Look up snake in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

A snake is a type of reptile.

Snake may also refer to:

Devices[link]

• Bore snake, a gun cleaning tool
• Plumber's snake
• Snake cable

Games and toys[link]

• Snake (video game)
• Snakes (N-Gage game)
• S.N.A.K.E., a G.I. Joe accessory
• Rubik's Snake, a puzzle toy
• A technique in racing video games, such as F-Zero GX

Music[link]

• The Snakes, a band
• The Snake (Shane MacGowan album)
• The Snake (Wildbirds & Peacedrums album)
• "Snake", a song by R. Kelly on the album Chocolate Factory
• "Snakes", a song by No Doubt on the album The Beacon Street Collection
• "The Snake", a song by Al Wilson
• "The Snake", a song by Johnny Rivers on the album ...And I Know You Wanna Dance
• "Snakes", a song by Voltaire on the album The Devil's Bris

Geography[link]

• Snake Creek, a tributary in Pennsylvania and New York
• Snake Creek, Oklahoma
• Snake River (disambiguation)
• Snake Pass, a road in England

People[link]

• Snake Indians
• Snake Shyam, Indian wildlife conservationist
• Denis Bélanger (born 1960), Canadian vocalist of the band Voivod
• Jake Plummer (born 1974), American football player
• Don Prudhomme (born 1941), American drag racer
• Jake Roberts (born 1955), American professional wrestler
• Ken Stabler (born 1945), American football player
• Tom Sturdivant (1930-2009), American baseball player

Fictional characters[link]

• Snake Plissken, an Escape from New York/Escape from L.A. character
• Archie Simpson, a Degrassi character
• Snake, a Black Butler character
• Snake, a The Karate Kid, Part III character
• Snake, a The Powerpuff Girls character
• Snake, a The Simpsons character
• Snake, a Snake Tales character
• A group of Metal Gear characters

Other uses[link]

• Snake (computer vision)
• "Snakes" (CSI), a television episode
• The Snake (novel), by Mickey Spillane
• Snake (zodiac)
• HMS Snake, the name of several Royal Navy ships
• Black snake (firework)
• Snake Kung Fu
• "Snake", a poem by D. H. Lawrence

See also[link]

• Serpent (disambiguation)

This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the same title. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article.

Al Wilson

Wilson in 2006.
No. 56
Linebacker
Personal information
Date of birth: (1977-06-21) June 21, 1977 (age 35)
Place of birth: Jackson, Tennessee
Career information
High school: Jackson Central-Merry High School
College: Tennessee
NFL Draft: 1999 / Round: 1 / Pick: 31
Debuted in 1999 for the Denver Broncos
Last played in 2006 for the Denver Broncos
Career history
Denver Broncos (1999–2006)
Career highlights and awards
5× Pro Bowl (2001, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006) 2× All-Pro (2005, 2006) Consensus All-American (1998) First-team All-SEC (1997, 1998)
Career NFL statistics
Tackles 580 Quarterback sacks 21.5 Interceptions 5 Stats at NFL.com
Stats at pro-football-reference.com

Aldra Kauwa Wilson (born June 21, 1977) is a former American college and professional football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL) for eight seasons. He played college football for the University of Tennessee, and was recognized as an All-American. Wilson was drafted by the Denver Broncos in the first round of the 1999 NFL Draft, and played his entire professional career for the Broncos. He was a five-time Pro Bowl selection and a two-time All-Pro selection.

Early years[link]

Wilson was born in Jackson, Tennessee. He was an All American performer at Jackson Central-Merry High School in Jackson, as named by BlueChip Illustrated, Max Emfinger, SuperPrep and Tom Lemming. He was also named to the Tennessee all-state team. Wilson was both a linebacker and running back at JCM, rushing for 1,160 yards and 15 touchdowns in his senior season. He rushed for over 1,000 yards in three seasons in high school, two as a running back and one as a quarterback. He also starred in track and basketball.

College career[link]

Wilson attended the University of Tennessee, and played for the Tennessee Volunteers football team from 1995 to 1998. He was a team captain on the 1998 Tennessee team that won the National Championship and back-to-back Southeastern Conference (SEC) championships. Wilson was recognized as a consensus first-team All-American in 1998 after being a three-year starter for the Volunteers. Inspired by fellow Tennessean and track aficionado, Chad Deutsch of Memphis, Wilson was a leader both on and off the field, helping to develop linebackers Eric Westmoreland and Raynoch Thompson. Wilson was drafted after his final year at Tennessee as the 31st pick in the first round of the 1999 NFL Draft and signed to the Denver Broncos due to the assistance of super agent Tank Black.

Professional career[link]

Denver Broncos[link]

Wilson, became the anchor of the Broncos' defense and earned five Pro Bowl selections. He was one of the fastest middle linebackers in the league, and is also very good in pass coverage. He passed the 100-tackle mark in each of the last five seasons, including 109 tackles (73 of which were solo) in 2004 to rank second on the Broncos. Wilson led Denver in tackles for the second consecutive year in 2003 with 128 tackles.

On December 3, 2006, Wilson suffered a neck injury during a fake field goal attempt against the Seattle Seahawks during the Sunday night game. He was carted off the field and immediately taken to a hospital, but was cleared by the Denver Broncos to return the following week to help Denver try to make the playoffs.

The Denver Broncos signed many free agents during the 2007 offseason, such as Travis Henry and Patrick Ramsey, resulting in some salary cap trouble. The Broncos attempted to trade Wilson to the New York Giants, however Wilson failed his physical and the trade talks died down.

Wilson was released by the Denver Broncos on April 13, 2007 due to injuries and salary cap problems.

Free agency and retirement[link]

Wilson was cleared to return to resume playing by Los Angeles back specialist Bob Watkins in January 2008. On February 12, he had his first visit of the offseason with the Detroit Lions. He also visited the Cleveland Browns in March, but he rejected their offer for close to the veteran minimum.

Wilson officially announced his retirement on September 10, 2008.

