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Q & A With Jake "The Snake" Roberts

Posted: Jun 28th 2008 By: CMBurnham

Here is the transcribed version of the brief interview I conducted with former WWE star Jake ?The Snake? Roberts last week at the Eastern Wrestling Alliance show in Parkville.

There are so many wrestling autobiographies out there now, but I would think your story would be as interesting as any of them. Are you working on a book?

I just couldn?t come up with a book deal, because these book people are [odd]. Instead of having people who don?t know me take what I say and write it the way they want to, I think what I?m going to do is put it on video and sell it on the Internet in installments. The people that buy the installments and survive the first 10 or 12 chapters, they may get a couple chapters free. I got a lot to tell. It?s going to be very unusual, because it?s going to be about me. [Publishing companies] always say, ?We may have to enhance this and enhance that.? What do they mean by enhance? They?re changing the facts. I?m not about bull. It?ll be the truth.

How many independent shows are you doing these days?

One or two a week. Going out in front of people always feels good. It?s sad that in reality, you cannot go out there and do the same things you could do 25 years ago ? and neither do I wish to. ? I?ll never retire. It?s my passion. I hope to die in that ring.

I know that you were involved on the creative side of the business at one time in WWE. Is that something you would like to do again either in WWE or TNA?

I would love to. I just don?t know if that?s possible. I have a tremendous amount to give yet. How I?m going to give it, I don?t know. Because I?m not sure at this stage of my sobriety if I would be strong enough to accept the changes and the enhancements that they would put on what I write. I have a real hard time not calling a spade a spade. If I think you?re changing something I?ve done into [garbage], I take it personally. Why? Because it?s my baby. Power in the hand of an idiot is not a good thing, and there are a lot of idiots out there writing television.

This is kind of a philosophical question. Many of your peers have died within the past decade. As self-destructive as your lifestyle has been, why do you think you?re still here?

I think that a lot of guys died because they gave up on life. They gave up because their dream had been taken away ? their notoriety, their ability to provide for their families, their love. I?m not a quitter. I used to get horribly angry at God. I was like, ?What?s wrong, I?m not good enough for you to take?? I mean there?s Curt [Hennig], Bossman, Hawk. The list goes on and on. They?re all men I love. It?s not fair when you feel like you?ve been left behind. It ripped my guts out when Sherri Martel went. Sherri and I were lovers ? 33 years ago. I remember being at her funeral and I said something that upset some people. I said, ?Sherri, I thought we were good friends, but you weren?t. Good friends don?t leave friends behind.? I?m still here because God wants me to be here. I?m still here because Vince McMahon helped me to still be here.

When you wrestled Steve Austin at the King of the Ring pay-per-view in 1996 and he cut the famous ?Austin 3:16 promo? after the match, did you have any idea that he was going to become as big as he did?

Truth be known, Vince McMahon said that Steve Austin would never be anything more than second or third match. I said, ?No, that?s your next megastar.? He said, ?No way.? I said, ?Watch.? God, I hate being right. You know, they had Austin 3:16, but they missed the boat. What happened to Austin?s 10 commandments? Thou shalt not kill unless thou are [ticked off]. Thou shalt honor thy mother and father unless they?re [jerks]. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor?s wife unless she?s really hot. Thou shalt not steal unless you want it. I enjoyed helping guys like Steve Austin get there. Helping Ted DiBiase get there. Helping The Road Warriors get there. Helping Undertaker get there. Helping Rick Martel get there. Helping Shawn Michaels get there ? OK, I was wrong on one.

Uh-oh, guess I wore the wrong shirt (I had on a Shawn Michaels shirt).

(Laughs) They have those in men?s sizes? I thought you were wearing it for heat.

Tags: Jake Roberts, WWE, TNA, Ted DiBiase, Boss