Georgia Wrestling: My Favorite Jake Roberts Interview EVER

Note I said INTERVIEW, not promo.
This type of non-scripted dialogue delving into his persona the way he does shows how brilliant the man was.
From May, 1984.

[@MisterObjectivity]

Paul Ellering has blonde hair, Bill Apter has SOME hair, and Jake Roberts is in the Legion of Doom. Different times, indeed.

[@kshinokevin]

awesome interview...

[@lackdeaver9934]

Better times.

[@lancedeboyle]

jake was always so convincing in his interviews/promos. exceptionally natural on the mic.

[@chaosdweller]

Yer name Lol

[@fjccommish]

No, the Rock doesn't hold a candle to Jake. Shouting catch phrases isn't to Jake's level.

[@cjjonez]

different method both have their place

[@bull864]

They had different styles. Flair had funny, entertaining promos. Jake's were more serious and sinister. Both were great on the mic.

[@fjccommish]

Mean Gene came out of the womb bald, wearing a suit, and holding a mic. He said to the doctor "This weekend at the civic arena you don't want to miss THIS man, putting his title on the line in an I quit match..."

[@atj10884]

Wow that promo jus went perfectly! Jake was jus gold on the mic.

[@VerhipBe]

He reminds me of Frank Zappa with that moustache and that grin.

[@bastlake]

Jake Roberts and Paul Ellering, two of the best on the mic

[@dm95422]

Jake Roberts....great looking guy, extremely intelligent, great talker. We need more like him. If Jake had been in politcs instead of wrestling, he'd be in the White House and the Rose Garden would become a snake pit. How nice that would be.

[@RickGibbonsOfficial]

When everyone else came off like loud gym bros, Jake came off like a jaded rock star who knew he was better than the paltry press shoving a mic in his face.

[@NDstructKD]

Awesome heel promo! Probably one of the best EVER. Every heel in pro wrestling today should be REQUIRED to watch this and take notes.

[@TheMovieTriviaSchmoedown]

Jake Roberts = THE WRESTLER

[@OikPoinFive]

Why,

[@MotherAlgorithm]

@@OikPoinFive what

[@matimus100]

Encouraging violence to little children for gold disgraceful

[@chrismemphis8062]

Jake worked in a supermarket deli?

[@Ballpython77]

Jake was 34057249865249085634 years before it's time

[@dandykaufman2]

I love this. Actually like it better than the slow, sinister WWF interviews. This is a dude that wants to beat people up, make money and hates marks! Awesome!

[@theprocessbeginshere]

Jake was the one guy you could picture grabbing some ole lady from the crowd and stick her head to the floor with a perfect 10. The DDT is where it's at.

[@Gawdzillest]

Sounds like me

[@OikPoinFive]

@@theprocessbeginshere a perfect 10 old lady? An oxymoron!!??

[@PeterWhiteprowrestler]

jake looked good as a young guy, awesome..

[@labanachecklowery5662]

Now this cool killer interview very legendary back when the original L.O.D. Bundy Roberts the Road Warriors &Paul Ellering was another badass faction to reckon with!!!!!!!!

[@TheLeebo1962]

Buzz Sawyer.

[@davem1212]

Napoleon Dynamite tried his best to fit in on this interview

[@chaosdweller]

Haha

[@krusherkoxx]

Look at Paul Ellerings facial expressions and body language during the interview!! Priceless!!

[@nativeson8310]

I remember watching Jake in Mid South. He quickly became my favorite wrestler and he was the bad guy!!! Lol.

[@DanielGonzalez-tr4wv]

This is a business man and I'm here for money. The alpha and the omega of wrestling in those words. Love you Jake.

[@WarrenPace]

at the time, I felt that was one of two passing of the torches in the wwe. The greatest heel torch from Jake Roberts to Steve Austin

[@Housesider]

I love it when Paul does that sinister laugh after Jake makes the quip about the interviewer 'caring' about the fans because they buy his magazine, lmao.

