Original subtitles

Cold blooded-

From Stone Mountain, Georgia-

-ferocious-

-weighing 249 pounds-

-sinister.

Jake "The Snake" Roberts.

The similarities between Jake "The Snake" Roberts

and the serpent nickname he possesses are uncanny.

You don't play around with people like me,

because people like me, we just don't play.

Today, we look back at the iconic career of

Jake "The Snake" Roberts.

Look at the size of that huge snake.

This is WWE's Greatest Moments.

Enter into the snake pit, if you dare.

If you smell--

Oh, my God,

what the hell are you doing?

Absolutely unbelievable.

Hulkamania is here.

Welcome, everyone,

to WWE's Greatest Moments.

I'm Michael Cole, and in this edition, we're celebrating one

of the most enigmatic superstars of all time,

the WWE Hall of Famer, Jake "The Snake" Roberts.

They say you can't always get what you want,

but I've always been able to get what I need.

The sheer aura of Jake is second to none.

From the methodical walk to the ring, to the devastating DDT,

and yes, the always feared bag with a literal snake

inside of it.

Talk about your Boa Constrictors,

take a look at that.

Jake Roberts was a true master of mind games,

and the spoken word.

From his WWE debut, the Snake's captivating promos always left

audiences in chills.

Also going to be excited to see newcomer

right now to the World Wrestling--,

Jake "The Snake" Roberts.

When Jake first came on, you know,

I was trying to get into the character.

I really didn't know much about him.

I was terrified of snakes, always have been,

but I wanted the job.

Oh, for God sakes, Jake Roberts,

what in the world?

Uh, take- get that thing out of here.

Oh, just take it easy, Gene.

If you're good to me, I'll make sure he's good to you, huh?

The guy's walking around

with a 14-foot python.

That's what you think is drawing you in, but with Jake,

it's all his eyes.

Look at it.

That-that thing is eyeballing me.

To say I'm the sickest is just the admonition

of reality, because it's me.

I mean, he was so strong as a character.

He had that evil mean streak that was just all,

you could just sense it about him.

If you keep playing with snakes,

you got to expect one thing, you're gonna get bit.

It allowed me to get my character the dark side in.

It allowed me to paint the picture, how evil I was.

That was the birth of Jake "The Snake".

The Snake is going to be here for a long time,

and it's something that everyone has to deal with.

Jake "The Snake" Roberts

was a character unlike any other.

His fondness for the slithery serpents of the reptile kingdom

gave him a psychological advantage over his opponents.

Sooner or later, Damian,

Damian, my friend, will strike.

In 1987, Jake found a kindred spirit

in rock icon Alice Cooper.

Cooper famously used live Boa Constrictors at his concerts.

We've always been bone breakers, you see.

We were signed, sealed, witnessed on the day

we were born.

Yeah.

So, it was no surprise at WrestleMania III,

in front of a record-setting 93,000 fans that Alice Cooper

would be in the corner of the Serpent Sidekick when he faced

the Honky Tonk Man at the Pontiac Silverdome.

Coming towards the ring, and

accompanied by Alice Cooper, Jake "The Snake" Roberts.

Being on the same stage as Alice Cooper,

a real night for me, man.

I mean, I was just overjoyed.

The eyeballs that Alice Cooper brought in.

You know, he was hot off MTV, his album was gold already.

These guys have pulled out all the stops

in this one.

Oh, ran, whoa, right into the steel post.

Sometimes celebrities get involved in

wrestling, and you're like, "Is this a natural fit?"

The Alice Cooper, Jake "The Snake" thing was

more than perfect.

Uh-oh.

Got it, right in the corner.

Oh, look at that.

Look at Hart.

Give me a break.

That's got to be a disqualification.

He's holding on the ropes.

Three.

He got him.

He got it.

The Honky Tonk wins it.

And of course, you know what was going to happen

with that big snake, it's going to be thrown on me.

Look at this.

The Mouth is fighting for his life in there.

And it was a rush.

Man, it just, uh, the electricity and the energy

from that crowd, it hits you.

And it just pow.

Talk about excitement.

There's no question that Jake "The Snake"

Roberts had charisma in spades.

His words were oftentimes more dangerous than his arsenal

inside the squared circle.

