There have only been a handful of professional wrestlers over the years who can be considered masters of the mic, and Jake “The Snake” Roberts’ name is definitely high on that list. Roberts may never have captured championship gold in WWE, but his persona and promo work made him synonymous with his era.
In a recent interview with Nick TeodoroRoberts was asked if any other wrestler he saw today reminded him of himself.
“Bray Wyatt did,” he said. “Randy Orton does. That’s about it. They are different. Different. Randy has a lot of (similarities).”
This wasn’t the only time Roberts brought up both Wyatt and Orton. Back in 2017, in an interview with “Sports Illustrated”. the veteran shared his concerns about WWE’s handling of Wyatt, noting how he couldn’t understand why the promotion allowed fans to cheer for Wyatt and relate to him when he was still a heel. Considering how important character work was to Roberts in his career and his generation, it makes sense that the veteran would not feel comfortable being promoted as a heel.
Additionally, he expressed a desire to work with Orton to help him find a side of his character that Roberts felt was missing at the time. Unfortunately, he claimed to have reached out to WWE multiple times at the time, and the promotion just never came back to him, leaving him very unhappy.
At the time of writing, Roberts has returned to WWE, where he is alluded to a limited role in promotion. So far, it appears to be mostly convention appearances, but he has clarified that he is not under contract with WWE at this stage.
If you use any quotes from this article, please credit Nick Teodoro and credit ah/t Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.