Customer Reviews

WWE Legends: Jake "The Snake" Roberts - Pick Your Poison

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2 star:		(1)
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While I don't have any children of my own, this is one WWE DVD you may want to wait until they are about 14 or so because some of the topics discussed are very sensitive and aren't appropriate for younger viewers.

Now, to the DVD itself, Jake "The Snake" Roberts is one guy that I can say that the proverbial "scars of time" have definitely marked him! From his unstable, abusive real life childhood to his rough beginnings in pro wrestling to his rise and fall in WWE and WCW until today!

Things that I most enjoyed was his explanation of how the DDT was invented. Its a really funny story but that hold made him legendary and is very popular today. The only other man that equaled Jake in execution of that move was The Four Horsemen's Arn Anderson, but that's another story.

I also was stunned to learn a few things that I always suspected. First, the incident where he DDT'ed Ricky Steamboat on the concrete! That WASN'T A WORK! In fact, Jake DIDN'T even want to do the stunt because he thought it was too dangerous but Vince and Steamboat convinced him to do it. Sure enough, Jake's worst fears were nearly realized as Steamboat was lucky to escape that incident with just a concussion as he could've been killed! Second, the incident where The Honky Tonk Man hit Jake with his guitar! Turns out the "break away" guitar was accidentally switched with a real accoustic guitar! When HTM hits Jake with it, it barely breaks and you can see that Jake is nearly out from the impact! Third, the feud with Jerry "The King" Lawler. What's shocking here is that real alchohol was used rather than a prop! That was kind of insensitive in my book because Jake was a recovering alcoholic! Why would you use real booze?! There are other shocking facts BUT I'll let you see the DVD for yourself for those things.

I found this bio to be very fair and I liked hearing from the man himself as well as his fellow wrestlers and friends. Also, much like the recent "Self Destruction Of The Ultimate Warrior" DVD, it was great to see the late "Ravishing" Rick Rude again! On a side note, I hope one day the WWE does a bio DVD on him!

While I have not watched all the extras, the ones I have watched are excellent and show that while Jake didn't have the greatest physique, he didn't need to have that because his psychology was so good and the little bit of action he did in the ring made sense even if it wasn't that exciting.

DISC 1 EXTRAS

Matches:

Vs. Ricky Steamboat - This was dubbed a "Snake Pit" match which was another name for a "no rules" bout! This happened on the undercard of THE BIG EVENT and was probably would've been match of the night if not for the big Hulk Hogan/"Mr. Wonderful" Paul Orndorff showdown in the main event!

Vs. The Honky Tonk Man - This was at WrestleMania III and still stands as Roberts most memorable match only because it took place in front of the record setting crowd of 93,173 in the Pontiac Silverdome! SIDENOTE: While this is Roberts' most memorable, his best WrestleMania showdown was at number 6 when he took on Ted DiBiase for the "Million Dollar Belt."

Vs. "Ravishing" Rick Rude - This was the DDT Vs. The Rude Awakening match from MSG. The only stip was that the pinfall could only come after one man applied his finisher! Made for great drama and strategy.

SNAKE BITES

Jake's Relationship with children
How he became "The Snake"
Working With Dynamite Kid
Legion Of Doom (I DID WATCH THIS EXTRA, ITS A HILARIOUS TALE)
"Steamboat Saved My Life" (HIS DISCUSSION OF HOW RICK STEAMBOAT SAVED HIM FROM AN ACCIDENT IN THE RING)

Meeting Dick Ebersol
"Snake" On The Loose
Grizzly Smith
Hogan/Jake Feud (INTERESTING DISCUSSION HERE)

DISC 2

MATCHES

w/Rick Steamboat Vs. Jim Nelson & Mike Miller (Mid-Atlantic 9/9/81)

vs.Ronnie Garvin - World TV Title Match (Georgia 12/3/83)

vs. "Leaping" Lanny Poffo (WWE 3/18/86)

vs. Earthquake (WWE 4/27/91)

