Insight with Chris Van Vliet - Jake Roberts Was SCARED Of Snakes! Legendary Promos, Hulk Hogan, DDP, Sobriety

Episode Date: November 28, 2024

https://cvvtix.com - Tickets for the first ever INSIGHT LIVE the day before the Royal Rumble on January 31, 2025 in Indianapolis are on sale now! Jake "The Snake" Roberts (@JakeSnakeDDT) is a retired professional wrestler and WWE Hall of Famer. He sits down with Chris Van Vliet in Cleveland, OH to discuss having some of the most memorable promos in professional wrestling, Will Sasso's impression of him, working and being bitten by snakes, working with DDT to get sober and stay sober, never winning a championship in WWE, not getting a title shot because of the fans and more! Quote I'm thinking about: "You don't have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great." - Zig Ziglar Sponsors: VUORI: Get 20% off your first purchase! Get yourself some of the most comfortable and versatile clothing on the planet at https://vuori.com/cvv ROCKET MONEY: Join Rocket Money today and experience financial freedom: https://rocketmoney.com/cvv ZOCDOC: Instantly book a top-rated doctor today at https://zocdoc.com/insight BONCHARGE: Use the code CVV to save 15% off your infrared sauna blanket at https://boncharge.com/cvv BLUECHEW: Use the code CVV to get your first month of BlueChew for FREE at https://bluechew.com RHONE: Rhone’s premium performance clothing is made to move you. Use code CVV to save 20% at https://www.rhone.com/CVV MANSCAPED: Get 20% off plus free shipping when you use the code CHRISVAN at https://manscaped.com PURE PLANK: The future of core fitness! Use the code CVV to save 10% on Pure Plank which was designed by Adam Copeland & Christian: https://gopureplank.com/ PLUNGE: Get $150 off your Plunge with the coupon code CVV150 at https://plunge.com For more information about Chris and INSIGHT go to: https://podcast.chrisvanvliet.com If you have ever enjoyed any of these episodes, could I ask you to please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcast or Spotify? It takes less than a minute and makes a huge difference in helping to spread the word about the show and also to convince some hard-to-get guests.  Follow CVV on social media:  Instagram: instagram.com/ChrisVanVliet Twitter: twitter.com/ChrisVanVliet Facebook: facebook.com/ChrisVanVliet YouTube: youtube.com/ChrisVanVliet TikTok: tiktok.com/@Chris.VanVliet Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Ladies and gentlemen, Chris Van Fleet. All right, welcome back to another one here on Insight. I'm CVV. Chris Van Fleet, thanks for being with us on this one. Happy Thanksgiving to my American friends. Super grateful for you guys. Thank you for being with us. Thank you for making Insight the number one wrestling podcast on the planet.

Hit a DDT. Oh, yes, a DDT on that follow button on Spotify or Apple. podcast or wherever it is that you're listening right now so you don't miss out on what we've got in store to wrap up 2024. That wasn't even supposed to rhyme, but it did. He is a legend. He is a Hall of Famer. He is one of the best talkers in the history of pro wrestling. He is Jake the Snake Roberts. I feel like this interview has been a long time coming. We talk about how he was actually afraid of snakes. And we get into some of his famous promes. Like that one that Will Saso did the amazing impression of, the one with Ted DiBiasey before their match at WrestleMania 6.

This time, you'll be the one who's humbled. This time, you'll be the one who's humiliated. And this time, you will be the one who grovels for the money. That impression was like a five out of ten, but just trying to get you into that moment. Get you thinking back to that amazing promo. before WrestleMania 6. Jake also has a podcast of his own, so when this episode is done,

go check out the Snake Pit wherever you're listening to this right now. Snap a screenshot. Let us know that you're listening. Tag us. He's at Jake Snake DDT on Twitter. He's at Jake the Snake DDT on Instagram. I'm at Chris Van Vleet.

Ladies and gentlemen, the one and only, Jake the Snake Roberts. Did you see this impression that Will Saso did of you? Oh, yeah. What'd you think? Did a hell of a job, man.

