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WWE legend Jake Roberts recently recalled how a football player and television star influenced his wrestling persona.
Roberts was one of WWE's biggest names during his first run with the company between 1986 and 1992. While some wrestlers are given on-screen characters by creative team members, the 68-year-old came up with his name and snake gimmick himself.
In an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda Wrestling Senior Editor Bill Apter, Roberts shed light on the origin of his Jake the Snake nickname:
"I was Jake the Snake long before I came to the WWE. I came up with it, yeah. I was drinking beer and smoking pot, and it was a long road trip. We were listening to Monday Night Football and they were talking about Kenny Stabler, the old quarterback for the Oakland Raiders, and they called him The Snake." [0:53 – 1:23]
Despite being afraid of snakes, Roberts knew he could draw money if a snake accompanied him to the ring:
"As I was smoking that weed, I'm like, 'Man, there needs to be a wrestler called The Snake. He could freak people out, man, with a snake. Yeah, he could put it on them, man, yeah,' and kept smoking. So I came up with the snake thing, Jake the Snake – it rhymed." [1:25 – 1:43]
Watch the video above to hear Roberts' thoughts on how The Undertaker performed as a rookie wrestler when they feuded in the early 1990s.
Jake Roberts also created his wrestling name
In the mid-1970s, the WWE Hall of Famer performed under the name Jake Smith Jr. before reinventing himself as Jake Roberts.
Roberts, real name Aurelian Smith Jr., adopted a new surname after watching American television soap opera Dallas:
"The last name Roberts, the reason I picked Roberts was because at the time there was a TV program called Dallas, and the heel on there, Larry Hagman, was JR. Jake Roberts." [1:45 – 2:01]
The wrestling legend also gave his opinion on which WWE veteran could have played The Undertaker if Mark Calaway rejected the role.
What do you make of Jake Roberts' wrestling gimmick? Let us know in the comments section below.
Jake Roberts tells wrestling stories every week on his podcast, The Snake Pit. Full episodes can be found here.
Please credit Sportskeeda WrestleBinge and embed the video if you use quotes from this article.
Teddy Long snaps when Swerve Strickland's race is brought up HERE
