Jake Roberts Promo on Honky Tonk Man (07-05-1987)

"Mean" Gene Okerlund interviews Jake "the Snake" Roberts about his upcoming match with Honky Tonk Man in Sacramento, California.
(Wrestling Challenge, July 5th 1987)

[@twin78]

"As a man grows older, he achieves wisdom from experience, and contempt from failures." Damn! You gotta love Jake The Snake Roberts!

[@D2Kprime]

His promos were just unbelievable.

[@BeeBumper]

I m convinced he stole all of them. He was using Pink Floyd lyrics in his promos. "cold as a razor blade, tight as a tourniquet, dry as a funeral drum" was just one he did.

[@stephenshortt427]

It might be me but Mean Gene was absolutely created to do what he did. Absolutely nobody was or is better. Some have tried and did well but in my opinion he is the GOAT. RIP, GENE OKERLUND!!!!

[@vict8206]

I grew up watching Okerlund in the 80s, but went back and got a chance to see Gordon solie. Gordon is definitely the king of interviews. But me and Jean comes in a nice second

[@madbrowniac7871]

Gordon Solie was The Interview Boss. However Mean Gene and JCP Era Bob Caudle tie very easily for Second and NWA UWF MidSouth Jim Ross likely qualifies for Third as a setup guy.🤔😉🎤🤼‍♂️B.W.

[@GeorgeCarlinWasAGod]

Why was Mean Gene wearing sunglasses? Was his eyes red from smoking weed with Jake at the time?

[@PsychomachineryEBM]

Delivered, articulated, believable. Gold standard in the promo dept.

[@Mr.SP78]

"Nothing worse in life than getting your ass kicked while I'm talking to you." Man, did Jake have a way with words.

[@305Lfx]

Jake is a wordsmith... My chief inspiration for my own promos. He was guest at my wrestling school in 2007 a month before I graduated... I wrestled til 2017 ... Shortly after jakes visit he was guest ref in the main event for our first class show.. there were like 75 people in the audience... Probably made about 15 bucks on the night. All told.. But I was the heel in the main event... I was honoured to bump for the DDT post match after the face got the pin.. I got in jakes face on the mic called him a yesterday man.... a never was... a washed up rummy. Then.. boom DDT ... Jake picks up the mic looming over me as I sell it like death. Says " you asked for it son..." I bit my lip trying not to smile... Thank you Mr Roberts.. Edit.... jake is a wonderful guy... class act..

[@thepunditspundit1776]

Jake looks like an old school detective from an HBO show

[@redauerbach2753]

Best promos in the history of our great sport 🔥

[@chriscerovec9898]

Best promos ever, Jake was the greatest of selling his matches. 😎🐍

[@jakamneziak]

First time I have seen Jake wear a hat.

[@shatterdreamz2325]

+jakamneziak First time I seen Jean in some damn turtle shells.

[@yardlet6]

To hide the coke use.

[@vexillethepretzel9086]

Jake will have you re-evaluating yourself just by his promos.

[@jond2458]

So happy that Jake "The Snake" Roberts has finally got his life on track and doing good. I'm sure he has done plenty of despicable things in his addiction days but I believe he is a good person with a good heart and sobriety has showed all the fans this. Keep on keepin on Jake!!! 🐍

[@BeeBumper]

Well he is back with the wife that did the angle with him in WWF where she slapped Rick Rude for trying to give her the rude awakening. The girl one, not the match one lol. So if she took him back he must have changed. I still knock him for blaming Honky for his crack addiction. I mean seriously crack isn't exactly a well known painkiller. lol. Addicts are supposed to accept responsibility for their addiction, and he admits it but always goes back to that guitar shot as the reason why and it is getting lame.

[@ironeo]

This was a time when most of them were masters of promos and why WWF was the gold standard. When you hire the best you get storytelling at its finest.

[@lucianopavarotti2843]

LOVE Jake's promos

[@AndrewsOpinion15]

JAKE LOOK AWESOME WITH HAT ON !!!

[@lloydortiz7889]

That is a mighty spiffy looking hat

[@Anubisxian]

Thank you very much Gene Mean!

[@carparthero]

@Trust Me DDT this was prob one of jake's best all-time if not his outright best promos!! jake here proves he is the master of the mindf**k with a sweet southern drawl 😉 cheers from southern ontario 🍁

[@kevinklingered]

was it casual friday at wwf(wwe)

[@jeffscott4273]

No doubt the best with the mic, Jake the Snake !

