Jake 'The Snake' Roberts: Worthy or Not?

[TheOneBigWill]

Aurelian Smith, Jr. (born May 30, 1955), is a second-generation American professional wrestler and the son of former wrestler Aurelian "Grizzly" Smith. He is best known by his ring name of Jake "The Snake" Roberts. Roberts is best known for his two stints in the World Wrestling Federation—the first between 1986 and 1992, and the second between 1996 and 1997—though he also wrestled in World Championship Wrestling in 1992.

Throughout his career he was known for his intense and cerebral promos, his dark charisma, his extensive use of psychology in his matches, and has been credited for inventing the DDT, though that has been challenged. He is also credited with training the wrestlers Diamond Dallas Page and Raven, as well as teaching much about wrestling psychology to his on-screen enemies, Steve Austin and the Undertaker.

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 on a nationally televised episode of Saturday Night's Main Event in May 1986. Roberts executed the DDT on 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. Roberts went 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. 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."

One of the more memorable moments in his career was when he had Alice Cooper in his corner at WrestleMania III in 1987. Jake's WrestleMania III opponent, The Honky Tonk Man, brutally attacked Roberts with a guitar during his interview segment The Snake Pit, turning Roberts babyface. In reality, The Honky Tonk Man's guitar shot legitimately injured Roberts' neck. The shot was prior to the use of breakaway guitars, so it caused a legitimate injury. Roberts started using pain killers following the injury, which led to severe opiate addictions later in his life. The Honky Tonk Man denies that he legitely injured Roberts, although a video of the incident (seen on the Pick Your Poison DVD) does much to suggest otherwise. Just before the guitar impact, however, Roberts drops his snake as begins to turn, possibly indicating the problem with the setup was in the execution. Roberts would go on to unsuccessfully challenge The Honky Tonk Man for the Intercontinental Championship several times throughout the rest of 1987.

Perhaps his best-known feud was against "Ravishing" Rick Rude, whose gimmick was to select a woman from the audience to kiss after each match. Rude inadvertently chose Roberts' real-life wife Cheryl, who refused the kiss; Roberts rescued her before Rude could attack, although Cheryl slapped him rather hard. At another event, Rude wore a pair of tights emblazoned with a visage of Mrs. Roberts, which an irate Roberts tore off. This sent Rude running apparently nude from the ring when shown on TV, although those at the arena saw Rude in a thong.

Jake 'The Snake' Roberts went on to have several other feuds from this point, ranging again Andre 'The Giant' to Ted DiBiase. Following a brief feud with Bad News Brown in the summer of 1990, Roberts feuded with Rick "The Model" Martel throughout late 1990 into early 1991, after Martel (kayfabe) blinded Roberts 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 beat Martel with a DDT. Martel was not pleased with how that match turned out and feels that a better conclusion could have happened.

In early to mid-1991, Roberts engaged in a feud with Earthquake after he "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. Roberts appeared 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."

In mid-1991 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 the Undertaker'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 a rubber prop. As Warrior "weakened" from the "effects" of the cobra's strike, Roberts was joined by The Undertaker and Paul Bearer, revealing the three were working together all along with Roberts telling Warrior "Never trust a snake." The feud was quickly canceled after the Ultimate Warrior was fired by the WWF the night of SummerSlam 1991.

Afterward, Roberts had an intense feud with "Macho Man" Randy Savage after he interrupted Savages' wedding reception by putting a snake in one of the gift boxes at SummerSlam and later used a (de-venomed) cobra to bite Savage's arm. According to Roberts' DVD Pick Your Poison, he had trouble getting the cobra to release his bite. The segment went on longer than planned, and Savage's blood was clearly visible, dripping from the puncture wounds. In an ironic twist, the snake died after the incident, due to a toxic reaction (Savage would later joke in shoot interviews that the snake received the venom from him). 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. To explain the absence of the cobra in kayfabe, Tunney "banned" Roberts from ever bringing a snake to the ring again. Savage and Roberts feuded for the next few months. Their first match was at the Tuesday in Texas pay-per-view, which saw Savage earn a victory over Roberts, but it was Roberts attacked Savage after the match and slapped his 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 Royal Rumble match. The feud ended on Saturday Night's Main Event, with Savage getting the win. Roberts, livid at having lost to him 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. Enraged, he grabbed a steel chair and said 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 Elizabeth, seeing they had averted a potential attack, stalled, Roberts turned to confront the Undertaker, who distracted Roberts long enough so that Savage could hit him with a chair instead.