I think he might be studying my character a bit too much. He had it, he had like the low voice that you do. He had that down. He nailed it pretty solid, man. It's quite impressed, actually. That seemed a lot like that WrestleMania 6 promo. It's exactly what it was. Yeah.

What was the, what went into coming up with that promo? Oh, like, I'm going to remember that? Please. It's one of your most iconic promos of all time. Well, there was a lot of them. You used to hear all of them. Hmm. Hmm.

That interview, that promo man was special, but I don't remember how it all came about. Promos for me were a game. They were fun. And anything that's fun, you'll spend more time doing. Sure. You know, and I don't like playing with people's minds. I like mixing the words up. finding stuff that works.

You know, a lot of guys, maybe after a show they'll go out and eat or chase skirts or whatever, but not me. I was, wherever I was at, I had a pen and paper, and I was thinking about doing a promo,

writing down ideas. And finally, I had to go to a recorder because sometimes, man, I'd wake up the next morning and read some of the stuff I'd wrote, and I'm like, oh, my God, what the hell was I thinking about? You know, couldn't believe what kind of shit I'd wrote down, man.

But, yeah, yeah, I love spending time on promos. Where were you getting your inspiration? Was it from books? Was it from movies? Books, movies, music, all the above. Oh. You know, I love Ozzy Osbourne stuff. I love Pink Floyd stuff.

I love Roland Stones, of course. And The Who, they had some good stuff, man. Because, and you've heard this a thousand times before, nobody cut a promo like that at that point in time. No. Nobody has. I don't think they ever will. You know, they've taken that out of their hands these days.

They've got stuff written for them. So that's a shame. The whole idea behind a promo is telling a story. Yeah. And what you're doing now with your podcast. It's along the same line, right? It's not telling a story in the same way, but you're telling stories on the podcast. Yeah, just having fun.

Yeah. Talking about stuff, stuff that I'm doing. Yeah. So if anybody's never tuned into the podcast before, what can they expect? The unexpected. You're like, I don't even know what's going to go on. I don't have a clue. I don't want to know.

If I know I'd screw it up. You know, I want it fresh. I want to slap me right in the face when it comes out. That's why I think it's always fresh, man, because I don't think about it. Snake Pit Podcasts or wherever anybody's listening to this, they can go check that out. Yeah.

And you're basically telling a lot of the stories from your career. From the road, from the locker rooms, life. Sometimes we get serious. We talk about addiction, you know, something near and dear to my heart. You know, certainly spend a lot of time with it. But, no, we do talk about some things that hit home sometimes. You feel like you still spend a lot of time with it now? You know, for me, the smell of alcohol turns my stomach.

I can walk through an airport blindfolded and I could tell you where the bars are at because I can tell that smell, you know. And it upsets my stomach now. And I'm glad. That's the last damn thing I need is go down that road again. I have no fear at all.

Maybe that's not healthy, not having a fear of it, but I just feel so strongly that that's something I'll never do again. What did it take for you to get to that point? A lot of damn work. It took a lot of work and a lot of patience and some good friends. If it wasn't for DDP, you think you'd be sitting here right now? Nope.

No doubt in my mind. I've been dead several years ago. Wow. Several years ago. That's just where I was going, man. And I was going fast, too. No sense of trying to walk into it, Jake. Just run down the hill and jump in that shit.

Yeah. Does it give you like a different appreciation for the time you have now? Oh, yeah. Yeah. You know, the time I have now left, I've got COPD, I've got emphysema. That's just part of living and diet, you know. But at least I know it's not going to be my next breath before I live. I've got a little ways left.

You've got a long ways left. I enjoy life. I enjoy doing what I do. I try to stay busy. I've got my hobbies that I do. I've got my hot rod that I play with. 1965 cattle accident, Ville, convertible.

