Jim Cornette Reviews A&E's Jake "The Snake" Roberts Biography 

Jake is an inspiration for me, if someone like him can get clean and stay clean then I have belief I can too. Been 3 years clean and sober now.

I will never forget meeting Jake at a pizza place in my town where he was signing autographs when he was REALLY down and out. My friend walked up to him and said to him "how are you doing?" he replied "I'M MISERABLE" and you could tell he 100% meant it. I believe that weekend he was pulled over and got a DUI from the local police.

Best short armed clothesline in the game which you don’t see much anymore. His promos were so psychologically good. The “Wallowing in the Muck of Avarice” promo before he faced Dibiase at WM 6 was fantastic.

I met Jake Roberts at his comedy show in St Louis. I said he was inspiration to me even though I haven't had addiction but mental health issues. He shook my hand and was very humble. Fitting from a guy who was one of my favorite wrestlers when I started watching wrestling at 5 years old.

Jake's biography was really well done one of the best I've seen.

Raven had a good DDT. The way he threw his legs up when he landed made it seem like he’s throwing all of his weight backwards and your head is going too.

"I'm still stupid. I still do what I'm not supposed to do. Are you serious? I'm Jake 'The Snake,' man. I never claimed to be the sharpest knife in the drawer." - Jake Roberts

I agree one of the best things about these biographies is seeing the old footage. I’ll be watching it and saying wow I remember watching that when it happened

"He's like an evil Wilford Brimley" So basically Wilford Brimley in the second half of The Thing

That DDT is of one first moves that every kid did on their siblings and friends growing up, because it was so easy to do, and it looked so cool and devastating!

"He's like an evil Wilfred Brimley" 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 that truly is one of the best ever !

Jake the Snake is one of the best at psychology in pro wrestling. Guy got people to pop every night by circling his finger

I believe Brian's incorrect about the Taker match being the only time Jake didn't bring out the snake because, there was a ban on Jake bringing out snakes by Jack Tunney after the cobra bite to Savage a few months early

The story that Jake Roberts has told about his WCW deal (for whatever that's worth) is that Grizzly Smith convinced Kip Frey to sign Jake for a multi-million dollar deal. The best report I can find was that it was worth about $750,000 guaranteed per year for three years, with an option to extend. However during the 90 day period between his WWF release and being able to sign the WCW contract, Kip Frey was replaced by Bill Watts. Watts was known to be cutting a lot of contracts at the time, to where Brian Pillman refused to take a cut even when Watts threatened to job him out and supposedly told him "Then I'll be the highest paid jobber in wrestling". And Watts reportedly with just three days to go ripped up the contract for Jake, knowing that Jake had burned his bridge with McMahon, and got him to sign a deal for about $300,000 per year.

Jake's DDT was one of the most over finishing moves in the history of wrestling

Jake’s long & lanky frame and lack of musculature also set him apart from everyone else.

I still remember seeing Beyond the Mat, and I really felt he was going to be gone within ten years tops.

I was a young teen in Cape Town when WWE was in South Africa, this was after his King of the Ring match with Stone Cold, I met Jake at an evening church service at the Good Hope Christian Center in my neighborhood, after he gave his testimony. I didn't become a church going man, but will always remember a few of the life lessons he shared that night😁

As someone who grew up on Mid South wrestling in the early to mid 1980s, Grizzly Smith was always portrayed on TV in that era as a kindly old grandfatherly gentleman---a real "Gentle Ben", if you will---who was patient with the wrestlers and complimented by the ring announcers for making phenomenal matches. I never saw the monster behind the scenes that everyone else talks about

Jake had the last laugh against his dad.

Jake told the story on his WWE DVD that his father called him up in early 92 and told him that Kip Frye was giving out million dollar contracts like they were coupons. Jake called up Frye and agreed to a 2.5 million dollar deal. Jake then "held Vince up" by saying "give me my release or I'm not going to the ring against The Undertaker." So Vince gave him a release but with a 90 day no compete clause attached. By the time the 90 days were up, Kip Frye quit and Bill Watts was in charge. Jake went to sign his contract and Watts ripped it up and said "200 grand or get the hell out of my office." Jake took the 200 grand and 4 months later quit because his wife wanted him to come home.