This turned the two partner's against each other and completed the Undertaker's face turn. On The Funeral Parlor, Roberts locked the Undertaker's hand in a casket and DDT'ed the show's host and Undertaker's manager Paul Bearer, before hitting the Undertaker repeatedly with a steel chair. At WrestleMania VIII, Roberts was defeated by the Undertaker. He 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 such previously. After Pat Patterson stepped down from his post on the writing staff, McMahon decided that out of respect for Patterson, the spot would be left vacant. Roberts felt he was not only being lied to, but also being betrayed. In response, he threatened to no-show WrestleMania if he wasn't given a release from his contract.

Roberts went on to work for World Championship Wrestling (WCW) 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. According to the Pick Your Poison DVD, Roberts had initially signed a lucrative contract under Kip Allen Frey, who was running WCW at the time. On the 87th day, Frey stepped down and was replaced by Bill Watts, for whom Roberts had legitimate heat with back in his days at Mid-South Wrestling. Ultimately, Roberts estimates that he went from making about $3.5 million a year to approximately $200,000 a year.

His first major TV wrestling apperance for WCW was at Clash of the Champions, where his team won a 4-man elimination tag match. Roberts scored a pinfall victory over Sting, which built their feud further. His single WCW pay-per-view match was against Sting at Halloween Havoc 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 Roberts soon left WCW.

Roberts returned to WWF at the 1996 Royal Rumble, as a Bible-preaching face. To go along with his new gimmick, his new snake was named "Revelations." Revelations was an Albino Burmese Python, the same breed as his past snakes, just albino. His gimmick also mirrored his real life, as Roberts had recently become a born-again Christian and had been preaching around the country.

Roberts can be credited as being one of the ones to help start the "Attitude Era" in the WWF as he was the one that Steve Austin's initial Austin 3:16 speech was directed at. During his second tenure with the company, Roberts was pushed as a "Cinderella story" and faced "Stone Cold" Steve Austin in the final match of the King of the Ring tournament.

In early 1997, the WWF wanted Roberts to wind down his in-ring career and to join the backstage side of the company. Since he still loved to wrestle, he did not make this transition well. This led to a relapse with drugs and alcohol. He was fired in February 1997.

Roberts 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. His list of accomplishments and Championships (according to Wiki) are as follows:

All-Star Wrestling Network (Georgia)
AWN World Heavyweight Champion (1 time)

Americas Wrestling Federation
AWF Puerto Rican Heavyweight Championship (1 time)

Georgia Championship Wrestling
NWA National Television Championship (1 time)
NWA World Television Championship (Georgia version) (2 times)

Pro Wrestling Illustrated
PWI Most Inspirational Wrestler of the Year (1996)
PWI ranked him # 100 of the 500 best singles wrestlers of the PWI Years in 2003.

Mid-South Wrestling Association
Mid-South Louisiana Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
Mid-South North American Heavyweight Championship (2 times)
Mid-South Television Championship (1 time)

Smoky Mountain Wrestling
SMW Heavyweight Championship (1 time)

Stampede Wrestling
Stampede North American Heavyweight Championship (1 time)

World Class Championship Wrestling
NWA World Six-Man Tag Team Championship (Texas version) (1 time) - with Chris Adams and Gino Hernandez
WCCW Television Championship (1 time)

Jake 'The Snake' Roberts: When it boils right down to it, the simple and clear cut answer is no. Not only did Jake Roberts not impact enough of the sport to even win a single Championship within the World Wrestling Federation, but with the way things are going at present day with the company, Jake Roberts is likely the "cover-boy" of everything that stands against that.

