Jake “The Snake” Roberts is a legend in the ring, but he had his worst showing ever at the infamous Heroes of Wrestling pay per view.
The Heroes of Wrestling pay per view took place back in 1999, and it was meant to be a celebration of wrestling legends from the past.
The lineup was definitely impressive, with names like King Kong Bundy, Jim Neidhart, and Jake “The Snake” Roberts on the card. However, the event ended up being plagued by a number of issues.
For one thing, the wrestlers themselves were not exactly in prime physical condition. Many of them were past their prime, and it showed in their performances.
Additionally, there were some technical difficulties with the pay per view feed, which led to some frustrated viewers.
All in all, the Heroes of Wrestling pay per view was a bit of a mixed bag. While it was certainly a treat to see some wrestling legends back in the ring, the event itself was far from flawless.
Nonetheless, it remains a memorable piece of wrestling history, and is often looked back upon with a mix of nostalgia and amusement.
One of the most bizarre parts of the show was the drunken promo by Jake Roberts, who wowed the crowd with his incoherent ramblings, before his actions caused the show’s main event to be changed on the fly.
Jake Roberts Heroes of Wrestling Promo
Jake “The Snake” Roberts was set to take on Jim “The Anvil” Neidhart in the semi-main event of the ill-fated Heroes of Wrestling pay per view.
The show had gone poorly so far, with swathes of past-it former wrestlers coming out for one more match. The action was poor, and the wrestlers clearly were not passionate about the project.
Before his match Jim Neidhart, Jake Roberts put out one of the most bizarre promos of all time. As the event took place in the Casino Magic hotel and casino in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi.
He seemed to not know the rules of Casino games, stating that he “had 22” in a game of BlackJack, and that he also had two of “aces and eights”. The concept of the promo was that Roberts would cheat in the match, but it came across like a drunken mess.
He was also visibly drunk throughout, even during the match. It was a sad sight, to see a former star at his worst, but the promoter should not have put him in front of the crowd that night.
“If you’re in a casino, you should gamble,” he began. “Let me tell you something, Anvil, you don’t want to play cards with me, because I’ll cheat. Okay? I cheat. You want to play twenty-one, I got twenty-two.
“You want to play BlackJack? I got two of those too. You want to play Aces and Eights? Well, I got some of those too. The bottom line is this. You do not gamble with me. When you walk into a casino, when you want to gamble, the main thing you must do, is this, you must accept losing. I don’t accept losing, and neither does Damien. Damien, my friend! My friend Damien is right here.
“You don’t want to see this, do you? Let me show you something (*camera pans down to the snake in a bag on the floor*). I tell you what Anvil, go ahead and roll the dice.
Mr. Cameraman, get your ass back up here. Hello? I’m talkin’ to you. Get that camera back up here. That’s what you should worry about Anvil. The bottom line is this, when the DDT comes, then the snake comes out. Worry about the DDT. DDT! DDT! DDT! DDT! DDT! DDT! THINK ABOUT IT!”
The show was originally booked to conclude with a double main event pitting Jake Roberts against Jim Neidhart, followed by King Kong Bundy against Yokozuna.
Roberts had become infamous for his controversial appearances in the years prior to the event, and there was fan interest in seeing his return to the ring.
He had publicly battled with sobriety in the years before, and his attempts to kick the drugs and alcohol had ingratiated him with the wrestling fans.
After his promo, Roberts staggered to the ring with his trademark snake. However, Roberts put the snake down and attempted to return backstage, before returning to ringside, and began greeting fans.
Before entering the ring, Jake Roberts grabbed a female fan and had her rub her hands on his bare chest. He later removed the snake from its bag and simulated masturbation with it.
He was visibly drunk, and the whole thing was an embarrassment. Fans had paid for this show, and Roberts was making even more of a mockery of it than before.
Roberts eventually collapsed in the ring, which forced the promoter to change the main event to a tag team match.
In the main event of Heroes of Wrestling, Jake Roberts was forced to team with Yokozuna, to take on the duo of King Kong Bundy and Jim Neidhart.
The match was not good, and Jake Roberts was too drunk to be involved. He began to strip in the ring after the match, which caused the company to kill the pay per view feed.
Roberts was the clear fan-favourite, but was out of shape, drunk and looked a pale imitation of his former self. He spent the bulk of the match being attacked, unable to sell anything because he was too drunk to realise.
Luckily, after nearly dying due to his drug issues, he was helped to sobriety by DDP and now works for All Elite Wrestling.