It's hard for me to think Jim isn't just blocking the Grizzly situation out of his mind. Since Jim liked Grizzly, it seems like he shoved it to the side or just didn't acknowledge any signs if they came up. Jim is willing to go to bat for people he reveres even if they obviously did something wrong (see: Ric Flair, Vince McMahon). I'm not saying Jim watched it happen or is keeping it a secret, but more something he might not want to acknowledge even if he did see the signs.

This one felt more like Dark Side of the Ring rather than Biography... One thing that was weird is they had Jake doing the normal interviews, but also doing these black and white wrestling style promos.

hard to comprehend how the DDT went from easily the most feared finisher in wrestling to a set up move

When I think of the DDT being overexposed, I think of Raven & Tommy Dreamer's Loser Leaves ECW Match, & the constant DDTs in that match before finally a bloody Dreamer hits the Final DDT to kick Raven to a higher paid Wrestling Promotion while he's on his way to obscurity before wanting to pull the trigger on Paul Heyman.

"He's like an evil Wilfred Brimley." - Jim Cornette on Jake the snake

I remember seeing Jake vs Slaughter in 82 , Jake vs Steamboat in 86 and Jake vs DiBiase in 90. I'm glad he's now living his best life. Good luck to us all

Jim casually saying that DDT the poison was over had me actually laughing out loud.

If you go back and watch the Jake/Taker match. Not only does he not come out with the snake but he also does a "Jobber Jog" right before entering the ring. A master of Psychology

IV worked with Jake more then a handful of times.... Always nice,fun and sober. I never had a single problem with Jake. ❤

The man got a lawn-infestation gimmick over and rode it to legend status. Wretched as he may have been as a person all his life, that is a mind-bogglingly great accomplishment.

Jake Roberts always inspires me. The man suffered through so much from a young age and managed to overcome his demons. Every time I feel hopeless, remembering Jake reminds me that it's possible to get through worse.

His WrestleMania VI promo was one of the all-time best.

Jake 🐍. The snake. Was a top 5 promo guy of all time. 🎤. He didn’t have to scream. His words and eyes. Sucked you in. Hes right up there with. Flair dusty. Piper. On the greatest promo guys. 💯

Jake lived a life some committed suicide over. I commend him for becoming the gem he is at this age

Did anyone else survive the DDT? Not in WWF...but in Mid-South, Lord Humongous kicked out of the DDT in a cage match in Houston (because he had the hockey mask on). However, later in the match, when Jake DDT'd him onto a chair, he didn't kick out then.

Jake passed the anti-hero torch to Steve Austin. How can y'all not see that?!

Jake was part of one of the most iconic moments in WWE history. He was the subject and the inspiration for the Austin 3:16 promo “ First thing you need to do is get that piece of trash out of my ring “ lol

It’s the best one of the entire series. How dare he be honest about his past. The nerve of that guy.

Jim Ross said on his most recent podcast that ppl absolutely knew about Grizzly. Love Corny but he romanticizes the territory guys so much sometimes that he’s in denial about what POS some of them were. Grizzly probably intimidating AF but a big grown man like that walking around with pregnant 12 and 14yr olds?? C’MON!!! Smh

Jake was an economic worker. He didn't make a lot of moves, but he didn't have to he just needed to do everything to tell a story in the ring and release Damian.

A&E...I remember when it came as all British shows and Bill Kurtis

How many legit playground DDTs was Jake responsible for... 🤣🤣🤣

Fun fact: In Tom Brandy's RF shoot he talks about how Jake while working for the WWE office after his 1996 run that he traded his rental car for crack.

Jake’s upbringing really screwed him up. It is hard for anybody to succeed with that type of father, and with that young of a mother, who had been violated by his father, who was a lover of children. And having a mother-in-law who abused him physically, verbally, and s*xually

Of all the wrestlers who are still alive from the 1980s I can’t believe Jake is.

For the record; Gangrel called his DDT the impaler

The way jim explained no one in mid south not knowing is such fucking bs “we joked about it” “he knew all the girls names “ “he was always around those girl groups” yea you guys totally missed that 😂

It’s time to cancel Grizzly Smith once and for all.

...to the crack house... on the way to MADISON SQUARE GARDEN! 😂😂😂

I’ll say this much, the Jake I met at the “resurrection of Jake the snake” in Atlanta when the premiere happened, Jake has been and was in a better place mentally, physically, and emotionally.. and he’s continued to be a better person staying out of the addictions and not slipping up..

