just starting in this generation, Jake would probably be main eventing on a regular basis. Trust me.

 

[sniksag]

well a fued no one has mentioned is his fued with himself... but wheres the releveance of that so i will say the jake had his best moments with randy savage..... the rude thing was good but the excitement and terror i felt when the snake bit randy and jake hit elizabeth sents chills down my spine.... how i miss the old days... jake has been battling himself for years though and just when things start to brightenup for him he falls prey to addiction again... unfortunately i think this is a fued he wont be able to win and its a fued that will have no great moments

 

[waylonmercy]

Jake Roberts will go down in history as being the most underrated talent in WWE history when it comes to wrestling psychology. Many people believe that if WWE were to hire him, besides thousands of people praising WWE for doing this due to respect they have for Roberts, he could teach talent the psychology of wrestling and how to tell a good story in and out of the ring. I honestly hope he one days cleans up his act once and for all and can get a job with WWE as an agent. Come to think of it, he is one person who arguably should be in the WWE HOF.

I Just want to add that I think The Brain should have exclusivity on this theme of threads for atleast a month due to how great an idea it is.

 

[Hulkster84]

My personal favourite Jake the Snake Roberts feud was his feud with Ted Dibiase. It lasted for so long, and was so entertaining. And very rarely did you get a clean finish.. So the feud was always kept open and continuously drew money. They always had good matches, and because they were so evenly matched, you never knew who was going to win so you always tuned in. A close second is his feud against Rick Martel. The whole angle where Martel sprayed Jake with 'Arrogance' and blinded him lasted the majority of 1991. Their blindfold match was awesome at Wrestlemania 7. They barely did ANYTHING but the psychology was more than enough to entertain the fans. That was what Jake was all about.. Psychology! His feud with Andre was also awesome, with the whole thing about Andre being scared of snakes. His feud with Randy Savage was great, but did not last long enough. Savage should have fought Jake at Wrestlemania 8, and Hogan should have fought Flair with Sid fighting the Undertaker or something. In order of the best and biggest feuds for Jake, it goes like this:

1) Ted Dibiase
2) Rick 'The Model' Martel
3) Andre The Giant
4) Randy Savage
5) Rick Rude
6) Ultimate Warrior
7) Earthquake
8) Undertaker
9) Honkytonk Man
10) Ricky Steamboat

 

[THTRobtaylor]

10:Rick Martel
9. Earthquake
8. Rick Martel
7. Undertaker
6. Jerry Lawler
5. Honky Tonk Man
4. Sting
3. Randy Savage
2. Ted Dibiase
1. Rick Rude

Have to add the WCW feud with Sting in there, when Jake debuted he was hot, despite a loss to Taker on the way out of WWE... Sadly Jake fell victim to the wrangling at the head of the company and ended up losing out again... If only Vince had given him the writing job he promised him....