Yeah, sky blue, black interior. It's a beast. And right now I'm having another engine built for it. that has 700 horsepower. For you, those that don't know, that's some son of a bitch. What's this Hall of Fame cruise that I saw you talking about? Oh, yeah.

Yeah, the cruise, man. That's something these cats come up with, man. I mean, I've done the Jericho cruise before. Yeah. And did my comedy show on it. And they came back to me and said, hey, would you be interested in hosting a cruise yourself? I'm like, holy crap.

Sure, why not? And so they put it out there, and there's going to be about 200 people on the boat. And we're going to have a real good time, man. This is February, right? Yeah, I can't remember the days of 23rd to the 28th, I believe, trusting my memory. But, yeah, it's going to be fun because I'm not the only cat going to be on there, of course. There's going to be Hacksaw, Jim Duggins going to be on. it.

Brutus the barber beefcake. No, that's not right. Let me think. Bushwhacker Luke. That's it. I knew it was one of them, one of the two. They look so much alike. No man wants to lose his hair, but for men,

it's actually pretty common. And now with Hymns, the solution is simple. Try Hymns' hair loss solutions, and you'll be joining hundreds of thousands of subscribers who got their flowback. Hymns provides access to a range of hair loss treatments that work, all from the comfort of your couch. Hymns makes treating hair loss simple with doctor-trusted treatment options and clinically proven

ingredients like finasteride and monoxide that can regrow hair in as little as three to six months. They offer personalized chewable, oral, spray and serum treatment options so you can find what works best for you. The process is simple and 100% online. Just answer a few questions and a medical provider will determine if treatment is right for you. If prescribed, your treatment is sent directly to your door. Start your free online visit today at HIMS.com slash insight. That's H-I-M-S-D-Chi-M-S-Treatment options. HIMS dot com slash insight.

Results vary based on studies of topical and oral monoxide and finasteride. Prescription products require an online consultation with a health care provider who will determine if a prescription is appropriate. Restrictions apply. See website for full details and important safety information. The United States Soccer Federation present the U.S. Soccer Podcast. My name is David Goss, and I'm joined by my co-host, Megan Klinembourg. And now we're giving people an inside look at the World Cup.

Time's ticking. I think you can feel the intensity. All the guys are wanting to really take their claim, and they want to be on that World Cup roster. There's no doubt about it. Hosting the World Cup on the home soil comes with its pressures, but we're just really excited just as the people are. The U.S. Soccer Podcast, presented by Henco.

Follow and listen on your favorite platform. When you're on something like that, interacting with fans, and you hear at RussellCon, what's the one thing that people are always coming up to you and say? Oh, the first thing is saying, where's the snake? You know what I mean? Well, where's the snake? Yeah, I got it right here.

Yeah. Yeah, oh, man. You know, they want to talk about everything. And I encourage those people that are coming on the cruise to come and talk to me. That's what I'm there for. I actually want to hear what you have to say. You know, I like hearing the stories about, when you were growing up and, you know, your dad or your grandfather or your grandparents took you to the show,

or you watch me on television. I like hearing all that stuff because I realize that Jake the snake has touched a lot of people. A lot of people. And for some reason, what I did was very special and very special to them. And they hold on to it. And it's a fond memory for him. And if I would love to go through life just making everybody happy. That would really be a lot of fun to do, I think.

What do you think it was about your character at that time? In a time where there were all kinds of larger-than-life characters. What made you stand out? Because it was taboo. Snakes bad. It's evil. Of course it is. That's why I chose it.

What was the last time that you were with a, You had a snake. Oh, God. It's been a couple of years. Okay. So I think that people have this misconception that you like handle snakes on the time. No, I don't like snakes at all. I'm terrified of them.

They scare the piss out of me. And you never get used to getting bit. Trust me. You might have picked the wrong gimmick. Yeah. Yeah. I should have been like Billy the bug. Just carry a cockroach around.

You know, if I should have the cockroach in your air, They'll mess with your head. Yeah. Yeah. Especially your ear. Yeah. A little cockroach dung in there. So even all these years later, you don't like snakes?

