Jake Roberts

Jake Roberts
Roberts in 2017
Birth name	Aurelian Smith Jr.
Born	(1955-05-30) May 30, 1955 (age 69)[1] Gainesville, Texas, U.S.
Spouse(s)	Karen Rauschuber ​ ​ (m. 1974; div. 1986)​ Cheryl Hagood ​ ​ (m. 1990; div. 1998)​ Judy Lynn ​ ​ (m. 2006; div. 2020)​
Children	10
Relatives	Grizzly Smith (father) Sam Houston (half-brother) Rockin' Robin (half-sister) Baby Doll (ex-sister-in-law) James Smith (son) Tommy Smith (son)
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s)	El Diablo Fred Platt Jake "The Snake" Roberts Jake Roberts[2][1] Jake Smith Jr.[1] The Snake The Texan
Billed height	6 ft 6 in (198 cm)[2]
Billed weight	249 lb (113 kg)[2]
Billed from	Stone Mountain, Georgia[2]
Trained by	Buck Robley[1] Moose Morowski[1]
Debut	1975[3]
Retired	2018[4]

Aurelian Smith Jr. (born May 30, 1955)^[1] better known by the ring name Jake "the Snake" Roberts,^[2][1] is an American retired professional wrestler and actor. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he performs as the on-screen manager to La Facción Ingobernable, and he also serves as a special advisor for AEW's community outreach program, AEW Together. He is also signed to WWE under a legends contract. He is best known for his two stints in the World Wrestling Federation (later called WWE); the first between 1986 and 1992, and the second between 1996 and 1997. 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, Roberts, often considered one of professional wrestling's most iconic figures, was known for his intense and cerebral promos, dark charisma, extensive use of psychology in his matches, and innovative use of the DDT finishing move (which was later named the "coolest" maneuver of all time by WWE).^[5] He often brought snakes into the ring, most famously a python. He was one of the subjects of the 1999 documentary film Beyond the Mat. In 2012, he moved in with fellow wrestler Diamond Dallas Page to seek help in getting his life back on track following years of alcohol and drug addiction, a period covered in the 2015 documentary The Resurrection of Jake the Snake. He was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame on April 5, 2014, and the Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum in 2020.