10 Reasons Why Jake Roberts Is Wrestling’s Original Antihero
5. A Career Tweener
The character of Jake 'The Snake' Roberts was a true enigma in the wrestling world; too bad to be a babyface, yet too much of a badass to be a heel.
Similar to the Brock Lesnar dynamic today, Jake wasn't a nice guy but he took care of business and the crowd respected him for that. Whether breaking the rules or playing it by the book, Jake got the job done his way.
When Jake was a heel, he had the crowd vying for his blood; look no further than the previous Savage and Steamboat examples for proof of that. On the other side of the coin, his masterful crowd psychology and captivating aura made him hard to dislike. Despite being presented as a snake, the candour and magnetism of his promos made him undeniably entertaining.
In fact, Jake was so popular, that a proposed headline feud with Hulk Hogan was nixed because of the overwhelming crowd reaction in his favour. Despite Jake playing the role of heel, it was 'The Snake' that got the lion's share of the crowd response when the two squared off on house shows to test the water.
As a result, Hulkamania never ran wild in the Snake Pit and Jake never got his chance at World Championship glory.