Jake “The Snake” Roberts was interviewed on this week’s episode of Prime Time with Sean Mooney. Due to personal constraints, the conversation was extremely brief, though they did manage to touch on some interesting subjects.
Regarding Roberts signature low-key interview style:
“Bob Roop dropped a knee on my throat and crushed my voice box. This is as loud as my voice will get, regardless of what I want it to do, this is it. I can’t scream. If I tried, nothing would come out. So it was necessity that forced me to do it and knowing how I felt, when somebody yells at me, man, I turn that switch off. I’m not listening to a damn word they’ve got to say.
“And I kind of feel like fans are like that. I think that label of ‘Yeah, it’s that damn phony ass wrestling. Listen to them scream and holler. Well, I didn’t want to be one of those guys. I wanted to be respected as a thinker, as somebody that you feared. That way, if I could have you thinking about that snake and afraid of me, then I didn’t have to answer questions about my life.”
On the athlete nicknamed “The Snake” who inspired his name and his surprising confession about his gimmick:
“I’m a Ken Stabler fan, they were talking about him on Monday Night Football and I’m smoking weed and drinking beer, because that’s what I did back then. I said ‘Man, it’d be so cool if a guy had a snake. Next thing I know, I had this snake idea. Of course, nobody jumped on board with it. I suggested it to Bill Watts. We all know what kind of a jerk and bully he is. He just told me ‘What do you think this is? A damn circus?’ He turned and walked away. Well, guess what, Bill. It is a circus. Come on, give me a break.
“When I got up to (the WWF), they brought (the idea) back. They said ‘Hey, would you be willing to do this?’ I said ‘Oh, hell yeah,’ never considering for a moment just how afraid and terrified I was of snakes. I can’t stand snakes. I hate the damn things, I always have. I’ve been terrified of them. “
Though the interview clocked in at under 30 minutes, they also managed to touch on Jake’s time in Mid-South and his 2015 autobiography, The Resurrection of Jake the Snake. To listen to the full episode, check out Prime Time with Sean Mooney.
Please credit PWPodcasts.com when using any portion of this transcript.
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