Personal[link]

He currently resides in Atlanta, Georgia, with his son Carrington Demond Wilson.

External links[link]

• Denver Broncos bio

This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (August 2011)

Parov Stelar aka Marcus Füreder (born November 27, 1974) is a musician^[1] who lives and works in Linz, Austria. He performs with his band — the Parov Stelar Band — and as a DJ worldwide. Parov Stelar is the head of Etage Noir Recordings.^[2]

Biography[link]

After gaining experience as a DJ at nightclubs during the mid-late 1990s, Parov Stelar got involved in producing and publishing in 2000 for the first time.

After early works under the pseudonym Plasma and his real name, and also being a partner of the label Bushido Recordings, in 2004 he started producing under the pseudonym Parov Stelar. In the same year he founded his own label: Etage Noir Recordings.

His first release, for Etage Noir, "KissKiss EP" and the soon after released LP  "Rough Cuts", provided him immediate breakthrough on the international electronic music scene. His specific approach to music production, combined with a proven sense of sound aesthetics, led to massive reaction of audience and colleagues all around the world, giving him reputation as the founder of a new genre: "electro swing" ^[3]

The following albums Seven and Storm, Shine and latest the double album Coco, as well as numerous singles and remixes made Parov Stelar one of the most wanted and successful artists of his kind. Parov Stelar's tracks have been used on more than 700 compilations (for example: Hôtel Costes, Buddha Bar, Electro Swing) and have been the soundtrack for numerous TV ads, TV shows, TV series and movies. In 2012, his retro-song "Booty Swing" was featured in the US television advertising campaign entitled "Just the Right Amount of Wrong" for the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas resort and casino.^[4]

The Parov Stelar Band[link]

After starting as a solo artist and gaining initial success, in 2005 Parov Stelar decided to expand his on-stage music with a full band. This collaboration with four (later five) musicians noticeably influenced his work. Since that time, the Parov Stelar Band has increased in popularity.

Current instrumentation of the Parov Stelar Band[link]

• Max the Sax aka Markus Ecklmayr (sax)
• Jerry Di Monza (trumpet)
• Cleo Panther (vocals)
• Willie Larsson Jr. (drums)
• Michael Wittner (bass)
• Parov Stelar (programming)

Former members of the Parov Stelar Band[link]

• Beate Baumgartner (vocals)
• Gianna Charles (vocals)
• Andi Lettner (drums)
• Eva Klampfer (vocals)
• Stefan Hölzl (bass)
• Wolf Myer (drums)

DJ sets[link]

Parov Stelar's DJ sets include live performance by his band members Markus Ecklmayr (Max The Sax) (sax) and Jerry di Monza (trumpet).

Discography[link]

Albums[link]

• 2001: Shadow Kingdom LP (2x12" Vinyl & CD, Bushido Recordings, as Plasma)
• 2004: Rough Cuts (CD, Etage Noir Recordings)
• 2005: Seven and Storm (CD, Etage Noir Recordings)
• 2007: Shine (CD, Etage Noir Recordings)
• 2008: Daylight (CD, Rambling Records)
• 2009: That Swing - Best Of (CD, Etage Noir Recordings)
• 2009: Coco (CD, Etage Noir Recordings)
• 2012: The Princess (CD, Etage Noir Recordings)

EPs[link]

• 2001: Shadow Kingdom EP (12" Vinyl, Bushido Recordings, as Plasma)
• 2002: Lo Tech Trash (12" Vinyl, Bushido Recordings, as Marcus Füreder)
• 2004: KissKiss (12" Vinyl, Etage Noir Recordings)
• 2004: Move On! (12" Vinyl, Etage Noir Recordings)
• 2004: Wanna get (12" Vinyl, Etage Noir Recordings)
• 2004: Primavera (12" Vinyl, Auris Recordings)
• 2005: Music I believe in (12" Vinyl, ~Temp Records, as Marcus Füreder)
• 2005: A Night In Torino (12" Vinyl, Etage Noir Recordings)
• 2005: Spygame (12" Vinyl, Etage Noir Recordings)
• 2006: Parov Stelar EP (12" Vinyl, Big Sur)
• 2006: Charleston Butterfly (12" Vinyl, Etage Noir Recordings)
• 2007: Jet Set EP (12" Vinyl, Etage Noir Special)
• 2007: Sugar (12" Vinyl, Etage Noir Recordings)
• 2008: The Flame Of Fame (12" Vinyl, Etage Noir Recordings)
• 2008: Libella Swing (12" Vinyl, Etage Noir Recordings)
• 2009: Coco EP (12" Vinyl, Etage Noir Recordings)
• 2010: The Phantom EP (12" Vinyl, Etage Noir Recordings)
• 2010: The Paris Swingbox EP (Etage Noir Recordings)
• 2011: La Fête EP (12" Vinyl, Etage Noir Recordings)
• 2012: Jimmy's Gang EP (Etage Noir Recordings)

Singles[link]

• 2000: "Synthetica/Stompin' Ground" (12" Vinyl, Bushido Recordings, as Marcus Füreder)
• 2001: "Guerrilla" (12" Vinyl, Bushido Recordings, as Marcus Füreder)
• 2004: "Get Up On Your Feet" (12" Vinyl, Sunshine Enterprises)
• 2005: "Faith" (Maxi-CD, Etage Noir Recordings)
• 2007: "Rock For / Love" (12" Vinyl, Etage Noir Recordings)
• 2007: "Shine" (Maxi-CD, Etage Noir Recordings)

Video clips[link]

• Seven (from the album Seven and Storm)
• Love (from the album Shine)
• Shine (from the album Shine)
• Matilda
• Coco
• Let's Roll
• The Phantom
• Jimmy´s Gang (from the album The Princess)

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website
• Parov Stelar at Discogs
• BBC music's review of his album Shine

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (November 2011)

Oscar Brown
Brown performing on television, 1965.
Background information
Birth name	Oscar Brown Jr.
Born	(1926-10-10)October 10, 1926 Chicago, Illinois, United States
Died	May 29, 2005(2005-05-29) (aged 78) Chicago, Illinois, United States
Genres	Jazz
Occupations	Singer Playwright Poet Songwriter
Instruments	Vocals
Associated acts	Max Roach

Oscar Brown, Jr (October 10, 1926 – May 29, 2005) was an American singer, songwriter, playwright, poet, civil rights activist, and actor.