[@DH-ss4kk]

I remember buying PWI and The Wrestler magazines, was how I kept up with all the territories back then. We had no cable but was able to see GCW, WCCW, & Memphis

[@unclenurgle8281]

"I don't care for the fans. Don't get me wrong I won't chop 'em up or anything. I just don't have the time for them" Man was Jake ahead of his time or what?

[@talulah67]

Agreed, best Jake interview ever! Paul sits back, hardly says a word...but says everything with his body language and facial expressions. Fantastic. Puts a smile on my face. Back when wrestling was great. Before McMahon ruined it by monopoly.

[@scottsrush]

Man Jake was a great heel!great mic skills!

[@billyspurr]

never know Paul Ellering used to manage the Snake. even old school wrestling fans have history to learn

[@davem1212]

Magnum P.I. Brother till you hear his voice. Jake was great in the 80s

[@rosario508]

I thought he was Magnum T.A. at first.

[@Betterthaneverr]

I remember Jake wrestling in the Mid-Atlantic territory as a jobber/mid-carder around '79 or '80. He was only about 180-190 lbs. soaking wet and his finisher was the kneelift...even then you knew he was something special

[@davidj5910]

To me this was Jakes best run. Love the original Legion of Doom. Would love to see more of this. thanks for the clip

[@BlackBerserkgasme]

Seeing Bill Apter this young is a FUCKING trip man!

[@Moredread25]

These old school interviews are great.

[@hhh123837]

Jake Roberts had one of the most creative minds for wrestling. He did not need any television writers to tell him what to do like wrestlers today need.

[@KidSixXx]

Jake is right. Victorious soldiers win and then go to war. Desperate soldiers go to war and pray for victory.

[@chaosdweller]

🤔

[@oldschoolfan420]

Jake was a very good talker and believable. has a sinister side and reflective of his real life. wrestled like a snake and had one of the best finishers of all time. Back in 1984 it was the best finisher. Nobody was doing sitdown powerbombs yet. This was probably the best time professionally in his career in retrospect. he was with the road warriors, bundy, the spoiler, and was in contention for the national title. forget wwf stuff- by the time he came in it was a cartoon. Great post!

[@stephanecourchesne8447]

Amazing low-tone heel mic work from Roberts AND Ellering. That would have been my kind of persona......

[@brucedavis3816]

Met Jake at a Comic Convention pissed him off Man it felt cool!!! You never live a day till you piss Jake off!!!!!

[@fjccommish]

In those days guys didn't hurt each other, but fans believed they did. Today, guys get hurt, but fans don't believe it's real.

[@ChalkTalkTV]

We need more stuff like this today.

[@bmsingleton]

"You're lucky we're even sitting here talking to you." LMAO

[@Fayme20]

I love his laugh and smile lol. I used to think that Stone Cold, The Rock, Macho Man(yeah I said it) and Shawn Michaels were the best when it came to Promos/Mic Skills. But since I saw a few clips of Jake the Snake's backstage promos as well as this interview, Jake definitely was THE best in Promos/Interviews out of all the wrestlers. You just can't teach the certain subtle things that he says and does.

[@arlichar11]

im glad my old school comrads are aware that we were privalagd to see what we did back then, and that todys action just doesnt live up to the standards set back then.... i too could spend days watchin these old promos and matches..its just wonderful stuff im so glad i get to see again.... noone will be looking up.. mysterio vs. miz or cm punk in 15 yrs lol...

[@fishaman1980]

Man!! He looked so much like Magnum TA

[@Astraldragon1]

Jake was one of the best on promos a great mind in the wrestling business......a shame his live went down hill....if he ever got his life back together he could offer a lot to the younger guys.

[@Cunnysmythe]

I love how off and low-key he said that he didn't really care for the fans

[@scarecrowbar66]

That. Was. Effen cool. It should have been Jakeamania.