[@anthonyt9380]

wow Mean Gene has my Mom's sunglasses on.

[@freddyvidz]

I wish Jake had been champion

[@RedFox0909]

freddyvidz he was so good he never needed it. Could be put with anyone and would make people care.

[@30907bng]

RiP "Mean" Gene!!

[@summer20105707]

Jake is awesome. He can talk and he can wrestle.

[@heelturnsface]

Mean Gene in shades

[@BeeBumper]

Honky you hit me with that guitar so hard that I woke up in 1992 with a crack pipe in my hand in a fleabag motel.

[@lucianopavarotti2843]

Mean Gene must have had a few cocktails the previous evening, judging by the shades.

[@boeh4193]

BEST PROMOS EVER LONG LIVE JAKE THE SNAKE AND THE DDT

[@izabelcristina2327]

Funny that the SNAKE is looking like Indiana Jones here

[@jasondownsnet]

Man, I forgot how cool as ice Jake the Snake was. As bf dressed pretty damn cool to...by 80’s standards.

[@jerichobeach2967]

Jake destroys lid on the case!!!

[@Leonsieh]

Why is Mean Gene wearing sunglasses indoors? I think he is trying to hide something

[@tonshaad1230]

That he was drunk or hungover probably. He even messed up on a word in the beginning intro for the card.

[@chrisbuttonshaw2088]

one of the best talkers

[@rob7325]

Beautiful. Poetry in rasslin.

[@user-ns7tv2li1u]

Honky tonk man Vs Jake Roberts was one of the best rivalries ever...

[@earlycuyler5029]

Jake's promo is believable just outstanding job

[@thebrothaman]

🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

[@CatsClaw44]

Gene must have been out the night before

[@samiam7342]

im still trying to figure out why Gene stole my mom's sunglasses........

[@ExiledByForce1]

Nice!

[@lamar1990lg]

Man why wasn't this man allowed to tag team with Mick Foley? Lol

[@tommypearson9260]

Bro Jake ain't never lied you haven't kicked ass until you talked shit while doing it!

[@redstwok1123]

I had no idea that Shakespear wrestled

[@TheHannibalTV]

👽

[@Parlimant_Strifey]

I came to see the snake, where is Damien?

[@williamestes629]

He's definitely the crazed cult leader of WWE before anyone else.

[@greedyd5524]

The Shadows?

[@mgb4692]

Randy Colley (after his run as Smash bombed when he was outed) and Jose Luis Rivera

[@richnami906]

I don't remember Chavo Guerrero ever being there during this time period.

[@trustmeddt]

It was just a house show loop that summer. He didn’t appear on regular TV.

[@leestens5539]

Hey Gene my Aunt Trudy called she wants her shades back

[@aaronwalker1678]

Mene Gene with them shades to hide something 🤔🤔😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@Amadeus_Eisenberg]

Jake Roberts is so real. Just put that pretentious and overrated "The Rock" and his stupidly loud and brainless promos next to him, for example. Jake seems like a wise man and he looks like he'd break most of the stars from future eras when they'd least expect it.

[@navjitbassi03]

The rock as a heel was good. Why u gotta hate on the man just to big up jake. Especially the rock of all people. Atleast insult hogan or someone like warrior whose promos were defo just hyper loud noise. Also tbh u cant expect everyone to have the same delivery for a promo

[@rosannaburt3048]

Yeah but two different actors characters n approaches here I'm sure rock could be what Jake was now besides rock u don't have creative control think like 3-4 stars do so idk I feel Cena of given could get there just on promos fewer moves edge can be close when not overboard as orton

[@mguerra310]

Gene mean must of been higher than a kite

[@MGBillionaire]

that guitar fucked him up

[@kevinpalmer9756]

Fear the Fedora!

[@erictate4943]

How come Jake The Snake never been champion in the old WWF

[@CLrooks]

because in the old days not everybody you'd ever heard of got to be the champ. it's not like today where they just pass the title around. The title used to mean something. Not that Jake wasn't worthy, but everybody who was worthy didn't get it. A man held onto it for a long time. Becoming a 5 time champ was the absolute pinnacle of a career. Winning it even once was a glorious achievement. But they've ruined that. The fact that Jake never won it, is why wrestling used to be so good, and why it's absolutely terrible now.

[@N1120A]

He never needed a belt to be over

[@larryhowell9350]

Honkytonk athleticism & technical prowess led to Victory

[@flowersandcandyflowersandc9093]

Jake never got any belts.