Trust me.

One superstar to find that out was

"The Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase-

when he took the coveted

Million Dollar Championship from The Million Dollar Man.

If you want your Million Dollar belt,

bring your Million Dollar butt and come and get it.

DiBiase would try and reclaim

his title against Jake on the grand stage of WrestleMania VI,

but it was the word The Snake spoke before the match that sent

shivers up the spines of the thousands in attendance

at the Toronto SkyDome.

Right now, let's take you

to Jake "The Snake" Roberts.

The promos were the easy ones for me.

Big gift from above, I guess.

Here we are at WrestleMania, and it's the biggest match

of your career.

Why?

Because everything you stand for is on the line.

Every time he does an interview,

he does it in such a way, he can either make you love him,

or you can- he can make you hate him.

I'm going to make you beg, DiBiase.

This time you'll be the one that's humbled.

This time you'll be the one that's humiliated.

And this time, you will be the one that grovels for the money.

I knew I had to do something different.

When people yelled at me, I didn't listen, so I thought,

"Well, let's go the other way then.

Let's whisper, make people listen," and it does.

A victim of your own greed, wallowing

in the muck of Everest.

Long fellow, couldn't have said it better.

Personal differences between Jake

"The Snake" Roberts and WWE led to Jake leaving the company.

No matter where he went, Jake "The Snake" Roberts left an

undeniable impression on all who crossed his path.

In 1992, during an episode of WCW Main Event, The Icon known

as Sting was fending off an attack from "Ravishing" Rick

Rude and Cactus Jack, when a new arrival would shockingly slither

into the arena with sinister intentions.

Wait a minute.

Who's that coming through the--

Jake "The Snake" Roberts

slithering into the ring, and now he's got the chair.

And sometimes you can work things out,

but sometimes you can't, and, uh, we couldn't, so I left.

I went over to the-the other guys.

Jake Roberts doesn't even wrestle in WCW.

What's he doing here?

He had to get out, so he was going

to go to the greener grass.

Oh, short clothesline.

It was clear then that everybody knew who he was,

and it was a really cool way to make a debut.

Roberts with that steel chair.

Jake "The Snake", the-the master of the DDT.

And he dropped him on his face.

The more impactful your debut,

then the more you give people something to talk about.

Not another one.

And oh.

I went into the ring and hit Sting

with two DDTs, left him laying.

Sting is hurt badly at the hand

of Jake "The Snake" Roberts.

Even the wrestlers were shocked.

People were freaking out.

That evil, devil-like

Jake "The Snake" Roberts.

Sting needs medical attention, and he needs it badly.

Just a blast, man, to have that much heat.

They were angry.

Tragedy has struck The Stinger at the hands

of Jake "The Snake" Roberts.

It's common knowledge that snakes are most

at home in dark places, preying on the weak for survival.

In 1991, the Ultimate Warrior was engulfed in a rivalry with

the ominous Undertaker.

Yes, and you're going to be scared.

Oh, wait a minute.

No, from behind.

You're going to be scared.

No.

They're burying him.

And turned to Jake "The Snake" Roberts

for guidance through the dark side.

What Warrior was about to find out, is that sometimes trust

can be venomous.

Now then, the Ultimate Warrior in his ongoing

quest to understand his adversary, The Undertaker,

has followed the advice of Jake Roberts.

You know, it was time for me to turn heel.

What better person to do it than the Warrior?

You wanted to know all about the Undertaker.

You ask me.

You got to learn the Undertaker's way, brother.

It's the dark side.

Jake was a really great talent, and there

were no limitations to what you could do creatively between

the two characters.

Final piece to the puzzle.

You've trusted me to this point, but you need to step inside this

room, because in this room is that coffin and Lucifer

sits waiting for you.

He created something that no one

ever done before.

He scared people.

Go forth.

You'll find the answer in the center of the room, Warrior.

I'll shed a little light on the subject for you there, big guy.

Huh?

What do you think about that?

He just stomped his way into the room when he did that,

and those snakes were biting his ankles.

Ultimate Warrior, huh?

Oh, not what you expected?

Oh, it's not what the doctor ordered, is it?

It shocked the hell out of people.

Reach out for me.

I'm a snake.