Still don't, man. Huh. Still don't. They scare the piss out of me. They're so damn quiet. Why'd you pick this? Because of that. Because most people are afraid of snakes.

Your parents tell you, you know, from the get-go, keep away from snakes. And that's ingrained in you. You know, it's sort of, it's just something that's taught to us from the very beginning. And, you know, kids dig it because mom and dad can't stand it. You know, it makes mama squirm. They love to see your mother squirm. I still love seeing that. How'd you come up with the name, Damien?

It just seemed devilish. Yeah. And that's it? That was it. I think what's so interesting about it is people don't realize that it was a different snake in every city. Yeah. Yeah. You know, we had a different snake.

We changed snakes about every 10 to 12 days. So how do you get acquainted to the new Damien? Reaching your hand in that damn bag. That's all over after that. Come on. I'm serious, brother. That's how bad it was, man. I never knew what the hell I was getting.

I didn't know if it was going to be a poodle or a Doberman. Now, these were typically boa constrictors, right? Pythons. Oh, pythons. Yeah. Okay. Typically, typically python, yes. Now, how often are you sticking your hand in there

and you're getting met with some fangs? Actually, I never stuck my hand in there. I would dump it out and then judge what kind of mood it was in. Based on what? Honest reactions. Whether he was trying to bite you or not. Right. Whether he was coming at me or coiling, getting ready to launch.

Yeah. So you had to learn a lot about snakes pretty quickly. Yeah, you do learn pretty quick once you get bit the first time. It's amazing how much time you'll put into it. How many times you figure you've been bit in your career? Oh, 15, 20. Jeez. Yeah.

Yeah. Some of them are pretty nasty. I got one on the inside of my arm here. It was 30-something stitches. Man. What kind of? It was a big reticulator python. Man. He tore the hell out of my arm. Yeah, it's crazy because they tell you, if you happen to get bit by the snake, whatever you do, don't move. Excuse me? If something bites you, the first thing you do is react, and you react by jerking your arm or what? way. And that's exactly what happened. When you do that, it rips. It rips your flesh. Who was the wrestler that was the most scared of your snows? Probably Kamala. Okay.

Yeah, you'd think being from a jungle, that he'd be okay with that. So what was his reaction? He was funny. He'd come tell me and say, Mr. Jake, now, you keep that, you keep that name even away from me because you know, I'm afraid of him. And I know your daddy really well. And we're good friends. We go to church together.

And you bring that snake around me, and I'm going to tell your daddy on you. Was Andre the Giant legitimately scared snakes? No, of course. He just played it real well. He did a phenomenal job of playing that off. That was such a funny moment in the Royal Royal Royal Royal Bowl. Oh, yeah.

Yeah. You bring Damien out of the... the bag and he sends himself over the top of him. Hexed stage left. But he was cool with snakes? Yeah, yeah. In fact, Damien bit him once. And he didn't even know he'd been bitten.

He just shrugged it off and kept going. And he got back to the locker room and he was sitting down playing cards and Rick Rood come up and pull the two fangs out of his shoulder. What? Yeah, they were about two inches long. That's cool. embedded in his shoulder. Man.

You didn't even know it. Oh, snake hungry. I always wondered, you held the bag, like, very close to your shoulder like this. What was the psychology behind the way that you held the snake bag? Pour the damn weight, bro.

That was it. Hell yeah. You wanted to get that weight up on the shoulder. You didn't want it hanging off of you. It almost looked like menacing the way that you would, like, have it up there. Yeah, I get it.

close to your neck close to your shoulder but the real reason was just it was heavy yeah it was very heavy what would one of those things typically weigh oh anywhere from 65 to 150 geez did anybody give you any sort of crash course and like all right you've decided you're going to be jake the snake roberts i had a guy everybody's got a guy i had a guy that uh that uh knew a lot of about him, but I didn't really want to learn about him because I didn't want to know about them. I just wanted to know how to pick it up and get it back in that damn bag. That's all I was interested in, man.

I didn't want to know how it felt or if he was having a good day or what. I just wanted to get him in and out of that bag. Did it help if it was a male snake, female snake? Not that I know of. Interesting. How'd you come up with the DDT? By accident. It was by accident.

I had a front face lock on the guy, and he went to push me back into the corner, and when he did, he stepped on my foot. When he did, that made us go down, which I jumped to my feet because I was a baby face at the time, and I was embarrassed that I tripped and fell. And I just put it to my feet, and the people are like,

I'm like, what the hell? Yeah. And I looked at him and he's still down. I'm like, are you all right? Are you all right? Whoops. Not all right. Maybe I'm on to something.

This might work. Yeah. Yeah, exactly what happened, man. And after that, I started working with it and trying to figure it out, figure out a way to do it where I could protect the guy too, you know. because that's the most important thing. The last thing I want to do is hurt somebody out. How does it make you feel that the DDT's not used as a finish runner?

Oh, I think it's great. Great. Oh, yeah. But it's used as like a... Every time somebody does it, what do people say? That's Jake the Snake's move. That's right. Yeah.

And if Jake did it, what would happen? They wouldn't be able to kick out. That's right. So therefore, Jake, must be better than that guy. Absolutely. When was the first time you saw somebody else do it? Did they ask you permission?

No. Okay. Kid, not in this business. They rape and destroy everything. But it was, you know, like, for you, it was like, you hit it and it was over. Oh, yeah. Now people are hitting it like three moves into a match. Yeah, it just shows you how desperate they are.

Hmm. Interesting. You know, they're wanting to get somebody's reaction. Well, how do you. I don't know what's the quickest way to get somebody a reaction. Hit him with a DDT, which tells me that it still works. What about these, like, variations of it? Oh, I think it's great, man. Like Nick would do the double-armed DDT,

gangrel would do the impaler. Right. Yeah, but it all starts with you. It all started with me, and I got into it by accident, you know. I mean, it's like the short-armed clothes line. I do that, and there's only a few people doing that. What's the story behind your voice and the way that it sounds? The story behind is pretty simple.

I got my voice box crushed. I got a knee in my throat. 19, who, 1975, 76. The guy went to drop a knee into my shoulder and chest and landed in my throat. It crushed my voice box. Were you not able to talk at all for a while? No.

a couple of weeks. So, you know, everyone knows you for the style of promo that you have where it's, you know, it's subdued, it's quiet. Yeah.

Before that, before the voice box was crushed, what did your promo sound like? Not the same at all. Not at all. More like a 14-year-old girl. You know? That hasn't went through puberty yet.

You know? Yeah. the gruffness of it or everything is from the accident. But the timing and all that, I still had to put all that in. And my material still had to be, had to come from somewhere. And it comes from time on the road. You know, that's where you get all your, that's where you get your interviews and stuff.

Time alone, time on the road, time, you know, writing this stuff down, stuff that makes sense to you, cute stuff, mean stuff, bad stuff. There's all sorts of places to put information. And you just kind of keep those stockpiled, man. And I know I never went out there with a bunch of notes in my hand or anything like that. I just try to remember two or three little sayings and then just do an interview around those sayings. you know, maybe sometimes 10, 12 words. That would be about the most.

But, yeah, interviews to me were just a blast to do. So, like I said, if it's fun, you want to do it more. And that's what we did. How much of a role was mean gene playing in those? None. Really? None. Does he tee you up and say, do you want me to say this so you can,

Nope. Really? He was the ultimate pro. Huh. He knew where to go. Yeah. And he knew where not to go, too. Okay.

Because I told him, you said, I said, Gene, if you go there, you will see that snake again. And I wouldn't have put the snake on him. Mean Gene didn't like snakes. He was terrified of it. But Gene had a bad habit of being cute on interviews, you know, trying to get that last word in. Yeah. Well, that's bullshit. Because he would let you finish.

what you're saying, then as you walk off, and he hits you with the last word and steal your interview. He did that in your WrestleMania 6 promo. The famous dibiase promo. I don't remember the exact line. Maybe you guys remember it.