If there was ever an anti-C.M. Punk, I would honestly say it would be Jake Roberts. He's had so many issues with drugs, drinking and overall problems that they would likely be enough to keep him far away from the Hall of Fame. So why do I include him, you ask? Because Jake 'The Snake' Roberts was one of the fans all-time favorites for years. While he never won a single title within the company, he did a great job of being who he was, and making a name for himself off his signature feuds as well as his pet snake(s).

Once again, I'm going to intentionally say for all purposes if the company wants to shy away from drugs, drinking and adult-oriented problems, Jake Roberts is definately not only NOT an option for the Hall of Fame, but he shouldn't even be an after-thought in a reunion show for the company. What are your thoughts and opinions on Jake 'The Snake' Roberts being a Hall of Fame inductee? Worthy or Not?

 

[klunderbunker]

I would say no. There are many reasons but above all others, this could be a disaster of an induction speech. Roberts has ruined his legacy in the years since he left the WWF. His in ring work is great with more or less inventing the mind games aspect of wrestling that guys like the Undertaker have mastered over the years. Alongside the DDT his contributions to wrestling are obvious, but the bad far outweighs the good here. Maybe a posthumous induction, but as for now, just no.

 

[Shocky]

I love Jake the Snake Roberts. Outside of Demolition and Hulk Hogan, Jake Roberts probably ranks right up there with my favorite wrestlers of all time. Jake Roberst and his non title situtation, irrelevant. Remember, you're dealing with a time when the belts actually meant something and weren't handed out like a mom hands out candy to her obese child (thank you Vince russo you no talented bastard).

Jake Roberts is without question, the best in ring psychologist that I have ever watched. I think Randy Orton is the only one with a legit shot of taking that crown from him,b ut who knows.

Now is he Hall of Fame worthy. By the merit of his work, I would say yes. The DDT was about as bad ass of a finisher move if there ever was one. His promos were bad ass, and lets not forget about Damien, and the eventual Lucifer. But Jake Roberts the character reers it's ugly head in, and if that's the case, there is no shot in hell that Jake Roberts sniffs the Hall of Fame in this life time or the next.

 

[Mr. TM]

Sorry Jake. But no. You have a couple things for you, you may have invented the DDT, and you are an incredibly in ring psychology master. But the WWE would never put you in. You have become a complete mess, and you have ruined your legacy that you and your fans made. It almost brings a tear to my eye thinking about how you went from being my favorite wrestler, with the ultimate weapon, a 15 foot snake, to being a burnt out drug addict. WWE has better people to put in their HoF, even if it is a joke.

 

[Y 2 Jake]

If Jake Roberts will appear at Jay Lethal & SoCal Val's wedding, then I'm sure he could pull himself together for his big moment. I might be wrong, but hasn't Jake Roberts shown up for most of his dates? Sure he might show up somewhat tipsy, but when I've seen him in TNA & WWE over the past couple of years he's appeared sober.

Everybody is worthy of the WWE Hall Of Fame, because it's not the definitive Hall Of Fame.

 

[NSL]

I'm going to reluctantly say NO. He's loved by the fans more than almost all of the other "border-liners", but you can't deny the fact he never won a championship, or deny that his personal life, has left a stain on his career, and possibly professional wrestling.

You don't need to be a fan of wrestling to know his history and troubles, and it is all quite sad. Maybe after he passes, he'll be given a sentimental place in the HoF, but until then, they'll want to keep him away.

I loved watching him in the ring, and loved seeing the snakes come out after wins. One of my favorite matches with him was against Bad News Brown, in what was essentially a "loser loses their pet" match. He had a bunch of solid matches, but overall, was not an impressive all-around package.

