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. He was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame on April 5, 2014, and the Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum in 2020. Jake "The Snake" Roberts WWE While working in Mid-South in 1986 he caught the eye of Vince McMahon and WWE - then the WWF. Jake The Snake Height: Jake The Snake is 6 feet 5 inches (196 cm) tall. 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;[22] Roberts closed the final segment by proclaiming, "I'm a snake. That incident helped set up Roberts' feud with the Undertaker. As he told Newsday, "We're changing the oil, we're changing the headlights, we're changing the damn tires, everything. Roberts had just said all he ever wanted was a little respect, and the Rockstar's interruption irritated him. "NWA Wrestling Legends Hall of Heroes: Grizzly Smith, Class of 2008", "Southeastern Wrestling News, Notes, and Nostalgia: 11/13/2008", "NWA United States Tag Team Title (Tri-State)", "Mid-South (Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, & Mississippi)", "Sam Houston talks about his life after wrestling", "Sam Houston and Grizzly Smith rebuild their lives", "Cauliflower Alley Club: Remembering those we have lost in 2010", "Beyond the Mat - Pro Wrestling Documentary", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Grizzly_Smith&oldid=1142379244, This page was last edited on 2 March 2023, at 02:14. After Pat Patterson stepped down from his post on the writing staff stemming from the recent sexual harassment scandal, McMahon decided that, out of respect for Patterson, the spot would be left vacant. What's more, once on the road full-time, he added drugs to his repertoire, regularly smoking pot and even doing speed on occasion. We went to great lengths to show how far down I went and the road to recovery.. [5], On January 6, 2014, Roberts made an appearance on the "Old School" episode of Raw, laying a python over the face of an unconscious Dean Ambrose. Watts voided Jake's contract, forcing him to sign for a mere $200,000 per year. There is a point in the A&E documentary where he happily says, Im that guy thats doing the right thing. Being able to do so without lying has been freeing. Roberts cut a drunken promo paying tribute to Ray Traylor, who had died a few days before, and almost got into a scuffle with several WAW wrestlers who were sent out to defuse the situation.[30]. In November 1986, Roberts challenged Randy Savage for the Intercontinental Championship. [24] Roberts and the Undertaker attacked Savage, until Sid Justice ran them off. I dont have to walk around the corner and hide something. The camera crew faded to black immediately, proving they had more sense than whoever allowed Roberts to even attempt wrestling while in his wretched state. And it's going to be a long journey. His first major TV wrestling appearance for WCW was at Clash of the Champions XX, where his team won a 4-man elimination tag match. Roberts was set to wrestle Jim Neidhart, but a pre-match interview showed he was in no condition to wrestle, or do anything really. As it turns out, he needed that to happen again before even beginning to change. 30 years later, Roberts has lost nearly everything to his inner demons. |}} The legendary Jake the Snake features race-driven geometry in a tough yet light aluminum frame and a full carbon flat mount disc fork and is accompanied by tubeless-ready wheels. [17][18][19], Smith was born in Houston, Texas and grew up with a brother, who died at age nine, and two sisters. Following the loss to Sting he continued his feud, facing him on several house shows immediately after the event. You know, Beyond the Mat. Once he reached the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) in March 1986, he would bring a Burmese python (most were named "Damien") to ringside in a canvas bag. In the set-up, Roberts explained to Warrior that, after passing three tests, he would have the "knowledge of the dark side" to defeat Undertaker. Shortly after agreeing to the contract, WCW hired a man named Bill Watts to run the place. 145k Followers, 1,155 Following, 1,539 Posts - See Instagram photos and videos from Jake 'THE SNAKE' Roberts (@jakethesnakeddt) 145k Followers, 1,155 Following, 1,539 Posts - See Instagram photos and videos from Jake 'THE SNAKE' Roberts (@jakethesnakeddt) . [23] A series of matches were planned, but the feud was canceled after the Ultimate Warrior was fired by the WWF the night of SummerSlam. As he told SI, "The snake was something to hide behind. [28] To go along with his new gimmick, his new albino Burmese python was named "Revelations". They both contend that the resulting emotional trauma is responsible for Roberts' substance abuse and his sister's mental health problems. Aurelian Jake Smith, Jr. (May 30, 1955) is a second-generation semi-retired American professional wrestler, the son of former wrestler Aurelian "Grizzly" Smith. In the 2023 A&E documantary on his son's life, Aurelian Jr., better known as Jake the Snake Roberts, again stated that his father sexually abused minors during his childhood. Good news! Oct 19, 2020 | By Marsha Smith | Los Angeles Review of Books. Roberts appeared unannounced on WWE Raw and looked to be in phenomenal shape. In August 2014, Roberts fell ill during a flight from Atlanta to Las Vegas, where he was scheduled to attend a birthday event for fellow wrestler Nick Cvjetkovich. [5] During filming, Roberts had shoulder surgery which was paid for through crowdfunding. 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. (Matsuda later recommended Smith's daughter Rockin' Robin to work for All Japan Women's Pro Wrestling in the 1990s). Jake "The Snake" Roberts was afraid of snakes. He was released in February 1997. Roberts has several siblings, but one of them is no longer with us. I can wake up in the morning and look in the mirror and go, You know what dude, youre a bad son of bitch. [4] While wrestling in Texas, Smith met Luke Brown, who he followed to Oklahoma. 