Jake Roberts
The tortured soul of the wrestling industry. Jake "The Snake" Roberts is the quintessential artistic genius who struggles to keep his personal demons in check. The squared circle's version of Jim Morrison or Kurt Cobain, Roberts is highly respected among his peers for his talent, and commonly viewed as someone who squandered that immense talent through self-destructive behavior. One of the greatest promos of all-time, Jake had the ability to draw the viewer in through his words, choosing to speak softly rather than mimic the loud, aggressive style of his peers. For a current comparison, look no further than Bray Wyatt who has obviously studied The Snake's approach and delivery. His DDT is one of wrestling's truly iconic finishers, alongside the likes of the Stone Cold Stunner and the Tombstone. Today's it's been reduced to little more than a transitional move but in Roberts' prime, if he hit the DDT it meant the end. Jake's battle with addiction first gained national attention from his appearance in the documentary "Beyond The Mat". The film does not portray him in a positive light at all, detailing his use of crack and failed attempts at reconciling with his estranged daughter. For his part he claims he was lied to about the intent of the film and was told it was a TV special about the dangers of substance abuse.
He had an embarrassing showing on the horrendous Heroes of Wrestling pay per view where he stumbled drunkenly through a promo and then, rather than actually wrestling, basically molested his snake in the ring. The promoter called an audible, changed it to a tag match and ended the show abruptly when Jake tried to take his clothes off in the middle of the ring. Like his friend Scott Hall, Jake Roberts is now clean and sober thanks to the aid of Dallas Page and the wonders of DDP Yoga. His is perhaps the most inspiring recovery of all, because unlike Hall, few people ever had a bad word to say about The Snake. This Hall of Fame induction should be viewed as a reward for all the hard work he's put into getting clean. Nothing would make fans happier than seeing the legend live the remainder of his days prosperous and free from the ties that bind him.