 

[CKO]

i would have to say yes when it comes to jake the snake roberts.

yes his demons have taken him down a dark path now, but what he contributed then to the wwf was legendary. i would consider him then original cerebral assasin. his mind tricks that he played while he was in the ring was something to see. jake had something that alot of people didnt have back then, and that was in ring psychology.

jake knew how to tell a story, of course, there are somethings that can be forgotten..like his blindfold match against rick "the model" martel...yeah..that's been immortalized in wrestlecrap. but then you have his feud with the macho man. that was maybe one of the most personal storylines ever. jake made you believe that that cobra was really biting savage (which it was..and wouldnt let go..scary for macho).

what i'm saying is, jake had that "it" factor. his promos were like almost a story, sometimes comical but always very serious.

you cant look at what a wrestler has become, what you do is remember what he was and what he did for the sport of wrestling, and jake did that. he made wrestlers start using their minds.

 

[KillBill]

I agree. Its a yes from me. So he didnt win a title? So havent others who are in the HOF. He had a long career had some great fueds, was very over in a time when everyone was huge, and he was very average looking. No titles? Look at the the guys that were around when he was. He also can be looked at as one of a few Wrestlers that were at one point the most popular, and also at one point, the most hated. And i dont mean rulebreaker hated, like Evil hated. He was the best heel ever in 91-92. With the cobras biting Savage and him slapping Elizabeth, yeah, evil. I'm not sure theres another guy whos done so much without winning a title other than Dibiase and maybe Dreamer.

I love Jake the Snake Roberts. Outside of Demolition and Hulk Hogan, Jake Roberts probably ranks right up there with my favorite wrestlers of all time. Jake Roberst and his non title situtation, irrelevant. Remember, you're dealing with a time when the belts actually meant something and weren't handed out like a mom hands out candy to her obese child (thank you Vince russo you no talented bastard).

Those are your favs? I think your my new best friend lol. And its weird. That was the Hulkamaniacs team in the 1990 Survivor Series.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

I'd have to say that he is HOF worthy. It takes more than winning championships to be considered great, it takes the fans actually giving a crap about you. You can put a belt onto someone, but it's ultimately the fans that truly decide whether or not that person is a great champion.

Jake was a very compotent in-ring worker and his knowledge of in-ring psychology was second to none in pro wrestling during the 80s. He gave some of the most intelligent, intense and charismatic interviews and promos to come out of the WWE. He was better on the mic than just about any other active wrestler in North America today. There have been only a handful of guys in the WWE as good or better and nobody in TNA right now can touch him when cutting promos. If anything, Jake's acceptence speech could easily be the most moving and thought provoking that could ever be done. Jake has made every wrong decision that a wrestler can make in his life and career. Jake is, to some degree, unfairly singled out because there are LOTS of wrestling tragedies out there and we only hear about a certain select few.

 

[TM Punk]

If there were people saying yes to Benoit, then Jake Roberts is a sure fire Hall of Famer. He is without a doubt THE best in ring psychologist of all time. And you could make a case for him being the greatest heel of all time. When you look at people today using the mind games, stalking their opponents around the ring, that's all Jake "The Snake" Roberts. Why do you think they call Randy Orton "The Viper"? Did I mention he cut some of the greatest promo's of all time? And the only reason why he didn't feud with Hogan for the title is because they pulled the plug. Why? Because he was getting bigger pops night in and night out than Hogan (like Ric Flair at Royal Rumble), and Hogan looked bad.

 

[dd23beatlesfan1]

Some of the arguments for Jake not deserving induction into the WWE HOF that I'm reading are absolutely ridiculous. No offense to those people making those arguments, but I can't think of any other thing to say about them other than they're just ridiculous arguments.

Now if they were using those arguments as evidence to WWE not ever inducting Jake, then yeah you'll get no argument from me on that. The main reason that Jake has yet to be inducted is probably because he has become highly unreliable and difficult to do business with in the last 10 years. So I'll agree that Jake has hurt his chances of being inducted in recent years. But to say he doesn't deserve to be inducted into the WWE HOF because he has a seriously troubled life is not only ridiculous, but hypocritical too.