Like, someone couldn't have said it better or something. Yeah, yeah. That's funny. But, I want to put the snake on him for sure. This episode is brought to you by Timeline. Timeline is a Swiss-based life science company, and they're a global leader in urolithin A research.

So what's urolithin A? It's a powerful postbiotic that's nearly impossible to get from your diet alone. Mitopure is the first product to offer a precise dose of urolithin A to upgrade your mitochondria function, increase cellular energy, and improve muscle strength and endurance. One way to think of mitopure is that they're like the little Pac-Men in your cells, chomping up the old damaged mitochondria that makes you feel old, and tired, and we're cycling it into new healthy ones. Taking two soft gels a day for two months,

and you can see significant improvements in your cellular energy, muscle strength, and endurance. After four months of taking mitopure, you'll feel yourself getting stronger, recovering faster after a workout, and experiencing less inflammation. This is all part of your healthier aging routine. Check it out for yourself at timeline.com slash insight.

They're giving you 10% off your first order of mitochondere when you go there. So that's timeline.com slash insight for 10% off. Timeline.com slash insight. Today's episode is brought to you by Turtle Beach, the number one brand in gaming headsets and accessories. Their new Gen 3 Stealth 700 headset picks up so much crystal clear sound. It's basically cheating.

You'll hear every footstep, every reload, every enemy sneaking up on you like they're stomping through your living room and tap dancing shoes. Their headsets are so freaking comfortable. you'll feel like you're wearing a marshmallow cloud pillow on your head. Best of all, the Stealth 700 has the industry's first ever cross-play dual wireless transmitter system. That means you can seamlessly switch between your consoles and your PC with just the click of a button. And it gets even better.

While being connected to your console, the Stealth 700 can connect to your phone for music streaming or taking calls at the same time. Listen to your favorite songs while gaming, all done with the Stealth 700. Also, the battery life on this? Incredible. And did I mention how comfortable they are? So whether you're a casual gamer or you haven't touched grass in weeks,

Turtle Beach has the right headset for you. For a limited time only, our listeners get 10% off the entire order when you use the code Insight at turtlebeach.com. That's 10% off your order at turtlebeach.com using that promo code, Insight. This doesn't bother you that you didn't win a championship in WWE?

No, not at all. My God, I'm grateful I did not. I had to carry that too. Carried a 50 or 60 or 75-pound snake around, and we'd be on the road for two and three weeks at a time, all your clothing, everything you got to carry, man. The last thing I won is a 10-pound belt carry-round, too. Would I've liked to have had a championship?

Yeah, of course. You know, that would have been something. But I'd had some. several championships up until then. You know, maybe no, not WWF championship. But I'd had several. I had it in Calgary. I had it in Louisiana and Mid-South.

I had it in Texas. I had it, you know, different places around mid-Atlantic. So I'd had my time with the belts. I mean, it was all right. I would have liked to have had the money. that is associated with that belt. But how can I complain about a career that I had? When you look at the people you worked with

and the storylines were involved in, do you feel like there was a moment where, like, if things had gone a different way, maybe you would have lined up for a title? Yeah. With you. Yeah, they could have with macho. Yeah.

With macho or with Hulk. The fans screwed me out of that. What do you mean? Well, we tried to shoot an angle between Hulk and I. Yeah. And we did it. And whenever I got back to the curtain, I was told to stand there and wait for the people to start chanting Hulk,

Hulk, Hulk, Hulk. And they didn't. They started chanting DDT, DDT. And Vince looked at it and he goes, you're screwed. That's the end of your angle. We tried to wrestle twice. Once in Providence, Rhode Island,

and another time in Montreal. And over 50% were chanting DDT. And Vince did not want that because that screwed up the marketing. You know, the market is where the money's at. Well, you're supposed to be a heel. And I'm the bad guy. Yeah. You know, but I was the first anti-hero.