[@AlbanianMan]

He actually had a little bit more here than what I'm used to seeing on him. Now Mean Gene, THATS a guy who I don't think EVER had hair

[@mkl62]

May 1984. Vince had just bought the rights to WCW a month earlier. He would air his matches in July. Jake would leave and go to World Class, then to Mid-South before going to WWE for the first time in 1986. He defeated George Wells at Wrestlemania II.

[@jkenney2]

Jake would have made a great movie villain. He oozes charisma from every pore.

[@grawakendream8980]

back then they were so relaxed in the ring because they had wrestled hundreds of times, that the interviews came easily

[@ecuacuban]

when i read the magazines as a child, I always wondered if the interviews were real. This doesn't answer the question completely, but it's still funny as hell!

[@bossmann6358]

ecuacuban The majority of the interviews weren’t real. There’s a clip of Bill Apter interviewing Tommy Rich at a fan fest and Tommy looks at the camera and says, I didn’t say all those things this guy wrote in his magazines.

[@wrestleguy24]

you cant be the best without being hated at one point or another. "All great things must first wear terrifying and monsterous mass, in order to inscribe themselves upon the face of humanity".

[@singvang1247]

If Jake could have stayed away from the drugs and alcohol, he would have been the best heel of all time. I really believe that. Also, watch this promo then go KZbin Jumpin' Jeff Farmer. LOL both are awesome in different ways.

[@lordburlap4514]

Jake was one of the best if not the best on the mic.

[@bobvogel3218]

One of the best on the mic!

[@Gibson1976uk]

Jake deserved more at the WWF/WWE!! he should have got a belt!!

[@cryzthor5430]

It was a shame but Bruce Pricard said that Jake was very undependable due to his substance abuse and his schedule was too erratic to depend on him to be there consistently with the title. Jake confirmed that it was the reason he never got the title.

[@errolwaguespack7196]

Thanks again

[@shadapakap]

This was great.

[@jimmy27paul]

PURE POETRY.

[@fjccommish]

You were all terrific in this, Bill.

[@SpectacularSunset]

This is what wrestling should be about everyday.... every week.

[@iGamingAlliance]

I should write a letter to that address right now and say Jake the Snake don't give a damn about me, either.

[@jackkitchen737]

This is incredible stuff

[@rek1225]

When Jake supposedly broke his neck in the late 80's, I was down in Daytona and heard he was serving a jail stent for bar fighting. The WWF made up the story about the neck to save face at the time. Jake was a good guy then. Him and Roddy Piper will always be my favorite wrestlers. And Ted Dibiase is now a born again Christian. Go figure.

[@wlittle8908]

Jake Roberts was literally the best on the mic. He was convincing. The Rock has to shout his catch phrases but Jake had you riveted to your seat listening to him.

[@weaselsuit]

Excellent.

[@TaureanOfUniverse6]

damn im glad for you tube , im too young to remember jake's glory days but damn, he was awesome. o.o and those promos were gold. I say Flair, piper, jake roberts, and macho man were the best talkers in wrestling history

[@tradition4life1983]

Precious Paul Ellering, the manager of the Legion of Doom (Jake Roberts, Road Warriors, Spoiler).

[@scottbauer71]

And dog musher

[@randysavage5956]

Jake is high as balls in this interview but still has the mic skills and charismatic talent to capture the audience. This interview should be a mandatory watch to train todays current WWE jobronis on how to cut a mic promo with charisma and draw heat. It's pathetic and quite painful watching the current talent in professional wrestling use the stick.

[@Venom-ez6ip]

They need to watch the 13 minutes or so video of Jake talking about ring psychology. Wow. Talk about knowing what the fuck he's talking about. Guys a pro wrestling genius.

[@bigmike2464]

+Randy Savage Jake was one of the BEST when it came to promo and ring psychology... he knew what to say, what tone and inflection in his voice to use and how to use his face and attitude..... IMO... he is right up there in mic as Dusty Rhodes, Adam Pearce, Roddy Piper, CM Punk, Ric Flair

[@Saber808]

WWEDisney wont smarten up their so called "wrestlers" in their promotion. For one. They are a bunch of pussies. They got script writers. WTF

[@scottallen4223]

how do you know he,s loaded?