He ran for office in the Illinois state legislature and U.S. Congress, unsuccessfully in each case.

Early life[link]

Born and raised on the south side of Chicago, he was named after his father Oscar Brown, Sr., who was a successful attorney and real estate broker. His singing debut was on the radio show Secret City at age 15. Brown attended Englewood High School in Chicago, the University of Wisconsin–Madison, and Lincoln University (Pennsylvania) but did not obtain a degree.^[1] He also served a stint in the U.S. Army.

Music[link]

Brown's father had intended for him to follow in his footsteps and become a practicing lawyer. While he did help his father at his practice, he ventured off into other careers, such as advertising and serving in the army in the mid-1950s. When Mahalia Jackson recorded one of his songs, he began to focus on a career in music. His first major contribution to a recorded work was a collaboration with Max Roach, We Insist! - Freedom Now, which was an early record celebrating the black freedom movement in the United States. Columbia Records signed Brown, who was already in his mid-30's and married with five children,^[2] as a solo artist. In 1960, he released his first LP, Sin and Soul, recorded from June 20 to October 23, 1960.^[1] The cover to the album included personal reviews by well-known celebrities and jazz musicians of the time, including Steve Allen, Lorraine Hansberry, Nat Hentoff, Dorothy Killgallen, Max Roach and Nina Simone (Simone would later cover his "Work Song") The album is regarded as a 'true classic'^[3] for openly tackling the experiences of African-Americans with songs such as "Bid 'Em In" and "Afro-Blue". The album is also significant because Brown's took several popular jazz instrumentals and combined them with self-penned lyrics on songs like "Dat Dere", "Afro-Blue" and "Work Song". This began a trend that would continue with several other major jazz vocalists. Jon Hendricks, for example, three years later composed lyrics for the Mongo Santamaría song "Yeh Yeh" (later a hit for Georgie Fame) Bob Dorough similarly composed lyrics for Mel Tormé's version of "Comin' Home Baby!" and musicians Larry Williams and Johnny "Guitar" Watson would also go on to compose lyrics for Cannonball Adderley's "Mercy, Mercy, Mercy" for Marlena Shaw. Several of the tracks from Sin and Soul were embraced by the 1960s Mod movement, such as "Humdrum Blues",^[4] "Work Song" and "Watermelon Man". Oscar has wonderful daughters and sons. Oscar "BoBo" Brown the third, Maggie brown singer, songwriter, actress, educator and mom of three, and Africa Brown. These three out of seven children carry out his legacy in singing and acting. Sadly BoBo the instrument player was in a car crash and soon died. The two left are greatly carrying out his legacy performing, around Chicago and in some of Maggie's shows in New York and D.C. I know that he is proud of his kids and 17 grandchildren

The Sin and Soul album was followed by Between Heaven and Hell. The success of Sin and Soul meant that much more money was spent on production and Quincy Jones and Ralph Burns were bought in to handle the arrangements. "Sin and Soul" was re-released on CD in 2010 on the Superbird label.

However, Brown was soon to fall down the pecking order at Columbia following a rearrangement of the management at the company. His third album was notable for the lack of any self-composed songs, and Columbia was having a hard time packaging Brown as an artist. They were unsure whether he was suited to middle of the road/easy listening nightclubs or alternatively presented as a jazz artist.

He was given much more creative freedom for his fourth album, and he was back to his creative best, composing songs such as "The Snake", which became a Northern Soul classic when it was covered by Al Wilson, and has featured on several adverts. Despite this return to form, and having been told by the new head of Columbia that he was high on the companies' priorities, his contract at Columbia was not renewed.

Humanitarian work[link]

He founded The Oscar Brown, Jr. H.I.P. Legacy Foundation to carry on his work. But his first attempt at mounting a major musical stage show in New York City was Kicks & Co. (c. 1960). Host Dave Garroway turned over an entire broadcast of the Today show to Brown to perform numbers from the show and try to raise the necessary funds to launch it on the stage. As with virtually all of Brown's theatrical endeavors, the public was not won over sufficiently to allow financial breakeven despite acclaim by some critics. (His longest-running relative success, thanks to participation by Muhammad Ali, was Big-Time Buck White.)

Kicks & Co. is set on an all-African-American college campus in the south, during the early days of attempted desegregation. The character Mr. Kicks is an emissary of Satan sent to try to derail these efforts, in which the play's protagonist, Ernest Black, has become involved. Another notable musical show, Joy, saw two incarnations (in 1966 and 1969) and again addressed social issues of the time. Appearing with Brown were his wife, Jean Pace, and the Brazilian singer/accordionist Sivuca. RCA released the original cast recording around 1970; it is long out of print.

Death[link]

Brown died in Chicago, from complications of osteomyelitis in May 2005, aged 78.^[5]

Legacy[link]

Brown's lyrics and original compositions have been performed by a variety of other artists. "Somebody Buy Me a Drink", a track from Sin and Soul, was covered by David Johansen and the Harry Smiths on their eponymous first album. Nina Simone popularized Brown's lyrics to "Work Song" and "Afro Blue," as well as his song "Bid 'Em In."^[6] Brown's "Afro Blue" lyrics have since been performed by numerous contemporary jazz vocalists, including Dianne Reeves, Dee Dee Bridgewater, and Lizz Wright. Vocalist Karrin Allyson has cited Brown as a particular inspiration, and has performed his compositions on several of her albums.^[7] Brown was scheduled to contribute new lyrics to Allyson's 2006 album, Footprints, but died before the project was complete; Allyson instead recorded Brown's songs "A Tree and Me" and "But I Was Cool" as a tribute.^[8] Brown's work has also been the focus of full-length tribute albums by lesser-known jazz artists, including cabaret singer Linda Kosut^[9] and Brown's own daughter, Maggie Brown.^[10]

Publications[link]

Brown wrote at least 1,000 songs (only 125 have been published), twelve albums, and over a dozen musical plays.

