Ranking Wrestling's Most Shocking Surprise Every Year 1990-2020

30. 1991 - Jake Roberts' King Cobra Bites Randy Savage

Hulk Hogan John Cena nwo
WWE.com

A remarkable piece of pro wrestling television for how much went so so right in a situation that could have gone terrifyingly wrong, Jake Roberts setting his snake on Randy Savage unlocked a new level of terror for pro wrestling and Roberts' character.

Rarely did his pythons look as though they really wanted to be held aloft or thrown onto hapless jobbers. His king cobra was doing what it knew, and having a thoroughly fantastic time. The horrors that came from trying to answer the questions spiralling from this; would Savage recover? How could he get his revenge? And if Roberts could do this to the Macho Man, just what awful things awaited Elizabeth?

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 7 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 30 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz", Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 50,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett