Jake Roberts
| Jake Roberts | |
|---|---|
Roberts in April 2016
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| Birth name | Aurelian Smith Jr. |
| Born |
May 30, 1955 Gainesville, Texas, U.S. |
| Residence | Henderson, Nevada |
| Spouse(s) | Karen Rauschuber (divorced) Cheryl Hagood (m. 1984; div. 1997) |
| Children | 8 |
| Family | Grizzly Smith (father) |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | The Snake Fred Platt Jake Roberts Jake Smith Jr. El Diablo The Texan |
| Billed height | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) |
| Billed weight | 249 lb (113 kg) |
| Billed from | Stone Mountain, Georgia, U.S. |
| Trained by | Buck Robley Grizzly Smith Moose Morowski |
| Debut | 1975 |
Aurelian Smith Jr. (born May 30, 1955), best known by his ring name Jake "The Snake" Roberts, is an American semi-retired professional wrestler and the son of former wrestler Aurelian "Grizzly" Smith.
Roberts is best known for his two stints in the World Wrestling Federation (later called WWE); the first between 1986 and 1992, and the second between 1996 and 1997. He wrestled in the National Wrestling Alliance in 1983, World Championship Wrestling in 1992, and the Mexico-based Asistencia Asesoría y Administración between 1993 and 1994 and again in 1997. He appeared in Extreme Championship Wrestling during the summer of 1997 and made appearances for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling from 2006 through 2008.
Throughout his career he was known for his intense and cerebral promos, his dark charisma, his extensive use of psychology in his matches and his use of the DDT finishing move, which was named the "coolest" maneuver of all time by WWE. He often brought snakes into the ring, most famously a python named Damien. Roberts was also one of the subjects of the 1999 documentary film Beyond the Mat. In 2012, Roberts moved in with fellow wrestler Diamond Dallas Page to seek help in getting his life back on track following years of alcohol and drug abuse. He was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame on April 5, 2014.
Roberts started his career in 1974 in the Louisiana area, as a referee and wrestler, making his name in Mid-South Wrestling, Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling, and Georgia Championship Wrestling. Roberts had trouble developing his character, so he traveled to Canada to wrestle in the late 1970s. While in Stampede Wrestling, Roberts was managed by J.R. Foley and feuded with the Junkyard Dog.
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