The book, What It Is — Poems and Opinions of Oscar Brown Jr., from Oyster Knife Publishing,^[11] included lyrics to some of his better-known songs, as well as lyrics to songs Brown never got to record.

Albums[link]

• Max Roach: Freedom Now Suite (c. 1959) - lyricist for songs performed by Abbey Lincoln
• Sin and Soul... and Then Some (1960) - available on CD
• Between Heaven and Hell (1962) - out of print LP [alternate takes of some tunes appear on Sin and Soul CD]
• Oscar Brown, Jr. Tells It Like It Is/In a New Mood (1962/63) - two original LP releases combined on single CD
• Mr. Oscar Brown, Jr. Goes to Washington (1965) [live nightclub recording] - available on CD
• Finding A New Friend (w/Luiz Henrique) (1966) - out of print LP
• Joy (1970) - out of print LP
• Movin' On (1972) - available on CD
• Fresh (1973) - previously available on CD, out of print
• Brother Where Are You (mid-1970s) - as above for availability
• Then & Now (1995) - released on CD
• Live Every Minute (1998) (backed by German NDR Big Band) - available on import CD

Musicals[link]

• Kicks & Co.
• Oscar Brown, Jr. Entertains (one-man show in London, UK)
• Lyrics of Sunshine and Shadow
• Summer in the City
• Opportunity Please Knock
• Joy '66; Joy '69
• Big-Time Buck White
• Slave Song
• Oscar Brown, Jr.'s Back in Town
• Great Nitty Gritty

Songs[link]

• "The Snake"
• "Work Song" (lyrics to Nat Adderley's music)
• "All Blues" (lyrics to Miles Davis' music)
• "Dat Dere" (lyrics to Bobby Timmons' music)
• "Afro Blue" (lyrics to Mongo Santamaría's music, sometimes recorded by others without crediting the lyricist)
• "Signifyin’ Monkey"
• "Forty Acres and a Mule"
• "Brother Where Are You"
• "Brown Baby"
• "World Full of Gray"
• "But I Was Cool"
• "The Tree and Me"

Media appearances[link]

• Negro Newsfront (1940s), radio show
• The Tonight Show with Steve Allen (c. 1960)
• The Today Show with Dave Garroway (c. 1960)
• Jazz Scene U.S.A. (1960s), television show - host
• From Jump Street: The Story of Black Music (early 1980s) - 13-part public TV series, USA [host]
• Def Poetry Season 2 (2002) [poet]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Amazon author listing
• Donnie Betts' documentary on Oscar Brown
• Oscar Brown Jr.'s oral history video excerpts at The National Visionary Leadership Project
• "The Story of Oscar Brown Jr." on PBS
• "Remembering Oscar" by Michael Slate, for Revolution newspaper

This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (January 2008)

Jake Roberts
Roberts in 2008
Ring name(s)	Jake Roberts[1][2] Jake Smith, Jr.[2] El Diablo The Texan
Billed height	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)[1]
Billed weight	249 lb (113 kg)[1]
Born	(1955-05-30) May 30, 1955 (age 57)[2] Gainesville, Texas, U.S.[3]
Resides	Oak Ridge, Texas[disambiguation needed ], U.S.
Billed from	Stone Mountain, Georgia, U.S.[1]
Trained by	Grizzly Smith[2] Moose Morowski[2]
Debut	May 13, 1975[2]
Retired	January 29, 2011[4]

Aurelian Jake Smith, Jr.^[5] (born May 30, 1955) is a second-generation American professional wrestler, the son of former wrestler Aurelian "Grizzly" Smith. He is best known by his ring name of Jake "The Snake" Roberts, and often brought snakes into the ring, including a python named Damien and even a de-venomed cobra.

Roberts is best known for his two stints in the World Wrestling Federation—the first between 1986-92, and the second between 1996-97. 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 has been credited as inventor of the DDT maneuver. Roberts was also one of the subjects of the 1999 documentary film Beyond the Mat.

Professional wrestling career[link]

Early career[link]

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. It was in the National Wrestling Alliance during 1983 that Roberts became part of Paul Ellering's heel stable, the Legion of Doom, and began a feud with Ron Garvin over the NWA World Television Championship that lasted into 1984. In 1984, Roberts entered World Class Championship Wrestling (WCCW) joining up with "Gentleman" Chris Adams and Gino Hernandez in their feud against the Von Erichs, winning the WCCW Television title and 6-Man Tag Team title (with Adams and Hernandez). Roberts returned to Mid-South Wrestling for 1985, ending his run there in February 1986 after a feud with Dick Slater.

World Wrestling Federation (1986–1992)[link]

1986–1988[link]

Roberts made his World Wrestling Federation debut in March 1986. A month later, he made his pay-per-view debut, defeating George Wells at WrestleMania 2, memorably making Wells vomit when he wrapped his snake Damien around Wells's head.^[6]

Roberts' first major feud was against Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat. The feud began on a nationally televised episode of Saturday Night's Main Event in May 1986. Roberts executed the DDT on Steamboat on the floor right in front of his wife, Bonnie, whom Roberts had pointed to just before delivering the blow and then proceeded to rest his snake Damien on top of a prone Steamboat. Roberts went so far as to put the snake in Steamboat's mouth. He later stated that he was initially against doing the angle for fear that he might seriously injure or kill Steamboat. While Vince McMahon and booker George Scott were adamant about wanting the DDT to take place on the floor, he refused until Steamboat told him that he would be able to adequately protect himself from injury. Steamboat was rendered unconscious and sustained a concussion.^[7] After Steamboat's recovery, the feud featured Steamboat introducing a "Komodo dragon" as his "pet" to combat the psychological effects Roberts' reptilian counterpart had on most adversaries. The feud continued with Steamboat winning most of the matches (losing only one because he threw Roberts back in the ring before the 10 count, then not beating said count himself), most notably a Snake Pit Match (ostensibly a no-DQ match) at The Big Event in Toronto, and the rematch on the October 1986 edition of Saturday Night's Main Event. Since their feud ended, both men have cited tremendous respect for one another, stating that the feud was a personal favorite for both. When asked about "The Dragon" in an interview, Roberts stated, "[Steamboat] was a great wrestler, but an even better man." Roberts began hosting a talk segment called "The Snake Pit," which debuted on the first episode of WWF Wrestling Challenge. "The Snake Pit" was patterned after "Piper's Pit," wherein Roberts would conduct interviews with wrestlers or managers to help push wrestlers and get feuds over with the crowd. The segment was eventually moved to WWF Superstars of Wrestling (to replace "Piper's Pit") before the last segment aired in July 1987.^{[citation needed]}