The fact that Jake had all these demons is one of the many reasons he is talked about today ..there will be no a and e documentaries on these ballet dancers they have on t.v now

Somewhere out in the ether, footage of that DDT Jake gave Hulk Hogan is just waiting to be discovered.

Saw Jake wrestle at an indie show where my brother was on the card. It was during his extremely dark period and the match was the absolute shits. (on the upside, I also saw glacier at the same show)

Loved Jake and that DDT since I was a kid

What Brian Last says about Jake Roberts is pretty much why I have all but stopped attempting to atone for who I was when I was younger and really stopped caring about how people in general think about me when I die, whether it's justified or not, certain people are going to despise you for countless reasons, there's nothing anyone can do to change that. ¯⁠\⁠_⁠༼⁠ ⁠•́⁠ ͜⁠ʖ⁠ ⁠•̀⁠ ⁠༽⁠_⁠/⁠¯

My best memories of Jake THE SNAKE, (and possibly his BEST work) was back in the early 80's against THE HANDS OF STONE Ron Garvin. They had great bloody matches. Jake's ribs was pulverized by Garvin but Jake could still SNAP THAT SUPER FAST DDT. Awesome stuff! Go back and watch it if nobody has seen it?

Being raised in apartment maintenance in Philadelphia. I remember (really well) my father spraying pesticide and it he called it DDT. This was LONG before I watched wrestling

jake roberts was and still is my favorite.

Always good to hear jimmy’s stories

Raven did the second best DDT when he fell back his feet went high up looked very impactful.

The Honky Tonk man made me do it lol

Funny that Brian says one unnamed person tells him Jake's "bad" then one minute later it's "several" people.

"You were there, what did you see?"

Bruce Pritchard confirmed the thing about Jake wanting to be on the creative team. He was apparently very excited about it and they had him sit in on one meeting where he pitched a perfectly reasonable underhanded finish for a heel, but he was apparently very excited about the idea and his pitch became a joke that lasted a lot longer than Jake being on the creative team. After that he got an offer for WCW that some people think he would not have accepted if he had the option to stay with Vince in a role he could age into. Also, WCW changed bookers between Jake taking the offer and Jake starting and the new booker was someone that hated Jake so he left WWF for a WCW career that was aborted after a couple TV appearances. Dude got fucked coming and going

Grizzly Smith really messed his kids up, all of them are still trying to work through thier issues with themselves and each other. To think he wanted them not to trust or like each other just to cover his tracks is appalling.

I hope Jim helps produce a mid south documentary I want to learn more about it

I thought it was very funny for Jim to declare that the pesticide DDT was over

With regards to Grizzly Smith, I'm going to say what I said in another post: he makes Fritz Von Erich at his worst look like father of the year, and that ISN'T an exaggeration, IMO!!! With a father like that, anyone would have issues...

In 2013 and 2015 Jake did shows for Crossfire Wrestling in St.Catharines Ontario. I'm part of the production team and got to work with him and be around him. We drove him everywhere and had dinners with him and he was all class, funny and a gentleman. He was totally sober and clean aside from the odd cigarette. Above all he was a professional the entire time. The funniest instance was Jake lighting a smoke in the locker room and the promoter telling him smoking is prohibited in buildings in Ontario, and Jake just laughed and said, "Good thing I'm not from Ontario." He put it out and went outside in the frigid cold of December night and did everyone right. Whatever demons he has, and obviously there are many, those 2 times he was an awesome person to have met.

Jake wrestled Humongous, and Humongous survived being DDT on a chair before Undertaker

In Mid-South, Humongous kicked out of the DDT. I can't remember the whole angle & sequence, but it ended with Jake finally DDTing him on the concrete to beat him.

In Jim Ross's book he said that Grizzly Smith made inappropriate comments about a 9 year old when he first met him.....Yet nobody knew.

the Grizzly Smith shit is beyond unbelievable. ain’t no way them bastards ain’t knew

I haven’t watched it yet, but seeing him in person many times I loving his promos did it for me. He’s awesome. Healthwise he looks like he could pass away at any moment. I feel bad for him. When you see him gingerly walk to the ring. Knowing at one time he was one of the best ever.