Yeah. No doubt. you know, bad guy that people loved. I find it interesting, the way you talk about what goes into the promo work that you did. It almost sounds therapeutic in a way. Oh, yeah. Did you find it to be therapeutic? I love doing it, man.

There's a lot of satisfaction that comes out of doing a great promo. A lot. Well, you know that from doing what you do. Sure. You know when you've done a good job and when you have it. and you know when the show is good and when it's not. Yeah. And if you have a bad show, you don't go out and celebrate it, do you?

Yeah. Yeah, you're right. What credit do you take for the birth of Austin 316? I don't need any credit. You know, I was a guy that said Steve Austin was going to be the next big superstar. That I'll take credit for it. Because Vincent McMahon didn't think he was going to be anything better than the middle of the card gopher.

And I argue the point that this is going to be your next superstar. One of the time I was helping write television. So I had something to say about it. So it was pretty simple to get him lined up

where we would do something in the ring together so I could make him that superstar. Some people say without Jake the snake, there would be on Steve Austin. Well, I disagree there. I don't know. The Austin 316 promo probably wouldn't have happened. It got it quicker. Got him there quicker, but he would have still done it. Do you remember hearing that promo?

Oh, yeah. Do you remember what you thought about it at the time? Oh, it was great. And then was in, what, weeks after that, I guess probably next week, start seeing Austin 316. Oh, yeah. T-shirts. And T-shirts. That got over in a hurry.

Oh, yeah. It was hot. Yeah. It was hot. But if you think about it, if you weren't doing the angle that you were doing at that, time. Steve's path would have looked a little bit different. Yeah, it would have.

It would. But I was glad to do it for Steve. Yeah. But, I mean, the whole basis of that problem, talk about your Psalms, talk about John 316. Yeah. Oh, yeah. Yeah.

It was great. Hmm. Where do you feel most proud when you look back on your career? With what I'm doing now. With what I'm doing now. everything before was pretty clouded and tainted, you know. I often wonder just how good I could have been, you know, and I not chose the road that I chose,

because I certainly had enough alcohol and drugs in me to change my path, and that's exactly what happened, you know, but how good, how good could a Jake Ben without the drugs and alcohol? I have no idea. Do you also think that maybe you were that good because that was the path you were on? Yeah, I've thought about that too because it helped mold me. It gave me that dark side, that angry side, shameful side. But maybe it helped your professional career.

It's a hell of a price to play. pay, bro. Yeah. A hell of a price to pay, man. I don't wish that on anybody. No. You've been sober now, how long? Oh, 12, 13 years.

Yeah. Is that something you're really proud of? Oh, yeah. Gotcha. I had a couple people come by today, you know, and thank me for putting my story out there because that gave them the courage to try to get sober. Those are proud moments there.

That makes me feel real good. You know, and I just don't want anybody to go through the shit I went through. It's not any fun, man. When was it at its worst? Oh, in the late 90s, early 2000s, it was an everyday occurrence. But look at you now. Yeah. I survived.

I mean, and you're thriving now. Yeah, I'm flourishing. Yeah. How do you feel in your day to day now? Well, body's still a, but that's going to happen. But hell, I'm 70 years old. It should ache. I think people were really excited to see you in AEW.

Oh, yeah, they were. How did that come together? Absolutely. Somebody picked up the phone, gave me a call. I said, yes. And off we went. And that was it? That was it.

still working for them. You're still working for AEW? Yep. It's been a while since we've seen you there. Yeah, it's been a while since you've seen me on television, but I still work for them. You're still under contract with them? I did not know that. Now you do.

Yeah. So you could pop up at any point in time. Whenever they want me, I'll be there. In what capacity would you be there as a manager? As a manager, yeah. Yeah. You cut some great promos with Lance. Archer.

Yeah. What was it like working with him? Lovely. He's such a beast. God, almighty. What a beast. He's a big dude.

A big, rough, strong dude. Yeah. That can do some pretty amazing stuff for a man his size. Are there maybe some other people you might represent there, might be a manager for there?

