Roberts Saga Continues

(courtesy of www.wrestleview.com)

Still lots of reports making the rounds regarding the incident with Jake Roberts at an indy event in Ohio last week. The Wrestling Observer Newsletter reports nearly two dozen empty small bottles of vodka were found near Jake's gear. He was also spotted punching a wall and running into the street crying. Police and an ambulance were called to the show, but Roberts refused medical attention and was not arrested.

What followed was a slew of apologizes from Jakes' assistant and Jake apologizing himself in a few interviews since then. Both Jake and his assitant claim he was drugged after being handed a cold drink earlier in the night as Jake didn't remember anything until waking up the next morning. Jake admitted later he was drinking earlier, but still feels he was drugged after drinking the open container.

Jerry Mires, who worked as J-Rocc on the show, commented on the situation saying the following: "How dare Jake choose to drink 25 shots of vodka knowing he was there to perform,” wrote Mires on his web site. “How dare Jake pull his dick out in front of a truckload of kids, and how dare Jake try to say he was drugged at the show. I am outraged they would even say something like that. Jake drank himself stupid, took whatever pills or God knows what else he did, and knew what he was doing the whole time."

The Wrestling Mole: Jake "The Snake" Roberts Stumbles instead of Slithers in Ohio

For the past 16 days the wrestling world has been buzzing about the now infamous "Drunk Jake" match that took place during an Indy show this past friday in Cleveland, Ohio. In a city known for rock & roll and party heights of debauchery, Jake "The Snake" Robert apparently was able to top even the most over-the-top acts found in even Cleveland's Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

They call the Cleveland Brown's onfield play the past two weeks criminal? After this past Friday the Brown's are Superbowl champs when compared to what happened in Robert's Match.

But before I talk about the video which has been circulating on YouTube (which you can watch below) I must first add that Roberts’ assistant issued a statement Monday suggesting that someone drugged Roberts when he asked for a cold drink. More about that statement in a minute.

Now it is a well known fact that Roberts has had his issues with drugs and alcohol in the past. Roberts even discusses those issues in the wrestling documentary "Beyond the Mat". But after viewing this video I can only describe what I viewed as bizzare.

The video begins with Roberts standing outside of the ring mumbling incoherently about what sounds like the referee. He then sits down outside of the ring and continues to ramble. He then, I believe, tells his opponent, who is already in the ring, that he is going to "kick your ass" and "I feel sorry for you" before making a rough attempt to enter the ring. The opponent then pummels Roberts a few times and then while being pulled out of the corner, Roberts drops face first and just lies there. The opponent then goes for the pin a couple of time, Roberts kicking out of both, before Roberts is pinned on the third attempt.

As Roberts is kneeling in the ring his opponent is announced as the winner and leaves to theme music to which the guy cuts short. He then addresses Roberts by saying "Listen, I've been in this business 16 years. I've wrestled drug addicts like Tommy Rich, Jimmy Snuka, you are a piece of sh**t Jake..." before the guy's buddy jumps in the ring and starts attacking Roberts which has little to no affect on The Snake. Roberts stumbles around the ring for a few minutes then the video shows Roberts being berated by another wrestler outside of the venue surrounded by a crowd of people. Despite the insanely bad match one person has only one thought: "This sh**t better go on YouTube".

Later on Chris Yandek's radio show Roberts comments on the incident by saying: “I don’t remember anything up until the next morning whenever I called Shannon [Jake’s assistant] and did not know where I was at, what I was doing there, what I was supposed to do. Anything. I am still very foggy. I can’t think. I can’t put things together. I can’t remember anything. First off, I just want to say I am terribly embarrassed. I am hurt. I know how many people I’ve let down. I am scared to because I’ve never felt this way in my life.”

Roberts then says that he woke up the next day with his wrestling gear on and was told later later by his assistant that he wrestled and that he was taken to the hospital but refused treatment.

When asked by Chris Yandek the last thing he remembered Roberts responded by saying, “Going to the show and eating a McDonalds. That’s a horrible thing to remember isn’t it? Eating McDonalds.”