Never trust a snake.

In the 1980s, few rivalries got as personal as

it did with Jake "The Snake" Roberts

and "Ravishing" Rick Rude.

Come on, boy.

The Ravishing One was the self-professed

sexiest man alive and was convinced he was the desire

of any woman who was in his presence.

The ladies love the way I move.

With full arrogance in tow,

"Ravishing" Rick had the very image of Jake's wife, Cheryl,

airbrushed on his tights.

A move that sent the Snake into a cold-blooded rage.

"Ravishing" Rick Rude in action in the very

same arena as Jake "The Snake" Roberts.

I'm standing right here, Rude,

waiting for you, man.

Waiting for you to wear those tights just one more time.

Make people connect with what you're trying to say.

Keep it simple.

Well, you can't get any more simple than somebody messing

with your wife.

What's he doing?

He's tearing his tights off.

Oh.

Cheryl Roberts.

You hated him.

You loved to hate him.

He was the ultimate villain.

You just wanted to see him get his butt kicked.

Nobody wants your loved one's face

on some man's crotch.

He just did so many things to piss people off.

Here comes Jake "The Snake".

I'm going to go out there

and rip those off of him.

Oh, oh.

The tights coming down.

Pull them off.

Pull them all the way off down to his ankles.

Oh, my God, the people were so happy.

Now they're screaming at the top of their lungs.

They dug that.

Jake "The Snake" pulling those tights.

Fear is but a four-letter word, and when it

came to "The Eighth Wonder of the World" Andre the Giant,

many believed that there was nothing this seven-foot-tall

monster of a man was afraid of.

But on an episode of Saturday Night's Main

Event in 1988, the world would come to find out that at one

point or another, everyone can be rattled.

I wanna see how Jake handles this situation,

McMahon.

Bobby Heenan's gonna be in trouble here.

Heenan was waving-

for Andre the Giant to come down in ringside.

Andre coming in.

Andre struck The Hammer.

Boy, that's not fair.

Andre is 500 pounds.

I loved working with Andre.

He was such a performer.

Wait a minute, Jake back up on his feet.

He's coming back into the ring.

And look what he has.

Oh, this ought to be good.

Heenan, Heenan stepped to the outside.

Look at this.

What's going on here?

Andre is not moving in.

So, Andre was terrified of snakes.

The only thing, I think, that brought any fear to that man.

I think he's afraid.

Yes.

He's terrified.

I didn't think the giant was afraid of anything.

Moving-- Oh, no.

Oh, no.

It's all on the giant.

Look at this.

Damian, the snake, clutching.

It's choking Andre the Giant.

Andre going down.

Jake was smart as hell.

If anybody was gonna find a weakness, it was him.

Andre clutching his chest.

When he went down like he did,

and feinted the heart attack, it was gold.

Heenan slapping Andre around,

listening for a heartbeat.

Pounding on the chest of Andre the Giant.

I had no idea that the giant was afraid of anything,

but we certainly know what his Achilles heel is now.

In the land of darkness, the snake is king,

and in the fall of 1990, Rick "The Model" Martel

would put that to the test.

So, don't be pulling this--

Martel sprayed him right in the eyes

with that Arrogance.

As Martel literally blindsided Jake

with a vicious assault, Roberts was out for months.

It wasn't an accident.

I did it on purpose.

Now you see me.

Now you don't.

Upon his return, the Snake

didn't just want revenge.

He wanted Martel to feel the world the way he had,

without vision.

I lived with it.

Now you've got to.

It's real simple.

A blindfold, yeah, slip it on, brother.

The blind leading the blind.

The two were set to face off on the grand stage

of WrestleMania VII in one of the most unique matches

in WWE history, a blindfold match.

First time in the World Wrestling--,

a blindfold match.

The blindfold match was one of my favorites.

We did so much by doing very little.

The crowd 100% trying to help

Jake "The Snake."

They brought the fans into the ring,

and it's almost like the fans were warning

the wrestlers of what was going on in the ring.

That's not fair.

They should let Martel wrestle without the hood, keep his eyes

shut and just work on the honor system.

It gelled together so well, and you knew

right away what one was thinking and it was fantastic.

Drops an elbow, but nobody there.