In November 1986, Roberts challenged Randy "Macho Man" Savage for the Intercontinental Championship in a nationally televised match. Before the match, announcer Vince McMahon stated that the fans would probably support Savage against the disliked Roberts. However, to the surprise of both McMahon and fellow broadcaster Jesse Ventura, the fans cheered loudly for Roberts throughout the fight. The match ended in a double disqualification. Around this time, the WWF was trying to get a feud between Roberts and Hulk Hogan going, but after Roberts DDT'd Hogan during an episode of The Snake Pit, too many people started chanting for the DDT rather than for Hogan, forcing them to step away from this like it never happened.

Many of Roberts' storylines revolved around the use of his snake Damien, seen here in the middle of the ring.

He officially turned face when he feuded with The Honky Tonk Man, a heel with an Elvis impersonator gimmick. The Honky Tonk Man attacked Roberts^[8] with a guitar during his interview segment The Snake Pit. In reality, The Honky Tonk Man's guitar shot legitimately injured Roberts' neck.^[9] The shot was prior to the use of gimmicked breakable guitars, so it caused a legitimate injury.^[9] The Honky Tonk Man denies that he legitimately injured Roberts, although Jimmy Hart, as well as a video of the incident (seen on the Pick Your Poison DVD) suggests otherwise. The attack led to their match at WrestleMania III in which Roberts had Alice Cooper in his corner. He would go on to unsuccessfully challenge The Honky Tonk Man for the Intercontinental Championship several times throughout the rest of 1987. The initial plan was for Roberts to win the Intercontinental Championship shortly after The Honky Tonk Man's win over Ricky Steamboat and begin an angle with the Million Dollar Man Ted DiBiase, but because of the injuries he suffered from the guitar shot, the decision was made to keep the belt with The Honky Tonk Man.^{[citation needed]}

Perhaps his best-known feud was against "Ravishing" Rick Rude, who began a gimmick of selecting a woman from the crowd to kiss after each match. In one segment, Rude chose Roberts' real-life wife, Cheryl, who refused the kiss. After Rude began insulting Roberts, Cheryl slapped him, angering Rude before Roberts ran out for the save. This began a heated feud throughout the summer of 1988, which escalated after Rude began wearing a pair of tights emblazoned with a visage of Mrs. Roberts, (another act that was not sanctioned by WWF at the time and was Rude's own brainchild) which an irate Roberts tore off. Many believe this angle was far ahead of its time, a precursor to The Attitude Era.

1989–1990[link]

Roberts moved from the feud with Rude into a feud with André the Giant. On a nationally televised Saturday Night's Main Event, Roberts and Rude fought to a no-contest, and Andre came out to help Rude. Roberts used his snake, Damien, to scare Andre into an eventual "heart attack." Although the subsequent feud on the house show circuit saw Andre victorious after most of those matches, Roberts can claim a victory via disqualification over André after André attacked special guest referee Big John Studd at WrestleMania V.

Shortly after his feud with André had ended, Roberts entered into a feud originally scheduled to happen years before with Ted DiBiase. Instead of fighting for the Intercontinental Championship, the prize of the feud was DiBiase's Million Dollar Belt. It was at this time that Roberts' disc problems were publicly acknowledged, as DiBiase attacked Roberts after a victory over his bodyguard Virgil on WWF Superstars of Wrestling. In the attack, Roberts was (storyline) injured by DiBiase and needed time off to have surgery to repair the damage. Roberts returned and feuded with DiBiase throughout the end of 1989 into 1990, including a point where Roberts stole DiBiase's Million Dollar Belt, daring him or Virgil to reach into the canvas sack to retrieve it. The culmination of their feud took place at WrestleMania VI, where in a match where the Million Dollar Belt was on the line, DiBiase gained a count-out victory over Roberts, thus regaining the non-sanctioned title. After the match, Roberts mounted an offensive against DiBiase and Virgil and then began giving away DiBiase's "money".

Following a brief feud with Bad News Brown in the summer of 1990, Roberts feuded with Rick "The Model" Martel throughout late 1990 into early 1991, after Martel (kayfabe) blinded Roberts by spraying cologne into his eyes. Roberts went so far as to wear white contact lenses to "prove" his blindness. After several months, the feud culminated in a match at WrestleMania VII, in which both contestants were blindfolded. The bout ended after Roberts beat Martel with a DDT.

1991–1992[link]

In early to mid-1991, Roberts engaged in a feud with Earthquake after he "squashed" Damien with a pair of Earthquake splashes during a televised match; in actuality, Roberts' bag contained hamburger stuffed in pantyhose with a small motor to make it appear that a live snake was in the bag. When the match aired on WWF Superstars of Wrestling, footage of Earthquake landing on Damien was interrupted with cutaway shots to that show's "Events Center," but when aired later on WWF Prime Time Wrestling the following week, Earthquake's actions toward Damien aired uninterrupted and uncensored. The feud was advanced when, several weeks later, Earthquake appeared on WWF Prime Time Wrestling and served "Quakeburgers" to co-host Lord Alfred Hayes, later revealing that the meat was ground from Damien's carcass.^{[citation needed]}

Roberts appeared on Brutus "The Barber" Beefcake's interview segment The Barbershop and stated that "You could do two things: Roll over and die, or get yourself a bigger snake", in which he revealed that his new snake was a larger python, a reticulated python whom he named "Lucifer" — the supposed big brother of Damien.