Later Robert's assistant Shannon sent Yandek the following statement, "We have a witness to the effect of who MIGHT have made a direct attempt to do Jake great harm at the show. WE KNOW WHO YOU ARE. One of the men IN THE RING with Jake is somebody we are going to take a much closer look at. Somebody saw this man with an envelope with some powder in it at the show. Somebody saw what happened here. We now are very SURE Jake was in fact drugged. More details will be forth coming as soon as we can get permission from this fine individual to offer them."

The Wrestling Mole has to wonder about the validity of this statement. On one hand I would have to believe that not to many people would find this type of behavior odd when it comes to The Snake. On the other hand, Roberts is known to be openly candid about drug or alchol related incidents. He is usually the first to admit when he screws up.

What is even sadder is that the crowd was greatly entertained by the entire spectacle. EVEN sadder is that Robert's opponent had the bad taste to berate Robert's in front of the audience when he could have just walked straight to the back. And what of the other guy who went after Roberts AFTER the match?!?!?! That guy is a Class-A pie hole who apparently can't even take down a chemically-induced individual. If Robert indeed showed lack of judgement by wrestling while under the influence of something, then these two bozos showed any lack of viable character traits by acting like a couple of irresponsible teenage punks.

What is for certain is this-Roberts, at one time one of wrestling's most gifted performers, still finds himself slowly sinking in the quicksand that is now his wasted and tarnished legacy. It seems that the time limit on regaining his once glorious career and past glories has now passed him by.

Jake we are begging you, please leave the wrestling ring behind and leave us with the memories and footage of The Snake we so love and remember before it is too late.

Ror even more interesting reading check out Nickla "Baby Doll" Robert's MySpace. Baby Doll posted a blog about the incident complete with a written explanation taken from Robert's opponent as well as an extended statement from Robert's web team.

Reel Wrestling - Beyond the Mat (1999)

(description: wikipedia/film: YouTube) Beyond the Mat is a 1999 professional wrestling documentary, directed by Barry W. Blaustein. World Wrestling Entertainment chairman Vince McMahon tried to block its release after deciding that the film reflected badly on him and the WWF.[citation needed] Three editions of the film were released to video, including a "special edition" and a "ringside special edition," each of which had different extras and slightly different footage.

Director Barry Blaustein decides to travel America over a three year period, endeavoring to understand the mindset of someone who would voluntarily choose to become a professional wrestler. Blaustein interviews a wide variety of wrestling personalities and ascertains their motivations.

Blaustein focuses on three famous wrestlers, one at the height of his career (Mick "Mankind" Foley) and two contemplating retirement (Terry Funk and Jake "The Snake" Roberts). Foley has been taking increasingly risky falls (or "bumps") and blows to the head, and at one point is heard talking incoherently as the result of a fall which briefly rendered him unconscious. Later in the film, in a scene from the 1999 Royal Rumble, he is shown taking multiple shots to the head with a steel folding chair, while his wife and young children watch in horror from the audience. Funk is a 54-year-old man in need of knee surgery who appears unable to retire, despite the mounting toll wrestling is taking on his body. Roberts is a wrestler who enjoyed tremendous popularity in the 1980s, but who is now a cocaine addict, estranged from both his father and his daughter.

The careers of the three successful wrestlers are contrasted with those of wrestlers who have not yet achieved comparable success. Darren Drozdov is a former NFL football player who is shown in an interview with Vince McMahon. After discovering that Drozdov can vomit at will, McMahon renames him "Puke", and, controversially, instructs him to vomit in a bucket as a demonstration of his ability. Drozdov becomes a WWF wrestler, but at the end of the film Blaustein reveals that Droz was paralyzed in an in-ring accident from a botched move, several months later.

On a World Wrestling Entertainment-produced DVD released in late 2005/early 2006 entitled Jake The Snake Roberts: Pick Your Poison, Jake Roberts, along with others, heavily criticized the film for showing him in a negative light, contending that the depiction of him was "not the real Jake Roberts". Roberts also claimed that director Barry Blaustein and Terry Funk lied to him about the aims of the film, telling him it was a television special on the effects of drug and alcohol abuse.



Think you know EVERYTHING about Pro Wrestling?? It's All Fake right?? Ever wonder WHO the guys are that beat the hell out of each other every night ... for a living??