The cobra incident with Randy "Macho Man" Savage (11/23/91)

Vs. Sting - Coal Miner's Glove Match (Halloween Havoc 10/25/92)

Vs. Dirty White Boy - Smokey Mountain Title Match (5/7/94)

Vs. "Stone Cold" Steve Austin - King Of The Ring Final (6/23/96)

Vs. Jerry "The King" Lawler - SummerSlam '96 (8/18/96)

Run-in during Tommy Dreamer Vs. Jerry "The King" Lawler - Hardcore Heaven '97

w/Tommy Dreamer Vs. Justin Credible & Jack Victory - November 2 Remember '98

INTERVIEWS & PROMOS

Vince McMahon interviews Jake on TNT

Rick Rude hits on Cheryl Roberts

Brother Love interviews Jake and Cheryl

Mean Gean Okerland interviews Jake

Promo about threatining Ted DiBiase with snakes prior to their bout at WrestleMania 6

DDT's Brother Love during interview

Interview with Brutus Beefcake

Ultimate Warrior Casket Vignette

Ultimate Warrior Cemetery Vignette

Ultimate Warrior Snake-Filled Room Vignette

Mean Gean interviews Jake prior to WrestleMania 8 with The Undertaker

THE SNAKE PIT

w/Kamala

w/Junkyard Dog

w/Hulk Hogan

Overall, a very good buy!

This documenty will probably be the "darkest" DVD WWE will ever release because Jake Roberts himself is a very dark man. They hold nothing back here as they do deep into his life and every aspect of it which honestly, it's not safe for children and this DVD itself is something that should have been rated TV-MA. Pick Your Poison is an approprate title for this DVD set.

The documentry starts with Jake Roberts story of growing up and dealing with problems abusing women, and going from home to home. Him getting into wrestling via his father Grizzly Smith and his early days in promotions are glossed upon all the way up to him getting involed in NWA Mid-Altantic Wrestling. Jake Roberts invention, the DDT, is talked about and the story of his it came to be. His time in Georgia Championship Wrestling along with his fued with Ronnie Garvin is touched upon before they move on to him going back to Mid-Alantic before quitting there as well. His debut in the WWE is talked about starting with his fued with him & Damien "the snake" against Ricky Steamboat and his lizard including the DDT Ricky on the concrete from Saturday Night's Main Event. His interview segment "The Snake Pit" is talked about along with Jake's interview skills & the fact that he never had to raise his voice to get his point across. His fued with Honky Tonk Man, how that started his drug addiction, and his match at WM3 with Alice Cooper is touched upon along with how he was a becoming a big star in the WWE. His fueds with Ted Dibiase over the Million $ Belt along with his real life wife's involvement with the Rick Rude fued are discussed. Here the docuementy starts to get more personal as Jake talks about his drug addiction. From there, stories are told about Damien the snake & his fueds with Andre The Giant & his fued with Earthquake which resulted in the "death" of Damien. Jake then goes into the backstage story behind his fued with Ultimate Warrior and how come nothing ever happened past the vignette's that were filmed. His fued with Randy Savage is glossed over before they go into the story of how he left WWE after WrestleMania 8. His brief history & story behind his entrance & exit in WCW was talked about before he returned to WWE a religious man...and how that faith planted the seeds for Austin 3:16. His fued with Jerry Lawler is discussed and how it personally effected him to the point to where he left WWE again. His appearence on Beyond The Mat was discussed along with his 30 second cameo at ECW's Hardcore Heaven '97 is talked about. The documentry closes out on Jake discussing stories that have been printed about him for the past couple of years and his appearence on RAW before WM21.

Also on this disc are various interview outtakes where Jake talks about his relationship with children, how he became "The Snake", a meeting with NBC Executive Dick Ebersol, how he turned King Kong Bundy babyface, and why his fued with Hulk Hogan didn't go far. Other wrestlers speak on various subjects such as Hogan also giving his point of view in his short fued with Jake along with a hidden story about a drive with Jake's dad Grizzly Smith, other wrestlers speak on Grizzly, and Ricky Steamboat tells a story about Damien in the shower & scaring the crap out of all the wrestlers in the locker room.

Matches include:
Snake Pit Match vs. Ricky Steamboat - For those who don't know what a "Snake Pit" match is, it's just another version of a "No Holds Barred Match" with Steamboat looking for revenge after Jake Roberts giving him a DDT on the concrete floor resulting in Steamboat going to the hospitial. Steamboat heavily focused on Jake's arm throughout the match while Jake took advantage of the match settings by taking the match out to the floor to get an advantage & worked on Steamboat's injured head. A good match but not as violent as you would expect for a "no rules" match.
The Big Event '86

vs. Honky Tonk Man - It should be noted that Jake Roberts had heavy metal legend Alice Cooper in his corner while Honky Tonk Man had his manager Jimmy Hart in his. Jake started the match off with a bang as Honky didn't get a change to take off his jumpsuit so Jake beat it off of him in the opening moments. They ended up going back & forth with each other before Honky was able to steal a victory. The aftermath with Jimmy Hart, Alice Cooper, and Damien led to a very funny moment. The alternative commentary with Jake Roberts & Jim Ross discussed his memories of Alice Cooper including how Jake was a fan of his growing up & the health issues he had going into the match.
WrestleMania III

"DDT vs. Rude Awakening Match" vs. Rick Rude - This was a unique match in that to win the match, you have to use your finishing move on the other wrestler to get the pin. This was a match in the feud between Rude & Roberts over Jake's wife Cheryl, who came to ringside with Roberts. Both men have a good performance but in the end, Jake & his wife got their revenge.
"MSG" Oct. '88

NWA Television Championship Match vs. Ronnie Garvin - This was a good match where they told the story (that was usual for Television Title matches) that Garvin had to beat Roberts while all Jake had to do was last the time limit.
"NWA Georgia Championship Wrestling" Dec. '83

Coal Miner's Glove Match vs. Sting - For those who never seen or heard of this type of match, a heavy weighted glove is put on the top of a pole in the corner that you have the option of grabbing & using as a weapon during the match but you win the match by pinfall/submission. This was the highlight of Jake's short feud with Sting & run in WCW. Sting worked on Jake's arm including ramming it into the steel post various times that heavily effected him throughout the match. They told a nice story but the match seemed a bit underwhelming.
WCW Halloween Havoc '92

vs. Steve Austin - This was the final match of the annual King Of The Ring tournament with Jake going into the match with ribs that were heavily injured by Vader earlier in the night. Austin was completely ruthless here & the perfect heel against Jake's character who refused to quit & was after his own "Cinderella" story. However, this wasn't Jake's night as Austin 3:16 was born.
King Of The Ring '96

w/Tommy Dreamer vs. Justin Credible & Jack Victory - Tommy Dreamer was out for revenge for Justin Credible eliminating the Sandman from ECW & Jake Roberts was revealed to be his mystery partner...and it should also be noted that Jack Victory came into the match heavily injured after being attacked by New Jack earlier in the night. As you would expect from ECW, this started off as a wild brawl as they fought out at the ringside area with Justin's stable, mainly Jason, getting involved throughout the match. You get a heavy load of interference at one point by people like One Man Gang & Kronis & New Jack who, as usual, brought a bunch of weapons into the ring to use including a ladder that would be the key to victory. This was your typical ECW brawl.
ECW November To Remember '98

Other matches feature a tag match with Ricky Steamboat vs. Jim Nelson & Mike Miller, Madison Square Garden debut against Lanny Poffo, Dirty White Boy for the Smokey Mountain Championship, and Jerry Lawler at SummerSlam '96. Other DVD extras include Earthquake "killing" Damien, Jake's cobra biting Randy Savage, his run-in during the Tommy Dreamer/Jerry Lawler match from ECW Hardcore Haven '97, a TNT interview, Rick Rude hitting on Cheryl Roberts, an interview with Mean Gene, two appearences on the Brother Love show, four Ulitmate Warrior promos, an promo featuring various snakes, and 3 "Snake Pit" episodes featuring Kamala & JunkYard Dog & Hulk Hogan. Hidden extras inclue a promo with Roberts & Ricky Steamboat, another promo with Roberts & Paul Ellering, and Jake Roberts scaring away Earthquake & Jimmy Hart with Damien.

