10 Reasons Why Jake Roberts Is Wrestling’s Original Antihero
8. Violence
In a cartoon era, Jake Roberts felt real. Surrounded by barbers, prison guards, and face-painted warriors, Roberts was a gritty dose of reality. His actions were shocking and sinister, while his mere presence exuded menace unlike any other.
Simply put, when Jake was bad he was pure evil, bordering on sado-masochistic. His encounter with Ricky Steamboat at Saturday Night’s Main Event was proof of just that, when Roberts decked 'The Dragon' with a DDT to the concrete floor. The image of Steamboat’s disfigured head was truly shocking for '80s WWF, yet Roberts would surpass his own evil depths just years later.
In one of the most infamous angles in WWF history, Roberts unleashed a live cobra on the beloved Randy Savage in front of a worldwide audience on Superstars of Wrestling. Seeing the cobra’s fangs sunk deep into Savage’s flesh is shocking footage to this day. The sight of Roberts sadistically laughing in the face of the cobra, as it coiled post-deed, etched the moment in stone.
A forgotten moment in between these deeds saw Roberts on the other side of the violence, taking a shocking guitar shot to the head from Honky Tonk Man. Unlike the guitars of today that explode like fireworks on impact, this guitar was real. The result was alarming, painful, and real; three key themes that followed Roberts throughout his career.