8. Jake Was An Innovator In The Ring
Do you love how Bray Wyatt incorporates his persona into all of his gestures in the ring? His leering expressions and unsettling laughter, coupled with the way he lolls around the mat and caresses his fallen opponent, make Bray an intimidating figure in the modern world. But Bray Wyatt could be easily mistaken for a descendent of Jake Roberts, who moved to the bayou and invented a cult. Jake would slither into the ring, but could do it without looking goofy. He would strike out at his opponents like a snake bite, and like a snake, he never wasted any energy. And yet, his matches were exciting, because he kept you on the edge of your seat. Like Bray, Jake Roberts never cut the most menacing figure. He's well over 6 feet tall, but didn't look like he spent much time in a gym. This worked to Jake's advantage, as his personality was by far the most dangerous part of him. Why get bogged down with muscles, if physical strength wasn't your deal anyways. He was trim enough, but looked almost comically average amongst the Hogans and Bundys of the day. On top of his superior skills on the microphone, Jake had one more secret weapon once he got in the ring: the DDT. Legend has it that Jake invented the DDT quite by accident, when he had an opponent in a front face lock and fell backwards. With a little tweaking, he made it look devastating. It wasn't long before fans would live in terror that their favourite wrestler would fall prey to the DDT, because Jake required so little to set it up. Once he started feuding with heels like The Honky Tonk Man, fans would cheer when Jake made the sign for the DDT (by spinning his index finger in the air, as if to say let's round 'em up and finish this off). It was a move that always looked devastating.