Yes Jake has shown up to shows drunk and on drugs and in too bad of condition to even work a match. Yes, he's become a drug addict. Yes he lives a troubled life, but this is a pro wrestling HOF (not a legit one of course, but hang with me here), not a good, upstanding human beings HOF. What a person does in their personal life shouldn't have anything to do with what they did for WWE as a company, after all their exploits as a pro wrestler and entertainer are what is in theory supposed to be honored. Not whether, they're a good upstanding human being that's worthy of the Nobel Prize.

And to say that Jake doesn't deserve induction into the HOF because of his troubled life is hypocritical when considering wrestlers that are currently in the HOF, and wrestlers that many of these same people make arguments for being in the HOF.

How about Mr. Perfect Curt Hennig who basically died from a cocaine overdose? He was a drug user and addict just like Jake, and he's in the HOF, and I don't see anyone saying he shouldn't be.

How about Ric Flair who has had numerous run-ins with the law over the years (drunk driving and fighting in bars, etc.), been sued on a number of occassions (the infamous plane ride from hell when he exposed himself to a flight attendant if I remember right), has had serious legal and money issues throughout his career, been through like three divorces I believe. He's not exactly been an upstanding citizen, has he? I suppose that even though he is arguably the greatest wrestler of all-time (if not the greatest, he's certainly one of) he doesn't deserve induction either for some of the personal problems he's had.

How about Hulk Hogan who used steriods throughout his career, lied about it on national television, and then got caught which made him look bad to all of the kids who looked up to him, not to mention all of his legal troubles he's had over the last few years with his wife, including the controversy of him saying he understood why OJ killed his wife, and thus made the media make him look like a potential killer (which is ridiculous of course, but he still looked bad in the process)? He's had problems too. Yeah, he's had problems, so I guess the biggest star in the history of wrestling doesn't need to be in the HOF either for his personal troubles.

And then there's Bret Hart, who never had any serious drug problems per se, but cheated on his wife probably thousands of times during his 20 year wrestling career, which isn't exactly a great, upstanding thing to do. I guess arguably the greatest "technical" wrestler shouldn't be there either, right?

Or Steve Austin, who hit his wife and got arrested for it, not to mention the times he walked out on WWE, which is one of the most "unprofessional" things a wrestler can do in the business. He's done bad things too. I guess he shouldn't be in either?

And then there's Eddie Guerrero who was also a drug addict throughout much of his career and in the end certainly contributed to his death. He shouldn't be in there either I guess.

And how about Rowdy Roddy Piper who was recently arrested for drunk driving and has also had drug issues and numerous legal problems throughout his career? Oh and he was never a world champion either like Jake. I guess he shouldn't be in there as well.

And then there's other wrestlers like Rick Rude, Davey Boy Smith, Shawn Michaels, Hawk (of the Road Warriors), Miss Elizabeth, Scott Hall, and numerous other wrestlers who are not yet in the HOF and who are constantly referred to as either "future HOFers" or people deserving of being in the HOF. All of those wrestlers had drug issues throughout their career, and some of them in the end died from it. I guess they shouldn't be in the HOF either.


The point I'm trying to make here is that for those people that used Jake's personal demons as back-ups and reasons for Jake not deserving to be in the HOF, they're being pretty hypocritical. If everyone thinks that Jake "the Snake" Roberts is the only wrestler in history to have serious drug problems or personal issues, then they obviously don't know much about pro wrestling.

All of the greats in pro wrestling have had personal flaws outside of the ring. And those flaws should not reflect on them nor their abilities and talents for their craft (professional wrestling). Nor should they hurt their chances of being in the HOF, nor should it hurt their legacy in most cases (Chris Benoit, unfortunately is one exception to this, although I will never say he was a terrible wrestler, he was one of the best of his generation despite what he did, at least, that's my opinion on him).

Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair, Steve Austin, Bret Hart, Mr. Perfect, Eddie Guerrero, Rowdy Roddy Piper, and any of those other wrestlers I mentioned have not been perfect human beings obviously but that still doesn't take away from the fact that all of those guys were some of the greatest pro wrestlers of all-time and certainly deserve to be in any wrestling HOF (legitimate or not), which their credentials and accomplishments prove.