Oh, Martel realized he had a hole on that ominous green bag

that contains Damien.

I remember hooking his head.

Oh, Jake found him.

DDT.

Got him.

And the people just whoa.

But can he find him to cover him?

Oh, no.

What a tremendous matchup.

Here is your winner, Jake Roberts.

You never know when a snake will bite first,

and in the case of the "Macho Man" Randy Savage,

that certainly reigned true.

During the wedding reception of Savage and his new bride,

Elizabeth, an unwelcomed guest crashed the party.

I'm going to save the ribbon.

Psychological warfare had begun,

as the vile, Jake Roberts, would torment the newlyweds.

In one of the most twisted moments in WWE history,

Jake showed just how serpentine he could be.

Jake Roberts all over Randy Savage.

Tying him up in the ropes.

Come on, Randy.

Get out of there.

Oh, no.

Jake "The Snake" Roberts.

Look at that.

I still get a little too excited for that

moment whenever I'm watching.

I can't go any further than that, but I-I-I should feel

guilty, but I don't.

He's got to get close to him.

Keep it away from him.

That snake is trying--

Wait a minute, the snake is--

Oh, the snake is biting him.

The snake is biting him.

The snake is mowing on the arm of Randy Savage,

who's helpless, tied in the ropes.

When the snake bit Randy's arm,

we were in disbelief.

The snake did not release.

Something's gone wrong here.

This is not supposed to happen.

Blood's starting to come out.

I grab the snake and pull on it, but the snake won't let go.

I tug on it, it won't let go now.

And now it's been, you know, 15, 20 seconds.

Man, the people are getting really weird, you know?

With people reacting.

Jake Roberts shaking the snake, as the snake

digs deeper into the arm.

This is not supposed to happen.

Finally, I had pried the jaws apart

and got the snake to let go.

Oh, no.

Randy Savage is in trouble.

That was probably one of the best moments

of my career.

It shocked Randy, and it let the rest of the world know

that Jake Roberts will do anything to get your attention

and get where he wanted to go.

Jake Roberts has snapped.

He's-he's sick.

And it's now time for our number one moment.

As Jake "The Snake" Roberts slithered his way into the

psyche of audiences everywhere, Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat

was the ultimate hero, much to the Snake's dismay.

Steamboat was the superstar that had the good looks and the

support of fans worldwide.

When I walked out there or during the match,

they're chanting my name or they're clapping for me.

I love it.

The Snake was set to take on the Dragon on a

1986 episode of Saturday Night's Main Event.

What transpired would be one of the most vicious moments

in WWE history.

Hello, everyone.

Welcome to Saturday Night's Main Event.

Like he'd tell me, and he'd say, "Jake,

here's what we want.

We want you to DDT Steamboat on the floor."

And I told them I couldn't do it.

That was going to be something very,

very serious because it had never happened before.

All those DDTs were in the ring.

And we argued.

Finally, he just said, "I know I can do it.

I can block it.

I can get my hands down.

Don't worry about me."

He's hanging onto those--

wait a minute.

Off the rope now.

Oh, what a clothesline.

And he kept begging, "Let's do it.

Let's do it."

Finally, I said, "Fine.

Let's do it."

He's not-- oh, no.

Hey, Steamboat.

That's using your head.

Oh, my goodness.

I like it.

Steamboat unconscious.

When his head hit it, it made the most

horrible sound.

I wasn't ready, and consequently, my head

hit the cement, and pfft, it swelled up.

He was completely out, and to try to

pick up 220 pounds that's completely out, it is a job.

Steamboat totally out of it.

Unconscious.

And I pushed him and rolled him in.

I came into the ring, they're starting to send people

from the back out there to check.

It could have cost me a career.

I think the Dragon is out.

Very lucky that, uh, it didn't kill him.

He's my most favorite guy to work with.

Had great matches with him and we went out and put on some damn

good performances.

The look of concern on the face of everyone

in this capacity crowd.

There's no question that Jake "The Snake"

Roberts has left behind a legacy that still coils tightly around

the heart of professional wrestling.

Well, that'll do it for this edition of WWE's Greatest

Moments.

I hope you've enjoyed this look back at the very best,

the one and only Jake "the Snake" Roberts.