10 Reasons Why Jake Roberts Is Wrestling’s Original Antihero
2. The Snake
If there’s one sight that universally strikes fear into the hearts of the public, it’s the slippery scales of a snake up-close and personal.
The oldest villain in history dating back to the bible, the snake was the perfect prop for Jake Roberts. Just like Roberts, It was dangerous and unpredictable and it fit his character perfectly.
In hindsight, the snake was a symbolic representation of his own demons that he carried around with him on a daily basis. Viewed by many as evil, often out of control and, at times, scary, that description could quite easily be used for both the snake and Jake himself.
The snake's presence also made him another level of badass and sent an instant message to the viewers at home; a man who is tough enough to play with one of the most feared animals in the world is someone not to be messed with.
Not only was he bad enough to carry one with him to the ring, Jake was also in charge of looking after the animal for the duration of each tour. As a result, the stories of Jake's exploits with the snakes have become legendary.
It's ironic that Jake himself had a fear of snakes prior to taking up the gimmick. However, that fear would soon subside when the resulting cheques came in.