I hope not. You just want to be with Lance? Just him. Okay. That's all I need. Yeah. It's, what you guys did together was pretty special. Yeah.

Yeah, we got some more tricks up our sleeves. Okay. Yeah. But you know, I love working for them. You know, I got, you know, my hot rod that I play with. And, of course, my fishing that I love so much. I'm big into fishing, too. What are you?

Oh. Bass fishing for me. Strippers. Oh, man. Those are big, nasty fish. Yeah. So what's your biggest striper? Oh, 26, 27.

That's a big one. Yeah, I was a good size. Yeah. I dream of a 50-pounder. I can't imagine what it would be like. Seriously. I mean, that 20 had that rod been completely over, double back on my ass. What'd you catch it on?

Just with a minnow. Oh, like live bait? Live bait. Oh, man. fishing was live bait. I love to be able to, I'd love that we've been able to spend some time together. Yeah, man.

The legacy that you've created. Congratulations. Yeah, man, no problem. I end every conversation talking about gratitude because it's such a big part of my life. Jake, what are three things in your life you're grateful for? Sobriety. Is that your entrance theme?

Yeah, of course it is. Hold on. Your ringers, your entrance theme. Yeah. Oh, and you just hung up on them. Yeah, I just hung up on them. Hold on, that's amazing. It's his entrance thing.

Sobriety. I had it too. Sobriety, my children, and the second chance with my wife. You know, we were separated for 24 years. Wow. And now we're back together. How does that even happen? It's just crazy, man.

getting sober. That's pretty amazing. That was the first step. Wow. Well, thank you, sir. Thank you. Everyone can go check out the cruise you guys have in February. Yeah.

The Hall of Fame cruise, February 23rd. The 28th, yeah. And wherever you're listening is, of course, you can check out the Snake Pit podcast. The legend himself, Jake the St. Roberts. Hey, if you guys are boarding the cruise, be sure to mention my name. They may knock off 500, I think.

Yeah? Yeah. For real? For real. Okay. There you go. I dare you to get on. You can have a snake on there?

Nope. All right, big thank you to Jake Roberts for joining us. And thank you for listening all the way until the end here. Check out Jake's podcast called The Snake Pit as soon as this is over. So in like, you know, 45 seconds or something like that. I was thinking after this interview with Jake the Snake Roberts ended, He's one of the very few wrestlers who has a nickname in the middle of their name. Think about it.

Stone Cold Steve Austin. Diamond Dallas Page. I feel like Brett the hitman heart's the only one that I can think of right now. The rated R superstar edge. The animal that tasted, but Brett the hitman heart. But it's funny how weird it would sound if you did it the other way. The snake, Jake Roberts, the hitman, Brett Hart. I don't know.

It's just a random thought that popped. into my head. In any case, snap a screenshot and tag us when you share that out. He's at Jake Snake DDT on Twitter. He's at Jake the Snake DDT on Instagram. Not the Snake, Jake Roberts. Jake the Snake DDT on Instagram. I'm at Chris Van Fleet and I've said this quote before. I love it so much. So I will share it again here. Now it's from Zig Ziglar. You don't have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great. Be great. Be grateful. Have an amazing day.

We will see you on the next one for some more insight. Tomorrow we're back with Ask CVV number 59. If you got a question, send it in using that hashtag Ask CVV or shoot me an email. CVV at Chrisfanfley.com or leave a comment on Spotify. Right after you hit that DDT on the follow button, of course. We'll see you tomorrow. 80s flashback mockumentary. Back in the 80s, there were a thousand bands trying to make it in the world of rock.

But there was one band that had it all. Hammer Alley. Whatever happened to Hammer Alley? How did they go from top of the rock? I'm looking for a music video. They're a band from 1987. Hammer Alley. Ever heard of then?

To Rock Bottom. Dude, I was born in 1987. I can't believe he's doing this. Hammer Allie. Follow and listen on your favorite platform.