Jake Roberts

Jake " The Snake" Roberts ( * May 30, 1955 in Gainesville, Texas Aurelian Smith Jr. ) is an American professional wrestler, who was known for his appearances with World Wrestling Entertainment. Notably, he distinguished himself by his good acting skills, as well as the carriage of a living snake.

Private

Smith has a son and a daughter. In addition, he has a half brother, Michael, and a half-sister, Robin, who were also active as Sam Houston and Rockin'Robin in wrestling. A full sister was murdered. Smith is an alcoholic and underwent in December 2007, a paid by the WWE therapy. However, this failed. By 2012, his health and drinking behavior deteriorated and he grew up to nearly 140 kg. Then he underwent with the help of the now working as a motivational speaker Wrestlers Diamond Dallas Page a renewed withdrawal program, as well as a yoga training through which he declined 30 kg and a longer time was dry. In June 2013 he had a renewed alcohol relapse, but continues to participate in the program. On February 23, 2014 Roberts announced that he had a cancerous tumor in his knee, which was surgically removed on February 25.

Career

Smith's father Aurelian Smith Sr. was active under the name Grizzly Smith as a wrestler and booker. Therefore, Smith saw his father only rarely and actually had a very negative attitude towards wrestling. However, to obtain the recognition of his father, he wanted to prove himself in his profession. Since he was very thin compared to him and the ratio of the two very tense, his father advised but from a career as a wrestler from. Smith, therefore, began his career in 1974 in Louisiana as the first referee, but soon became a substitute, used as a wrestler and thus made ​​himself a name in Mid-South Wrestling and Georgia Championship Wrestling. In 1983 he was made ​​at the National Wrestling Alliance as a member of the group The Legion of Doom, from which later formed the Road Warriors and played with Ron Garvin a program for the NWA World Television Title.

1984, Smith moved on to World Class Championship Wrestling, where he was allowed to win the World Class Championship Television Title and the World Class Championship Wrestling Six Man Tag Team Title. In 1985 Roberts again to Mid-South Wrestling, but ended his engagement there, already in February 1986 again.

Smith was given the name " The Snake" ( engl. the snake ) because it was relatively large, but pretty slim though. From then skidded Smith below the bottom ring rope through it, and brought a live tiger python with the ring. From 1986, Roberts worked for the then- WWF. There he got his first big feud program against Ricky Steamboat. Also in 1986 Smith had his first Wrestlemania appearance and allowed George Wells beat.

Because of his superb skills on the mic, they gave Smith his own interview segment, "The Snake Pit " where current feud programs were discussed and taken forward by Smith as moderator. After Smith III in 1987 with rock legend Alice Cooper Man had occurred at Wrestlemania against The Honky Tonk, followed in 1988 a program against Rick Rude. At this also Smiths then wife Cheryl took part.

In 1989 he was allowed to work in a feud with Andre the Giant, then he took a short break and was formally violated by Ted DiBiase. The feud CONTINUED it was completed at Wrestlemania VI in 1990 with a victory of Smith. A year later, he played one of the most unusual battles in the history of Wrestlemania, the so-called Blindfold Match. Both opponents competed for the storyline blindfolded and was finally allowed Smith win against Rick Martel.

In 1991, after a feud with Earthquake was changed Smith's character to Heel and bound him in the storyline of the Ultimate Warrior The Undertaker one. Following Smith and The Undertaker were still used together, as in a program with Randy Savage, during which Smith even brought a cobra. They separated the team again in 1992 and left them at WrestleMania VIII against each other. Smith should lose the battle. Previously, Smith fell out with the WWF, as he did not get him the promised items in the creative team and threatened as a consequence of non-appearance at Wrestlemania, one should not dismiss him from his contract.

In 1992 he was briefly active for the WCW, but they left out merit reasons in April in 1993 and made ​​his debut in the Mexican Asistencia Asesoría y Administración, where he worked with Konnan. 1996 Roberts returned to the WWF. After brief feuds with Steve Austin and Jerry Lawler, he left the WWF in 1997.

For some months of 1997 Roberts fought again in the AAA. In the following years, he took up in smaller independent leagues.

In November 2002, he formed his own wrestling promotion, the "Real Stars of Wrestling ". Roberts had a WWE appearance on 14 March 2005 on RAW, where he performed with Randy Orton. In 2006 he had some appearances for TNA.

Since December 2007, Roberts was in a rehab clinic in Atlanta. This withdrawal was paid by the WWE. In the meantime, he was considered a " dry" and joined occasionally appear in minor leagues. His provisionally last major appearance was at the event Slammiversary 2008 TNA League. After Roberts slipped because of his alcoholism from further until in August 2012 finally be wrestling colleague Diamond Dallas Page took his.

On November 17, 2013 Roberts returned at Superstars of Wrestling active in the ring back in January 2014 and could even restore complete a guest appearance on WWE.

Others

• Contested 1979 Stampede Wrestling against The Junk Yard Dog the first official head battle in wrestling.

• Roberts is the inventor of DDT, a now well-known and often-used Move in wrestling. According to an anecdote the abbreviation DDT means as much as Damien's Dinner Time and refers to Roberts snake, which he named Damien, who often put he defeated opponent after a fight on his stomach.

Main achievements in wrestling