32:28 I agree!

Cornette is overly nostalgic to the point I think it clouds his judgement sometimes. Like I think there is something to think about with how the territory systen was ripe for pedophiles to exploit it like they had zero accountability, access to kids/teenagers, and a lot of mobility to go get set up somewhere else so there probably were substantially more than just Grizzly Smith. In a time where it was easiet to get away with anything anyway, yeah no shit there must have been. I don't believe if a guy was making big money and something like that came out they couldn't just bribe the parents to shut them up? People didn't talk about that kinda stuff back then either like I fail to see what was stopping them.

When Dark side of the Ring came on, I was disgusted by the Grizzly Smith revelations. Now after seeing this I'm even more disgusted for what these kids had to go through. Grizzly's kids are the ultimate survivors. Jake was a piece of shit to his kids by not being around but at least he's trying to make up for it. But HELL he's still one of my all-time favorites.

His promos were amazing. While most blokes in the WWF in the late 1980's were screaming and shouting into the camera, Jake was the complete opposite. Plus the DDT is one of the best finishing moves ever.

What a fascinating conversation this morning. Jake's never been my favorite wrestler or person, not that I know the guy. But I'm extremely familiar with his career by osmosis, just by being a wrestling fanatic for 30 years. I specifically remember his religious comeback in '96.

Top 5 all time with Promos top3 all time with finishing maneuver. Had it not been for Roberts there wouldn’t be Austin 3:16.

What "Grizzly Smith" did is unforgivable it just makes my skin crawl

I am sure we have only seen the tip of messed up shit that was done by wrestlers during the territory days,

Jim I loved your "In Living Color" reference! My blues man 😁

Jim quoting an "In Living Color" sketch was pretty funny.

As soon as Brian starts talking about a nonsense grievance that nobody has....oh, must be the steven p new promo.

Am I wrong. But, is Grizzly protected too much?

Rick Martell spraying arrogance in his eye and Honkey Tonk smashing him in the head with a guitar are great moments I'll never forget.

Listening to Brian Last being the sole arbitor of someone being a good person is hilarious

Love corny still using an In Living Color reference in 2024, lmao.

One of the best promo guys ever. Never had to yell and scream. Just talk in F'd up riddles and say scary shit lmao.

“Hey, honey. The kids really like this John Cena guy. There’s a wrestling documentary on A&E. What say we get Aiden and Deleria and watch this tonight?”

I feel like Tommy Dreamer kicked out of it when Jake appeared in ECW for a hot second. To be fair, Jerry Lawler pinned Tommy after getting the DDT.

I love Jim’s sly In Living Color reference

I don't believe that was the same daughter in Beyond the Mat. As Jake said, he has 8 kids and 4 of them don't talk to him. I believe the daughter in Beyond the Mat was living in Nebraska and Jake was doing a show there and that's how they got him to meet up with her. I think Corny tends to underrate Jake's in-ring work. I've watched plenty of him in Mid-Atlantic and his matches were very technical and told a great story. Albeit he was working with top notch guys like Sgt. Slaughter. But the same with his work in Japan. What I really liked about Jake as a worker is that he was really great at getting the babyface (whether he was the babyface or the heel) into real peril in the feud. Whether it was Steamboat and the shock of the DDT on the floor, Savage with the snake, Undertaker's hand being closed shut on the coffin, Jake getting smashed by HTM's guitar, Jake getting his eye damaged by Rick Martel.

I like to story Jake gave on his DVD back in the 00’s. Grizzly offered him big money to come to WCW, so he held up Vince at Wrestlemania 8 for his release or he would not show up, because he was lied to about replacing Pat as booker while Pat took his hiatus, so Vince gave it to him with the no complete clause for 90ish days, so he can’t sign contract. But Grizzly gets replaced by Watts before he can sign it and after Bill sees how much money it is for, laughs and tears it up and offered him a lot less, but who knows with Jakes stories now

It's also crazy that the only few appearances of Smoky Mountain that he's on is what WWE TV highlights on that section of the territory like it's what made the place. 😂

Honestly, his story is just gripping. Especially knowing that he turned out okay enough in the end.

notice they interview Rockin Robin but nothing from Sam Houston.

My first introduction into wrestlers who can do anything in the business except be the champion started right here. Jake the Snake Roberts