10 Legendary WWE Feuds That Never Had A Payoff

3. Ultimate Warrior Vs. Jake Roberts (1991)

Hulk Hogan Ric Flair 1992
WWE.com

Few can debate that Jake The Snake's heel turn in the Summer of 1991 was one of the greatest storylines, involving some of the greatest television, WWE has ever produced. Who could forget the campy-but-phenomenal vignettes in which The Ultimate Warrior attempted to learn about the dark side from his supposed ally Jake "The Snake"?

Roberts would "test" The Warrior by locking him in a casket, nearly burying him alive, surrounding him with snakes, all in an effort to prepare the Warrior for his battles against The Undertaker. Finally, it was revealed that Jake had set Warrior up as he had been working with Paul Bearer and The Undertaker all along. The weekend before SummerSlam '91 saw Jake's turn complete when one of his cobras bit the Ultimate Warrior in the face.

Once again, WWE had set the stage for a colossal match-up between two of their most heavily featured superstars, Jake Roberts and The Ultimate Warrior.

Unfortunately, the weekend this angle aired on WWE programming was the very same weekend that Warrior was terminated from the promotion minutes after his main event tag match at SummerSlam '91. Jake was forced to work newcomer Sid Justice and, eventually, the reinstated Macho Man Randy Savage.

Savage/Jake can't be traded for anything in this world, but Warrior/Jake had the potential to be nearly as good, entertainment-wise, that fans never got.

Contributor
Contributor

A former stuntman for Paramount Pictures, Matt enjoys sports, water skiing, driving fast, the beach, professional wrestling, technology, and scotch. At the same time, whenever possible. Having attended many famous (and infamous) shows including WrestleMania XV, In Your House: Mind Games, and the 1995 King of the Ring, Matt has been a lifelong professional sports and wrestling fan. Matt's been mentioned in numerous wrestling podcasts including the Steve Austin Show: Unleashed, Talk Is Jericho, and Something To Wrestle With Bruce Prichard. As a former countywide performer, Matt has been referred to as Mr. 300 for his amazing accomplishments in the world of amateur bowling. He is also the only man on record to have pitched back-to-back no hitters in the Veterans Stadium Wiffle Ball League of 2003.