Overall, a great DVD collect for those who were fans of the legend and good for those who want to know about the effects of the "dark side" of the business.

As a fan of the Snake for almost fifteen years (even managing to meet the man himself on two occassions), I've been anxiously awaiting the release of this DVD from the moment it was announced.

Let's first clear the confusion. This is a 2-disc set. FYE is not running a 3-disc edition. You can divide the discs into two parts - documentary and extras (matches, promos, vignettes, etc). WWE DVDs as of late have been of an excellent quality, and "Pick Your Poison" is no exception. As expected, the documentary style, sitdown interview with Jake is amazing. He truly is a master story teller, and his intense eyes and husky voice make every word compelling. The tales of his childhood and personal life are disturbing and often hard to listen to. The emotion in his eyes shows the pain is still there.

Like the recent discs devoted to Undertaker and Road Warriors, there is a huge amount of content in the documentary - breaking into the business, politics, feuds, highs, lows, you name it and it's here.

Sadly, his feuds with Rick Martel and Randy Savage are rushed over...and this is one of my biggest problems with the disc. His feud with Savage and Elizabeth was possibly the highlight of his career. His heel turn doesn't get much attention...no footage from Tuesday in Texas, the infamous moment when he slapped Liz across the face, nor is his SNME match with Savage. Many agree this was his best wrestling match, so it's a shame they didn't include it.

However, as an old fan who always loves the chance to stroll down memory lane and surround himself in the warm fuzzy blanket of nostalgia, there is plenty in these discs to enjoy. Teaching Ultimate Warrior the ways of the dark side (including the betrayal when he delivered Warrior's poisoned carcass to the Undertaker)are here to enjoy, as is his beating of Brother Love (when we see his blinded eye for the first time), the teasing of Earthquake and the subsequent squashing of Damian (from Superstars in 1991), invading the wedding reception at SummerSlam 1991, putting the cobra on Savage, his return in 1996, etc. Plus various promos, interviews and Snake Pit segments...perhaps Jake's greatest moments of all.

Of course, what would a Jake DVD be without the necessary delve into addiction and substance abuse problems. They are here for all to see. I've always been confused why wrestling fans (particularly on the internet) feel the need to focus on this side of Jake. Anyone in the business (the entire entertainment business for that matter) knows that drink and drugs was a huge part of the lifestyle in the 80s. Wrestlers were no different to the Van Halens, Motley Crues and Ozzys of their era. Some did more than others, and some paid more dearly than others. At least Jake is honest about his mistakes and asks for no pity or remorse. What more can you ask from the man?

There are contributions from the usual DVD participants...Jim Ross, Gene Okerlund, Hulk Hogan and Bruce Pritchard (most of which is complimentary) but Jake himself is the focal point of the disc. Which is how it should be.

I enjoyed this retrospect of one of my favorite wrestlers. I also have his RF shoot interview, so most of the stories I knew already, but the goldmine of extras and rare footage is what makes this such a special DVD for me.

Like many, I feel frustrated with Jake. Annoyed that such an amazing and gifted mind, a master psychologist, a good person with a kind heart and love of the business, never quite hit the heights he could've easily reached.

But it ain't over yet.Get this DVD. Old fans will cherish a childhood hero, young fans can sit back and watch a master at work.

"The Snake always bites back...".

While watching this 1 hour 45 minute documentary, I realized that nearly 20 minutes had gone by before it even began to talk about Jake Roberts' wrestling career, and a half hour before the WWE was even mentioned.

And I didn't care. This is the most powerful documentary that the WWE, which is only getting better with it's DVD releases, has ever made. The story could be shown even to a non-wrestling fan and they would find interest in it.

Jake Roberts is a brutally honest man and pulls no punches. There is no attempt to mythologize the man or the horrible things he has done or been a part of. But it's fair and, at the end, cautiously optimistic, which keeps it from being a downing experience.

And speaking strictly as a wrestling fan to interested wrestling fans: If you like Jake 'The Snake' Roberts, definitive has to be the only word for this DVD. Lots of great matches, legendary interviews (and the best of Jake Roberts has always been in his interviews) and deleted scenes as extras make this an essential purchase.

My only complaints, and they're small, really, is that I would have liked to have heard Jake talk about the Heroes Of Wrestling PPV or more in depth about his '91 heel turn and feud with Randy Savage (Jake was, aside from The Undertaker, the greatest heel ever) The DVD curiously does not have any of his excellent matches with Randy Savage, or his legendary DDT to Hulk Hogan in 1986.

A fascinating story of wrestling's most enigmatic figure, and matches that will make fans of old school WWF water at the mouth. This is one the best WWE DVD packages ever.


There are a few EASTER EGGS and they can be accessed by the following means:

DISC 1

- Go to Chapters; highlight 'Growing Up;' and press the 'right' directional arrow twice. This unlocks Jake telling about an experience he had with his father.

- Go to Extras; highlight 'Grizzly Smith'; and press the 'left' directional button twice. This will lead to Hulk Hogan telling of a personal experience he had with Grizzly Smith.

- Go to Extras; highlight 'Legion Of Doom'; and press the 'right' directional arrow twice. This will access a rather odd Easter Egg where Animal tells a brief story that doesn't even mention Jake.

DISC 2

- Go to Extras; highlight 'w/Ricky Steamboat; 'press 'left' twice; and access an archive interview with Jake and Ricky Steamboat as tag team partners!

- Go to Extras; highlight 'vs. Ronnie Garvin'; and press 'right' twice. This unlocks an archive interview leading to this match.

- Go to Extras; highlight 'vs. Earthquake'; and press 'left' twice; this unlocks a pretty cool segment from the old WWF Superstars show showing a confrontation between Jake and Earthquake.

-NWA Mid-Atlantic (9/9/81) Jake Roberts & Ricky Steamboat vs. Jim Nelson & Mike Miller
-NWA Georgia (3/12/83) Ronnie Garvin vs. Jake Roberts (NWA National Television Title)
-WWF @ MSG (3/16/86) Jake Roberts vs. Leaping Larry Poffo
-WWF Big Event (8/28/86) Jake Roberts vs. Ricky Steamboat
-WWF Wrestlemania (3/29/87) Jake Roberts vs. Honky Tonk Man
-WWF @ MSG (10/24/88) Jake Roberts vs. Rick Rude (Rude Awaking vs. DDT Match)
-WWF Superstars (4/27/91) Jake Roberts vs. Earthquake
-WCW Halloween Havoc (10/25/92) Jake Roberts vs. Sting (Coal Miners Glove Match)
-Smoky Mountain Wrestling (5/7/94) Jake Roberts © vs. Dirty White Boy (SMW Championship)
-WWF King of the Ring (6/23/96) Jake Roberts vs. Stone Cold (KOTR Final)
-WWF Summerslam (8/18/96) Jake Roberts vs. Jerry Lawler
-ECW November to Remember (11/1/98) Jake Roberts & Tommy Dreamer vs. Justin Credible & Jack Victory

When i got the Jake the Snake Roberts dvd I thought this would be a dvd with a lot of positive things. BOY WAS I WRONG!!! This has to be one of the most hard to look at dvd's to watch,but you can't turn away from it. When I saw the opening to the Jake the "Snake" Roberts dvd I was completely mezmorized by his poem. It was completely unbelievable tosee what he wrote down.