Roberts began a heel turn later in the summer of 1991 following a series of televised vignettes featuring the Ultimate Warrior turning to Roberts for help in his feud with The Undertaker. In the set-up, Roberts explained to Warrior that, after passing three tests, he would have the "knowledge of the dark side" to defeat Undertaker. The segments included Warrior being locked inside a coffin (a reprise of an incident that occurred on The Funeral Parlor, hosted by the Undertaker's manager, Paul Bearer; earlier in the year); the Warrior being "buried alive" in dirt before being abandoned; and Warrior walking through a room full of live snakes to reach a chest containing "the answer." During the latter segment, the Warrior opened the chest, only to be immediately bitten by a King Cobra (the snake was a rubber prop). As Warrior "weakened" from the "effects" of the cobra's strike, Roberts was joined by The Undertaker and Paul Bearer, revealing the three were working together all along;^[10] Roberts closed the final segment by proclaiming, "Never trust a snake."^[11] A series of matches were planned, but the feud was canceled after the Ultimate Warrior was fired by the WWF the night of SummerSlam.

After SummerSlam, Roberts was placed in a feud with "Macho Man" Randy Savage. The set-up story had Roberts crashing the post-SummerSlam wedding reception of Savage and Miss Elizabeth; Roberts' presence was preceded by Elizabeth opening a gift package to reveal a live snake. Roberts and The Undertaker appeared to beat up Savage, until Sid Justice ran them off. Roberts was then in a short feud with Sid Justice. It began when Sid was scheduled to wrestle "El Diablo", The Undertaker came out and accepted the Challenge to Sid. Then when "El Diablo" unmasked himself, it revealed to be was Jake. Jake proceeded to unleash a king cobra on Sid, until Hacksaw Jim Duggan saved him. Sid and Jake wrestled on Superstars a week later. But soon, Sid injured his biceps, which forced the feud to end.^{[citation needed]}

Roberts immediately began berating Randy Savage in a series of promos, aware that Savage—who had lost a retirement match to the Ultimate Warrior earlier in the year—was unable to exact revenge. During an October 21 taping for WWF Superstars of Wrestling in Fort Wayne, Indiana, Roberts goaded Savage into the ring and brutally attacked him, eventually tying Savage into the ropes and getting a live cobra to bite his arm; the snake was devenomized and, according to Roberts' DVD Pick Your Poison, he had trouble getting the cobra to release his bite. The segment went on longer than planned, and Savage's blood was clearly visible as it dripped from the puncture wounds. The footage of Savage suffering was censored with a large "X" when aired on WWF Superstars of Wrestling on November 23, but aired uncensored on cable television. Ironically, the snake died shortly afterwards, causing Savage to later joke that the snake got the venom from him.

WWF president Jack Tunney reinstated Savage as an active wrestler to get revenge for the attack. To explain the absence of the cobra in kayfabe, Tunney "banned" Roberts from ever bringing a snake to the ring again. Savage and Roberts feuded for the next few months. Their first match was at the Tuesday in Texas pay-per-view December 3 in San Antonio, Texas, which saw Savage earn a victory over Roberts; the two continued to brawl after the match, and Roberts eventually gained the upper hand by laying Savage out with a series of DDTs. Roberts then demanded that Elizabeth beg him to stop the assault, but when he was dissatisfied with her pleas, he slapped her in the middle of the ring. The feud would continue through the early part of 1992, and included Savage eliminating Roberts from that year's Royal Rumble match. The feud ended on Saturday Night's Main Event, with Savage getting the win. Roberts, livid at having lost to him and having received two of Savage's flying elbow drops (one of which happened after the match; Savage was going for a third until officials intervened), was helped backstage. Enraged, he grabbed a steel chair and said that he was going to hit whoever came backstage first, whether it was Savage or Elizabeth. Just as Roberts was about to swing the chair, an unknown person stopped him. Roberts turned to confront this person, who turned out to be the Undertaker; Roberts was distracted long enough for Savage to hit him with the chair instead. That incident helped set up Roberts' feud with the Undertaker, who along with Bearer were in the midst of a face turn. Roberts appeared on The Funeral Parlor to demand answers from the Undertaker about why he stopped him from attacking Elizabeth. When Roberts was dissatisfied with the answers, he DDT'ed Bearer and, after jamming Undertaker's hand in a coffin, began hitting him with a steel chair; however, Undertaker was able to fend off the blows and chased Roberts backstage dragging the coffin behind him. At WrestleMania VIII, Roberts lost the match.^{[citation needed]}

The WrestleMania VIII match turned out to be Roberts' last for the WWF for nearly four years. Roberts' departure came after he was upset that WWF chairman Vince McMahon did not offer him a position on the writing staff, despite being promised such previously. After Pat Patterson stepped down from his post on the writing staff, McMahon decided that out of respect for Patterson, the spot would be left vacant. Roberts felt he was not only being lied to, but also being betrayed. In response, he threatened to no-show WrestleMania if he was not given a release from his contract.

World Championship Wrestling (1992–1993)[link]

Roberts went on to work for World Championship Wrestling (WCW) alongside his father, Grizzly Smith, where he aligned himself with The Barbarian and Cactus Jack to feud against Sting and Nikita Koloff. However, before he could officially join WCW, he had to wait almost 90 days. According to the Pick Your Poison DVD, Roberts had initially signed a lucrative contract under Kip Allen Frey, who was running WCW at the time. On the 87th day, Frey stepped down and was replaced by Bill Watts, for whom Roberts had legitimate heat with back in his days at Mid-South Wrestling. Ultimately, Roberts estimates that he went from making about $3.5 million a year to approximately $200,000 a year.^{[citation needed]}

His first major TV wrestling appearance for WCW was at Clash of the Champions, where his team won a 4-man elimination tag match. Roberts scored a pinfall victory over Sting, which built their feud further. His single WCW pay-per-view match was against Sting at Halloween Havoc in 1992. Their match was determined via the Spin the Wheel, Make the Deal gimmick.^[12] There was a series of gimmick matches on the wheel, but because the wheel itself was not gimmicked, neither Roberts nor Sting knew the kind of match they'd be wrestling until the wheel stopped spinning. When the wheel stopped, it had landed on what many pundits believed was the worst option—the Coal Miner's Glove match. While it was the company's top-selling PPV for several years,^[12] Roberts soon left WCW.