And Jake Roberts certainly fits the bill for my money. Jake was one of the most popular wrestlers of his time, in an era that was one of the biggest in wrestling history. If Jake Roberts was in his prime today (like he was in the mid-to late '80s), I think he would be a headliner and main eventer, because few wrestlers today possess the talents and gifts that he had as a pro wrestler. He happened to be around in one of the biggest eras ever when there were so many gifted wrestlers and big names. And he was still one of the biggest of that time. And I read somewhere that someone said he didn't make that much of an impact on wrestling; or that he didn't make enough of an impact on wrestling to warrant an induction. I'm sure if you said that to wrestlers like Steve Austin, the Undertaker, Raven, Diamond Dallas Page, and Randy Ortion, just to name a few, they would tell you that you have no idea what you're talking about. Actually they would probably say that in a less nice way if you catch my drift All of those guys and any wrestler that has used psychology either in their in-ring style or promo-style have been influenced by Jake Roberts. Any wrestler that has portrayed a darker, more menacing character has been influenced by Jake Roberts. Any wrestler that has ever used a DDT in a match has been influenced by Jake Roberts. Just watch his DVD and watch all of the truly great wrestlers sing Jake's praises as one of the greatest of his time. No less than Ricky Steamboat and Hulk Hogan (the biggest star in wrestling history) have said Jake was one of the greatest of his time. If Ricky Steamboat and Hulk Hogan both say you're one of the best, then you obviously did something right.

And some people said that he never won a world title and thus isn't deserving. Just for fun (I'm kind of bored in case you couldn't tell), let's look at all of the wrestlers currently in the WWE HOF who was never a WWE World Champion, shall we (in chronological order of induction) ..........

Arnold Skaaland
Bobo Brazil
Chief Jay Strongbow
Freddie Blassie
Gorilla Monsoon
Antonino Rocca (the biggest draw in the pre-WWF days of the territory along with Buddy Rogers)
Ernie Ladd
George "The Animal" Steele
Ivan Putski
"Baron" Mikel Scicluna
Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka (one of the biggest draws in the early '80s of the WWE; and one time ECW Champion, but never world champion for the WWE)
Johnny Rodz
Killer Kowalski (one of the greatest heels of all-time)
Pat Patterson
Big John Studd
Don Muraco
Greg "the Hammer" Valentine
Harley Race (an 8 time NWA champion but never a world champion in the WWF/E)
Jesse "The Body" Ventura
The Junkyard Dog (one of the most popular wrestlers and biggest draws of the 1980's)
Tito Santana
Bobby Heenan (I counted him as he was also a wrestler throughout his career)
"Rowdy" Roddy Piper (one of the biggest stars of the last 30 years in wrestling and along with Hogan and Ventura the biggest mainstream star to emerge out of the WWE in the 1980's)
"Cowboy" Bob Orton
Mr. Wonderful Paul Orndorff
Nikolai Volkoff
Verne Gagne (never wrestled for WWE, but was a 10 time AWA Champion and the cornerstone of the AWA)
Tony Atlas
Dusty Rhodes (3 time NWA champion, but never was world champion in the WWE)
Mr. Perfect Curt Hennig (1 time AWA champion, but never became the world champion in the WWE)
Jerry "the King" Lawler (1 time AWA champion, never world champion in the WWE)
Nick Bockwinkel (6 time AWA champion, but never was world champion in the WWE, I don't think he ever wrestled for them actually)
Mr. Fuji
The Shiek
Jack Brisco (2 time NWA World Champion, but never world champion in the WWE)
Gerald Brisco
Peter Maivia
Rocky Johnson
Eddie Graham
Ricky "the Dragon" Steamboat (1 time NWA World Champion, but never world champion in the WWE)
Bill Watts
Koko B. Ware
Terry Funk (1 time NWA World Champion and 2 time ECW World Champion, but never the world champion in the WWE)
Dory Funk Jr. (1 time NWA World Champion, never world champion in the WWE)

By my count that's 44 wrestlers currently in the WWE HOF (managers that never wrestled, announcers, promotors that never wrestled and the three tag teams and the Von Erich family were not counted) that were never a world Champion in the WWE. And out of those 44 wrestlers, only 11 ever held a World Championship from another major company (NWA, AWA, ECW, WCW, etc.)