Then they talked about his early years, and it is the most brutal segment I've ever watched! It mostly talked about how his parents were in a divorce and how he abused his own sister (you have to get the dvd to see why he abused his own sister). It also talks about how some person in his family dies and his father and him bond. Then there are at least 13 positive chapters in this dvd,but there are a lot of chapters which are hard to look at. This dvd mostly focuses on his drug addictions like cocane, beer, and a lot more there is also a lot of great extras in this dvd as well.

One of the most shocking things to see on this dvd is when a spanish commentator actually speaks out about what happened between him and Jake the Snake Roberts about their addictions together. One more hard to look at part in this dvd is when they talk about a documentary called Beyond the mat, and the people say that there was not one positive comment about Jake the Snake Roberts in that movie. This is a dvd that you will never forget when you watch it.

Jake "the Snake" Roberts: Pick Your Poison reveals the real story behind the legend. Get insights into the man who instilled horror into the hearts and minds of Hulk Hogan, "Macho Man" Randy Savage, Ricky Steamboat, Ultimate Warrior and others as he battled in some of the biggest matches of the 1980s and '90s.

Hear what it was like to carry a live, 70-pound snake. Go behind the scenes and learn more about the controversial battles with Jerry "The King" Lawler.

Listen as he reveals family tragedies, drug addictions and the personal demons that diverted his remarkable career.

A master storyteller, Jake Chronicles his amazing career highlights and unimaginable lowlights.

Plus 4 hours of extras, including many complete matches:
vs. Rickey Steamboat, Snake Pit Match, The Big Event - 28/08/86
vs. Honky Tonk Man, Wrestlemania III - 29/03/87
vs. Ravishing Rick Rude, Rude Awakening vs. DDT Match, MSG - 24/10/88
w/Ricky Steamboat vs. Jim Nelson & Mike Miller, Mid-Atlantic - 09/09/81
vs. Ronnie Garvin, World Television Championship Match, Georgia Championship - 12/03/83
vs. Leaping Lanny Poffo, MSG - 16/03/86
vs. Earthquake, Superstars - 27/04/91
vs. Sting, Coal Miner's Glove Match, Halloween Havoc - 25/10/92
vs. Dirty White Boy, Smoky Mountain Heavyweight Championship, Smoky Mountain Wrestling - 07/05/94
vs. Stone Cold Steve Austin, King of the Ring Final - 23/06/96
vs. Jerry "The King" Lawler, SummerSlam - 18/08/96
w/Tommy Dreamer vs. Justin Credible & Jack Victory, November 2 Remember - 01/11/98

- The Snake Pit Moments with Hulk Hogan and Junkyard Dog
- Classic interviews & promos with Vince McMahon, Brother Love, Mene Gene Okerland and more

I didn't think @ the time that they were going to release a DVD on Jake Roberts. But after I watched this the first time, I'm glad they did. First things first, Jake Roberts, no matter what kind of personal problems he may have had in the past, the guy is a TRUE legend. This DVD is as in depth as any WWE DVD I've recently purchased. It gave me certain information about Jake that I didn't previously know. The documentary portion of the DVD is awesome, and it's required viewing for all fans, especially long time fans like me. Here's my review on the extra matches:

Disc One Matches
vs. Ricky Steamboat, Snake Pit Match - The Big Event 8/28/86, ***1/2 (Jake and Steamboat had a great feud around this time, and this is one of the highlights of that feud. One of Jake's best matches.)

vs. Honky Tonk Man - Wrestlemania III 3/29/87, *1/2 (Still a shocking upset to this day, Honky Tonk beat Jake in this match, still watchable though.)

vs. "Ravishing" Rick Rude, Rude Awakening vs. DDT Match - MSG
10/24/88, ** (Another great feud during this time for Roberts. Rude was after Jake's wife @ the time, and the result was a HOT storyline, Jake got the win in this one.)

