10 Reasons Why Jake Roberts Is Wrestling’s Original Antihero

The product of a broken home and a troubled family, Roberts embraced the darkness from an early age. His father was a child molester, his grandfather was an alcoholic and his sister was kidnapped and murdered - a horrific upbringing for any child with hope of making it in the world.

With demons at home growing up, it's easy to comprehend just why Jake found solace with his own demons later on in his career. Jake was a notorious drinker and drug user throughout his time in the ring and lived life in the fast lane for the bulk of his adult life on the road.

A product of the nightlife on the road, Jake was easily accessible to his fans and easily accessible to his demons at the same time, chiefly because one normally fuelled the other. Over-indulgence was the only indulgence worth indulging in for Jake and it almost killed him on countless occasions.

He wasn’t afraid of death either. In fact, he would often question God when his peers would die before him. Jake even tried to commit suicide multiple times and has said that he once took 100 Placidyls with the hope of not waking up.

Luckily, he was unsuccessful and neither the road nor his own demons could stop 'The Snake'.