50 Fascinating Facts About WWE in The 1980s
38. Jake Roberts Was Actually Scared Of Snakes
Reaching the promised land of WWF superstardom then playing a gimmick you're legitimately terrified of? Yeah, that's a nightmare for any pro wrestler. Imagine having a phobia of snakes, then literally carrying one to ringside with you every night? That happened to sweet personal redemption story Jake Roberts, and it was his own darn fault.
In a 2019 interview with The Gazette, Jake revealed that he’s actually freaked the hell out by slithering snakes. He came up with the gimmick “while smoking a lot of pot and drinking a lot of beer”, and added: “That’s what happens when you indulge”. Fully aware that a lot of people worldwide near enough pass out upon clapping eyes on the reptiles, Roberts decided it'd make for one hell of a visual if he played on that to create a new character.
Then, he sobered up, realised what he'd set in motion and probably thought twice about it.
The guise became an instant hit, and Jake 'The Snake' Roberts had a neat ring to it that rolled off one's tongue. It's incredible to think he was scared of snakes all those years though. That'd be like Koko B. Ware having Ornithophobia, or Bryan Danielson being scared of having great matches! OK, maybe that last one doesn't fit quite as well as the Koko point.
Roberts didn't go so far as to say he regretted coming up with the idea whilst under the influence, but it did strike him as odd that he'd willingly take himself out of his comfort zone in pursuit of wrestling success.