Snakes Bites (Extras)
Jake's relationship with children
How he became "The Snake"
Working with Dynamite Kid
Legion of Doom
"Steamboat saved my life..."
Meeting Dick Ebersol
"Snake" on the loose...
Grizzly Smith
Hogan/Jake Feud

Easter Eggs on Disc One

In the Chapters section, click right twice on "Growing Up" for Jake telling a personal story about being worked by his father after a match
In the Snake Bites section, click right twice on "Legion of Doom" for a clip of Animal finishing the story he started about King Kong Bundy on the Snake Bites clip
In the Snake Bites section, Click left twice on "Grizzly Smith" for a clip of Hulk Hogan talking about an experience he had with Jake's father on a road trip.


Disc 2 - Matches:

w/ Ricky Steamboat vs. Jim Nelson & Mike Miller - Mid-Atlantic, 9/9/81, *1/2 (Average match, but watchable.)

vs. Ronnie Garvin, World TV Title - Georgia Championship 12/3/83, ** (Not a bad match, but they did show some energy in this one.)

vs. "Leaping" Lanny Poffo - MSG 3/16/86, *1/2 (Jake's debut match in the WWF. Pretty average to say the least.)

vs. Earthquake - Superstars 4/27/91, (No match. Once things appear to get going, Earthquake "squashes" Jake's snake in the bag, actually sitting on it.)

After a match, Jake "The Snake" Roberts attacks Randy "Macho Man" Savage with a cobra - Superstars 11/23/91

vs. Sting, Coal Miners Glove Match - Halloween Havoc 10/25/92, *1/2 (Another fairly average match. Worth a look to see Jake face Sting for the first & last time.)

vs. Dirty White Boy, Smokey Mountain Title - Smokey Mountain Wrestling 5/7/94, * (Not very good, but semi-ok.)

vs. "Stone Cold" Steve Austin - King of the Ring 6/23/96, ** (If it wasn't for this match, there would be no Stone Cold Steve Austin, bottom line. Watch Austin's promo @ the end of this match.)

vs. Jerry "The King" Lawler - Summerslam 8/18/96, DUD (Pretty much a squash almost, Jake quickly disposes of Lawler with the DDT.)

Run-in during Tommy Dreamer vs. Jerry "The King" Lawler - Hardcore Heaven 8/17/97

w/ Tommy Dreamer vs. Justin Credible & Jack Victory - November 2 Remember 11/1/98, ** (This is your standard ECW match.)

Interviews & Promos:
Vince McMahon interviews Jake - TNT 3/14/86
"Ravishing" Rick Rude hits on Cheryl Roberts - Superstars 4/23/88
Brother Love interviews Jake & Cheryl Roberts - Wrestling Challenge 1/27/90
Promo about threatening Ted Dibiase with snakes - Superstars 3/3/90
Fights with Brother Love during interview - Superstars 10/27/90
Interview on The Barber Shop - Wrestling Challenge 5/11/91
Ultimate Warrior Casket Vignette - Superstars 8/3/91
Ultimate Warrior Cemetery Vignette - Superstars 8/10/91
Ultimate Warrior Snake-Filled Room Vignette - Superstars 8/17/91
Mean Gene Okerlund interviews Jake - Superstars 3/14/92

The Snake Pit:
w/ Kamala, The Wizard & Kim Chee - Wrestling Challenge 9/6/86
w/ Junkyard Dog - Wrestling Challenge 10/18/86
w/ Hulk Hogan - Wrestling Challenge 11/22/86
DVD Bonus:

Excerpts from various books by WWE Legends including: Superstar Billy Graham "Tangled Ropes", Jerry Lawler "It's Good to Be the King... Sometimes" & Freddy Blassie "Listen, You Pencil Neck Geeks"!
Disc 2 Easter Eggs

Click left twice on "with Ricky Steamboat vs. Jim Nelson and Mike Miller" for a Steamboat and Roberts promo regarding this match.
Click right twice on "vs. Ronnie Garvin" for a Gordon Solie interview of Paul Ellering and Jake Roberts from Georgia Championship Wrestling.
Cleck left twice on "vs. Earthquake" for a clip from Superstars on April 6th, 1991 where Roberts spooks Tenta and Jimmy Hart with the snake

Overall, I have a few comments:

#1) If you want this DVD for the matches ONLY, and you're looking for quality and you're not into the old school wrestling, this DVD is not for you.