Asistencia Asesoría y Administración[link]

Roberts debuted in the Mexican promotion Asistencia Asesoría y Administración (AAA) in April 1993, causing the defeat of Konnan on the career vs. career match at TripleMania I. Jake's run-in started a feud that lasted until 1994 at TripleMania II-C, in which Konnan managed to defeat Roberts in a hair vs. hair match.

For some months of 1997 Roberts fought again in the AAA, teaming with Gorgeous George III, Glenn Jacobs, and Rick Bognar. This stint was not successful and Roberts left after TripleMania V.

Return to World Wrestling Federation (1996–1997)[link]

Roberts returned to WWF at the Royal Rumble in 1996, as a Bible-preaching face.^[12] To go along with his new gimmick, his new Albino Burmese Python was named "Revelations." His gimmick also mirrored his real life, as Roberts had recently become a born-again Christian and had been preaching around the country.^[12]

Roberts signaling at Hunter Hearst Helmsley in 1996

During his second tenure with the company, Roberts was pushed as a "Cinderella story" and faced "Stone Cold" Steve Austin in the final match of the King of the Ring tournament. Due to injuries received at the hands of Vader in their semi-final match that night, Austin easily defeated him and mocked his recital of the biblical passage John 3:16 by saying "You sit there, and you thump your Bible, and you say your prayers, and it didn't get you anywhere... Talk about your Psalms, talk about your John 3:16 ... Austin 3:16 says I just whipped your ass!".^[12] The catchphrase would help propel Austin to the top of the WWF and pro wrestling throughout "The Attitude Era" of the late 1990s to early 2000s. Roberts next feuded with Jerry "The King" Lawler, who went to great lengths to ridicule Roberts' past bouts against alcoholism. At one point, Lawler spat real whiskey at Roberts.^{[citation needed]}

In November 1996, Roberts, Vader, and Brother Love appeared on the ABC sitcom Boy Meets World for one episode. In early 1997, the WWF wanted Roberts to wind down his in-ring career and to join the backstage side of the company. Since he still loved to wrestle, he did not make this transition well. This led to a relapse with drugs and alcohol. He was fired in February 1997. According to the Pick Your Poison DVD, after his firing, his long-time wife Cheryl filed for divorce.

Extreme Championship Wrestling (1997-1998)[link]

During the summer of 1997, Jake debuted in ECW. His introduction came towards the end of a match between Lawler and Tommy Dreamer, which was the main event of the show. As the match went on, the arena lights were turned off. Moments later when the lights came back on, Roberts was already in the ring, and had given his signature DDT on Dreamer. He then went to the camera man and screamed; "Your God... he giveth, and he can taketh away. My God, he giveth... but he aint got the balls to do nothin' else." He promptly clotheslined Lawler, dragging him over Dreamer for the victory in Lawler's favor before exiting the ring.

Jake also teamed with Tommy Dreamer at the 1998 November to Remember as his mystery partner against Justin Credible and Jason Knight.^[13]

[edit] Beyond the Mat and Heroes of Wrestling

In 1999, Roberts was unflatteringly featured in the wrestling documentary Beyond the Mat. Throughout the film he made numerous confessions about his tragic past, including the murder of his sister and the collapse of his marriage. Amongst the more disturbing moments was Roberts reportedly smoking crack in a hotel room after a reunion with his daughter Brandy, though the act is not shown on camera. In 2005, Roberts, along with others, heavily criticized the film for showing him in a negative light, complaining that the depiction of him was "not the real Jake Roberts." Roberts also claimed that director Barry Blaustein and Terry Funk lied to him about the aims of the film, telling him it was a television special on the effects of drug and alcohol abuse. Jake has stated that he hasn't seen the movie.

Great Britain; All Star/WAW/Hammerlock/WWE (2001–2005)[link]

In 2001, Roberts moved to Great Britain, where he began competing for Brian Dixon's All Star Wrestling. In December, he made his debut for Ricky Knight's World Association of Wrestling in Lowestoft. On October 20, 2002, Roberts became the NWA UK Hammerlock Heavyweight Champion in Maidstone, Kent, England by defeating "Vigilante" Johnny Moss. Moss regained the title the next night in Ashford, Kent, though. In November 2002, Roberts started his own wrestling promotion in the UK, called "Real Stars of Wrestling".

Roberts made his final British appearance at WAW's October Outrage show in Canvey Island, Essex, once again teaming with Steve Quintain against the UK Pitbulls. However, Roberts turned up at the show "in no fit state to compete", but went ahead with his match. Roberts cut a drunken promo paying tribute to Ray Traylor, who had died a few days before, and almost got into a scuffle with several WAW wrestlers who were sent out to defuse the situation. This involved challenging Zak Zodiac, son of Ricky Knight and Sweet Saraya, and who was only 13 at the time, to a fight.

Roberts made a World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) appearance on March 14, 2005 on Raw, where he confronted Randy Orton, who was preparing to challenge The Undertaker at WrestleMania 21. Roberts warned Orton that facing The Undertaker, particularly at WrestleMania, could be a soul-altering experience; he then fell victim to Orton's "RKO," helping to fuel Orton's "Legend Killer" gimmick. He worked with the company to create a DVD retrospective of his career (the aforementioned Pick Your Poison DVD), which was released later that year.

Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (2006–2008)[link]

Roberts made an appearance on the October 19, 2006 edition of TNA Impact!. He announced he would referee the Monster's Ball match between Brother Runt, Abyss, Raven, and Samoa Joe at Bound for Glory. Roberts proceeded to cut a rambling, incoherent promo that was barely audible to the live audience. At least once, he ended up on his back during the promo and had trouble getting up. The promo lasted a couple of minutes live but was so incoherent that it was edited down to about 15 seconds on the broadcast of Impact! He had a snake in a bag, which he placed on Brother Runt after Runt came out and confronted Roberts. At one point, he even stuffed the snake's head down the front of Runt's pants. The confrontation was only partially aired on Impact!. At Bound for Glory, he performed his signature DDT on Raven, giving Samoa Joe the win in the match. Roberts did his signature after match ritual by putting a snake (which resembled "Revelations") on Raven.

Roberts made a one-night return to TNA in 2008 as a guest of "Black Machismo" Jay Lethal and SoCal Val's storyline wedding at Slammiversary.

PWA; Jim Rose Circus; and retirement (2008–2011)[link]

Roberts made an appearance at Booker T's Houston-based Pro Wrestling Alliance (PWA) promotion, in which he cut a promo urging those who want to enter the wrestling business to not follow along his path. At one point he stated that he loved the wrestling business more than anything else in the world. PWA wrestler "Rockstar" Robbie Gillmore then interrupted Jake and attempted to make an alliance based upon the fact that Robbie wears an 80s style shirt featuring a cobra. Jake had just stated that all he ever wanted was a little respect, and the Rockstar's interruption irritated him. Jake then attacked Gillmore.

In May 2009, Roberts joined the Jim Rose Circus for the Jim Rose Circus vs. Jake "The Snake" Roberts: The Legends Collide Tour. Advertised as "a grueling 40 city campaign" containing pretty girls, wrestling, amazing circus stunts, and a fist fight, the tour features Jim Rose and wrestler Sinn Bouldi as "Team Jake".

In August 2010 during a 2CW event Jake spoke about the recent death of his father and his upcoming retirement

On January 29, 2011, Roberts wrestled what was billed as his retirement match, when he defeated Sinn Bodhi at the Pro Wrestling Guerrilla (PWG) show during the WrestleReunion 5 weekend.^[4]

Gimmick[link]

Jake Roberts claims to have invented the DDT in a match where he had his opponent, The Grappler, in a front facelock, but when Jake tripped over Denton's foot he fell backwards and^[14][15] Roberts' opponent landed on his head. From that match, Roberts claimed the move as his finisher, calling it the DDT, though instead of falling back, he stepped back before falling (which, as he explained on his DVD Pick Your Poison, was the quickest way to drive his opponent's head into the mat and also gave the move a "snap" effect). When asked what the initials DDT stood for, he replied "The End." In the 2005 DVD documentary, World Wrestling Entertainment employee Bruce Prichard said Roberts named the move after the pesticide of the same name. Roberts has also said often that "DDT" stands for "Drop Dead Twice".

Roberts derived his nickname for being known as "snake like" and untrustworthy. Roberts also said on the Pick Your Poison DVD that he got his nickname by copying Oakland Raiders quarterback Ken "The Snake" Stabler (of whom Roberts was a huge fan).^[16] To accentuate this, he would often slide ("slither") into and out of the ring on his belly under the bottom rope. Once he reached the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) in March 1986, Roberts would bring a huge, live Burmese Python (though various snakes were used over the years, most were named "Damien") to ringside in a canvas bag. Other snakes used were a Reticulated Python named Lucifer, who was called Damiens' older brother after Earthquake sat on the bag that (kayfabe) contained Damien, an unnamed de-venomized Cobra that bit Macho Man Randy Savage, and an albino Burmese Python named Revelations (during Jake's Christian conversion gimmick in 1996). After executing a DDT, Roberts would coil the constrictor around the opponent's neck, and the snake would slither around on top of the fallen wrestler, sometimes appearing to strangle him. Besides the fact that numerous fellow wrestlers and commentators were legitimately afraid of snakes, it was a masterful show as the wrestler lay twitching and sometimes foaming at the mouth with the monstrous snake appearing to squeeze the life out of him.^{[citation needed]}

Personal life[link]

Roberts is the son of wrestler Grizzly Smith, with whom he had a strained relationship.^[17] He has a half-brother, Michael and a half-sister, Robin, both of whom also became wrestlers (Sam Houston and Rockin' Robin).

Roberts married his first wife Karen Rauschuber on February 27, 1975.^[18] The couple have a daughter named Brandy Grace (born July 29, 1975)^[19] who appeared in the 1999 wrestling documentary, Beyond the Mat. Roberts also has twin sons from his first marriage, named Dustin and Derek (born 1980).^[20][21] On August 2, 1984 Roberts married his second wife, Cheryl Hagood. The couple had 2 children before divorcing in 2000.^[22]

In 2004, Roberts faced a charge of "causing unnecessary suffering" after his snake, "Damien", was allowed to starve to death in the garage of his London Colney home.^[23]

Roberts appeared in an episode of Boy Meets World in which he fought Vader.

In 2007, WWE started a policy that they would pay all expenses for any former WWWF/WWF/WWE performer who needed to enter into any form of drug rehabilitation. According to various wrestling news reports, as well as his own MySpace page, Roberts was placed in a 14-week voluntary rehab program by WWE as of December 10, 2007.^[24][25] In May 2008, Jim Ross reported that, "Jake Roberts has been doing well the past few weeks, after completing a treatment program."^[26] Roberts' official MySpace page reported that he was back to working indy shows. Roberts is an unlockable character in WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2011, alongside several other legends, such as Stone Cold Steve Austin, Jimmy Snuka, and Terry Funk.

On November 27, 2010, Roberts was inducted into the Legends Pro Wrestling "Hall of Fame" by Jack Blaze in Wheeling, WV at their annual "LPW November To Remember" event.

In wrestling[link]

• Finishing moves
  • DDT^[1][2] – Innovated

• Signature moves
  • Arm wrench short-arm clothesline^[2]
  • Gutbuster^[2]
  • Swinging knee lift^[2]