Last night's Raw revealed that Jake "The Snake" Roberts will be joining the Ultimate Warrior in the 2014 Hall of Fame. The real-life Aurelian Smith Jr. has had his fair share of controversy, issues and ups and downs in not just his career but in his life in general. From being on the cusp of the then-WWF main event scene to the down-and-out waster that fans saw in Beyond the Mat, the originator of the DDT has certainly had a colourful life. It goes without saying that Jake Roberts is a wrestling legend. Here I take a look at 5 reasons just why this man with one of the best minds for the business is fully deserving of his spot in the WWE Hall of Fame.
5. His Promos
Most wrestling fans associate Jake Roberts with his '80s WWF run. At that time, the roster was dominated by larger than life, energetic characters that did promos as if they were a kid who'd had too many skittles. Whilst the likes of Hulk Hogan, the Ultimate Warrior and "Macho Man" Randy Savage were delivering promos that mainly involved shouting, gesticulating and wide-eyed, attention-grabbing intensity, in this land of the giants, Roberts took a different path. Rather than becoming just one of the shouty crowd, Jake delivered quiet, sinister, dark promos that would send an icy chill down your spine. Now Roberts had been delivering a slow, methodical promo for years before his first WWF run, but it was with Vince McMahon's company that Roberts' reach could grab a larger audience. Yes, his best work was as a heel, but even when he was a babyface Roberts never fell into the trap of a Hogan-esque promo style, still managing to maintain that calm, calculated, devious edge. Roberts never had the body of a Warrior or a Hogan, but he used his mind, be it in the ring or in his promos, to make himself stand out from the pack. Jake had a unique approach that would silence crowds as they would have to strain to listen to what this predator was saying. His promos were always articulate, meaningful and to the point, and his mic skills truly changed how wrestlers approached promos going forward.