20 Things We Learned From Joe Rogan's Podcast Interview With Jake Roberts

4. His Favourite Promo

The hushed, deliberate tones Roberts spoke in made him one of the most alluring promo men in the business during his prime. When everyone else was shouting and posturing, he whispered his most important lines and drew everyone in with his piercing glare. Sometimes, he'd get a kick out of saying nothing at all.

In fact, his favourite promo had 30 seconds of total silence.

WWF producers repeatedly interrupted Jake's take to tell him they couldn't hear a word. Frustrated, Roberts told them to shut it and let him do his thing. That's when he pretended he was cutting a promo with no sound and, after a spell, giggled that he'd forced viewers to get up off their chairs and adjust the volume on their TV sets.

This was an exercise in manipulation, and a genius one. For their part, the producers told Jake he was a "sick f*ck" and that they loved working with him. They realised how creative he was, and knew he'd sprint through the required glut of promos during each session without direction.