#2) If you're a nostagic fan, such as myself, and you like the classic WWF footage and matches to boot, high recommendation.

#3) If you're just a fan of Jake Roberts, overall, another high recommendation.

In the end, you won't go wrong with this purchase.

Jake "The Snake" Roberts DVD is a must for any person that watched wrestling in the 80's and wish the stuff today could be as exciting and compelling. While my opinion of the current incarnation of the WWE is less than stellar, these DVD's are simply amazing, and I will still be a fan even if it's just to have all this footage on DVD.

Jake Roberts is an amazing person, his stories while often times depressing and downright awful, but at the core is an interesting look into the man that, at least in my eyes, is easily one of the best wrestlers to never hold a WWF title of any kind.

Thus far I have only watched the main DVD; I have not gotten to the extras just yet. But at least the WWE gives Jake a chance to talk about how dark it got. It really goes through Jakes entire career. One can only hope that Vince employs this man to be a head writer. Jake has such a passion and mind for wrestling, I think now more than ever Vince would really be able to benefit from, Jake is someone that truly thinks outside the box.

What I truly enjoy is much of the footage included is great to finally appear on DVD. The Savage/Snake bite incident is awesome, I remember going crazy for that as a kid. Jake knew what went into making a great feud and getting to see all this stuff again makes me realize why I enjoyed wrestling to begin with.

I never get tired of hearing these stories from guys on what life is like behind the scenes, and this DVD is no different. This collection truly marks a great career and does one of the most popular stars of the 80's wrestling scene tremendous justice. I am so looking forward to what they have done with the Bret Hart DVD.

You can look back and say Jake was the man but he still is. He makes refence to having the ability to speak soft and have everyones attention and thats what he does to this day. You talk about compelling and gripping stuff. The things that are discussed are not for all members of the family but at the same time show that what the average person calls stress or a bad day would be squat on this trip through dark side unfortanly Jake's life and times. So it maybe a good tool to use when trying convince the youth that abuse in these forms isnt a good thing.

Everything is in this DVD. The troubling and unbelievable past of his broken home. Where every facit was pain ridden. There is no boring segments on this dvd. Everything from the matches to the nostalagic Snake Pit and other memorable interviews and flashback segments. With the Ultimate Warrior going to the darkside and the Macho vs Snake beef great stuff !! They even show when that snake was chomping on Macho's arm. Great Stuff!! Thats extreme before extreme. I remember watching that as a kid and it was great then and still is now as is all of Jake's work. When he was evil and teamed with the Undertaker he was awesome. One of the best heels for me at that point.

Also highlights of his Pre WWF (yeah I wrote WWF)days. That's what I enjoy now WWE is actually acknowleding the companies that they raped and pillaged and showing that the competion that they need once actually existed and thrived at one point.

They go into depth with the mental games he would play and the awesome interviews and quotes he patented every time you saw or heard Jake speak. His personal pain would convey over into character which I guess made it that much easier to really be the creator of the DDT Jake The Snake Roberts. When ever people talk about him they just say he had it and he did.

The drug and drinking abuse is laced all through the DVD but yeah he had those problems but too much focus was on that I think. That is not my lasting image of him I remember going to my first wrestling match at the Baltimore Arena back in 1989 and in the main event Andre & Rude vs Warrior & Jake and my dad always the downer of wrestling not even thinking the snake was real let alone the wrestling. But that was his opinion and I had mine and because of guys like him I have been a long time fan of wrestling and always a fan of Jake The Snake Roberts.