[@joeblow5417]

@@scottallen4223 - He is 100% high on painkillers, no doubt about it, but still cuts a classic promo! Amazing!

[@thedarkchild86]

Awesome on the mic ....

[@LEONCORTS]

The man was a genius

[@Venom-ez6ip]

Still is. Watch the 13 minute video on KZbin of Jake talking about ring psychology.

[@scottzenobi6577]

Venom 666 z

[@eugeneferguson5987]

IS a genius--he ain't dead yet. :)

[@chaosdweller]

@@eugeneferguson5987 did he ascend to another dimension (not death) as well ?

[@chaosdweller]

@@Venom-ez6ip neat....

[@Jason_Sutton]

greg and bill wouldnt say they liked the fans,thats weird. it's the fan's that buy your magazine.

[@suprcrzy]

Well, we don't have to answer that!

[@Cavillier1970]

He gave the best promos. I cant of anyone else who can go on camera and NOT have yell and scream and everything else.

[@Anthony-lf1om]

hahahaha 1:45 " Chucky "

[@freddyvidz]

Let's hope the AEW produces this type of promo.

[@adrianjohnson8103]

If he had stayed away from drugs, Jake Roberts would have been an even better wrestler.

[@GentlemanTony]

I totally agree, and I agree with GShea's distinction between interview and promo.

[@CadillacL]

@Nightrain76 Thank you. This is how it sould be still today. Vince, Dixie, Hogan take note.

[@youforget1000thingsaday]

He was so handsome back then. Geez.

[@mercedes25fl]

Jake was such a hunk here. I always hated him beating on the good guys when I was a kid, but I thought he was a great wrestler. His fued with the Macho Man was the best. I started liking him afterwards. I wish he would make a comeback as a writer or commentator and they get rid of JR. I hate JR! WWE dont deserve you,Jake.They dont deserve any of the good wrestlers.They turn their lives into a life of drugs n alcohol abuse.Thanks for the post. Stay strong Jake.Love DDP for helping you and Hall!

[@Mujangga]

The most honest interview Jake ever gave.

[@mongoose704]

Ugly, limited moveset, unremarkable as an athlete... and he is one of the greatest performers of all time. Captivating on the mike. In the ring he showed that it isn't about what you can do but HOW you do it. Snappy, high impact, and it looked real! For those of you that say "I can't because of blahblahblahblah..." Jake Roberts, I retort.

[@nwauwf]

man that was well said. it only has to be realistic not a damn joke

[@NathanielWinkelmann]

i would like to see more of these pre WWF roberts iinterviews

[@jameslisenby9277]

Thank God someone sees it my way.

[@deasttn]

It's great to be the greatest

[@DanHammonds]

Jake wasn't a muscular or physically imposing guy, but he still has a very ominous and alpha male presence about him.

[@HyperMisaoEnjoyer]

thanks.this is rare stuff.

[@fjccommish]

Well played.

[@LeoWamBamSlamJam]

True badass

[@PinchinTheBear]

@iancg85 I agree 100 % thats why I always find myself looking up old school wrestling vids

[@jamie.777]

Apter has a concerned look, this is great. .

[@BikiniDeathSquad]

I wish Jake never got on drugs

[@ahumanjustbeing2466]

beLIEve him!!!

[@jimcantbob]

Jake was the man what a great heel.He was a great face too.

[@DannyTubiolo]

LMFAO... Love it

[@ShesterJones]

MAGNUM T.A.!!!! LOL

[@mankyller]

Jake Roberts was full of edge before edgy had a definition. How many wrestlers cut promos differently because of Jake Roberts' influence?

[@toofargone68]

JAKE ROBERTS WAS SO GOOD AT HIS CRAFT EVEN HERE BEFORE HE WENT 2 THE WWE