So I suppose those 33 wrestlers that have never been world champion in any of the major wrestling companies should automatically be taken out of the HOF. Because they obviously were never big enough stars or big enough draws to become the world champion.

And last time I checked wrestlers like Rick Rude, Ted Dibiase, Owen Hart, Rick Martel, Vader, Bam Bam Bigelow, and Brian Pillman are wrestlers that most people generally think should be in the HOF, and yet they were never world champion in the WWE either. And of those wrestlers only Rick Martel, and Vader were a world champion in another major organization (unless you count the "International World Title" that Rick Rude held in WCW in 1993 as a true world championship). So I guess those wrestlers are also not worthy of being in the WWE HOF as well.


The point of all of that is that wrestling was different back then. Just because a wrestler wasn't the World Champion didn't mean that they weren't a big star or draw, and thus not a HOF worthy wrestler. Nowadays, that argument is more legitimate (though I still wouldn't say that should be a full-fledged criteria), because pretty much any wrestler now that becomes even a mildly big star is given the belt at least for a short amount of time. But just look at the WWF from 1984-1994. The only wrestlers to hold the World Title in that time frame were the Iron Sheik (only the first month of that time frame) Hulk Hogan, Andre the Giant, Randy Savage, the Ultimate Warrior, Sgt. Slaughter, The Undertaker, Ric Flair, Bret Hart, Yokozuna, and then Bob Backlund and Diesel which was only during the last month of that time frame. So you're telling me that only those 12 wrestlers from that time frame should be eligible for the HOF because those are the only guys that were the World Champion? That's a pretty ridiculous argument I think.

Look at guys like Jesse Ventura, Roddy Piper, Ted Dibiase, Rick Rude, Curt Hennig, and of course, Jake Roberts, guys in that time frame who were big time stars in arguably the most famous period in WWE history, and they shouldn't be in there because they weren't World Champion? Ridiculous.


So saying that Jake Roberts doesn't deserve induction because he wasn't ever world champion, or because he has too many personal issues, just aren't credible arguments in my view. Simply because there are plenty of wrestlers currently in the HOF or that are constantly mentioned as wrestlers that should be in the HOF, that have also had personal problems and issues and were never a World Champion. And for people that say Jake didn't make enough of an impact to warrant an induction, I'll simply disagree, and I'm sure many of the biggest stars of the last 25 years in wrestling would disagree with you as well.


Jake Roberts is clearly deserving and worthy of being in the WWE HOF, or any pro wrestling HOF for that matter. Now whether he gets inducted in the future, that's a whole other story, though I don't think it's majorly unlikely (like Bruno Sammartino and Chris Benoit). I think Jake will get his due within the next few years. As has been pointed out, Jake is not really on bad terms with WWE as he appeared on Raw a few weeks before Wrestlemania 21, had a DVD made on him, and also took up WWE's offer for drug and alcohol rehab paid for by the company. I think there are just some people that are worried that he'll cause problems. But I think Jake would shape himself up enough to have a positive and successful induction appearance.

 

[Henry Hill]

To me the answer is yes, if only you look at the other members of the wwe hall of fame. I mean if Pete Fucking Rose is a WWE hall of famer, then hell why not induct Headbanger Thrasher? So yes, Jake is a WWE HOFer, but its a truly weak hall of fame. He certainly deserves a lot of credit for being a great in ring psychologist, and really knowing how to work a crowd, and really that's what it all comes down to. So he never won a title, wrestling is fake anyway so title belts aren't the only accomplishment you have to look at. Is the WWE champion always the most over? no. is any champion always the best in ring worker? no. so either way you look at it, Jake did enough to be considered, and realistically deserves the recognition, regardless of what he's done in his personal life.