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. Allegedly, the python playing Damien at the time (there were several) didn't eat for months, as Roberts had kept him in a tank and left him there. On June 14, 2014, Roberts participated in a six-man tag match in the main event for Reborn Wrestling (a Christian wrestling organization in Johnson City, Tennessee), teaming with The Stallion and Alex Cage to defeat E. Z. In wrestling, Roberts got to be someone else when he walked through the curtain and the documentary gives you a look at the journey, which did not include going to a wrestling school. Jake "The Snake" Roberts began his career when he became a referee and a wrestler. Wash on gentle, cold water. Fans likely weren't sure what to be more aghast at: Robert's drunken actions, or how he looked heavier, flabbier, and overall worse than ever. In fact, he downright hates them, but used them to keep people from getting too close to the real him. WWF president Jack Tunney reinstated Savage as an active wrestler to get revenge for the attack. Moss regained the title the next night in Ashford, Kent, though. After spending over a year in hiatus, Roberts returned to WWF at the Royal Rumble in 1996, as a Bible-preacher. You got your st right.. He's known for having innovated one of wrestling's most inspired finishing moves in the DDTa swift symphony of high impact offense where an opponent's head is held in a front face lock before. His descent into drugs and alcohol has been . He described it as living in a sthole and youre not sure if you have enough money to eat for the week or pay the rent. (360) 7.8 1 h 36 min 2015 16+. Smith, who had wrestled under the ring names Jake Smith and Tiny Anderson,[4][2] began competing as Grizzly Smith, although he also wrestled as Tiny Smith. Use the arrow keys to control your snake and spacebar to pause. [2] He had three children from his first marriage: two sons, Aurelian Jr. and Richard, and a daughter, Jo Lynn (who was kidnapped in 1979). Roberts debuted in the Mexican promotion Asistencia Asesora y Administracin (AAA) in April 1993, causing the defeat of Konnan in the career vs. career match at Triplemana I. Roberts' run-in started a feud that lasted until 1994 at Triplemana II-C, in which Konnan defeated Roberts in a hair vs. hair match which Roberts got his long hair cut off and shaved bald. In late 1986, Roberts began to enjoy an upsurge in fan popularity, despite the WWF's attempts to cast him as an unpopular villain. In fact, he's thriving, because 60 years of misery was apparently his limit. The two wrestlers feuded over the NWA Texas Heavyweight Championship, which Smith won from The Spoiler in June 1968. Roberts no-showed several defenses, forcing SMW to give the title back to Anthony on July 5. He wrestled in the National Wrestling Alliance in 1983, World Championship Wrestling in 1992, and the Mexico-based Asistencia Asesora y Administracin between 1993 and 1994 and again in 1997. [27] These allegations were also the subject of the season 3 episode of Dark Side of the Ring named "In The Shadow of Grizzly Smith". 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. If Smith had told his son the truth about wrestling, that could've helped Roberts' psyche immensely. According to Jaker, a year after his sister left, she had a child with this older man. Sadly, few if any higher-ups told him to get help until it was almost too late. The bout ended after Roberts was able to "locate" Martel and deliver a DDT. At one point in the documentary, Derek says I cant imagine as a father not doing that [everything] for your own kids. His daughter Brandy tells a story about how she drove her and her dad from Texas to Georgia in 1993 while he smoked crack the entire time. A short feud with Sid ensued when Sid was scheduled to wrestle "El Diablo" and the Undertaker came out and accepted the challenge to face Sid. From there, he went to Mississippi to work with promoter George Culkin. Be careful not to hit the wall or eat your tail! Such callousness motivated Jake to pursue wrestling full-time to show his dad how wrong he was. [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. He is best known for his two stints in the World Wrestling Federation (later called WWE); the first between 1986 and 1992, and the second between 1996 and 1997. He was known in the Mid-South Wrestling, Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling, and Georgia Championship Wrestling at that time. Smith began wrestling in 1958. It's not perfect, wrapped up in a bow, but a work in progress. [46] In July 2021, Roberts announced he had signed a 2-year contract extension with AEW. Jake "The Snake" Roberts didn't feel pain when he wrestled. Then there was the first time Jake tried to wrestle. Unfortunately, Steamboat was unable to stop his head from hitting the concrete and was rendered unconscious, sustaining a concussion. Jake the Snake. Roberts, who was so drunk that he could not stand up, took the fall in the match after Bundy splashed and pinned him. Smith and Brown formed a tag team known as The Kentuckians, and the pair used the gimmick of a pair of hillbillies. From late The '80s to late The '90s, he feuded with their top tier talent. 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. I stayed there for some period of time. The Snake's still here, so clearly he beat it. While that's certainly enough to feed most families, it's a slap in the face when you were just promised 15 times that amount. Aurelian Smith (August 6, 1932 - June 12, 2010) was an American professional wrestler better known as Grizzly Smith. The legendary Jake the Snake features race-driven geometry in a tough yet light aluminum frame and a full carbon flat mount disc fork, and is accompanied by tubeless ready wheels wrapped with Maxxis All Terrane tires, a SRAM Apex 1x11 drivetrain, and TRP hydraulic disc . Smith's feud with The Assassins also took him to Western Canada, where he teamed with Don Leo Jonathan to defeat The Assassins for the Vancouver version of the NWA Canadian Tag Team Championship. So you go to find things to do. They challenged Antonio Inoki and Hiro Matsuda for the NWA World Tag Team Championship twice but lost by disqualification both times, although Inoki was able to pin Smith in the second fall of the second match. He began wrestling in 1975, and the drinking only escalated from there. [12], After retiring as a competitor, Smith promoted wrestling events in Louisiana alongside Jack Curtis. He is known for WCW Slamboree 1993 (1993), WCW Wrestle War (1991) and Wrestling Queen (1973). I wanted everyone to be afraid of me." 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. Its why Roberts, who is currently working backstage with AEW after a run as Lance Archers on-screen manager, wants his story to be an inspiration for others trying to break their own cycle of addiction and help them rebuild their lives. ( 1993 ), WCW hired a man named Bill watts to run the place the NWA Heavyweight... Feel pain when he became a referee and a wrestler jake to pursue Wrestling to! 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