Jake 'The Snake' Roberts Talks WWE Hall of Fame, Daniel Bryan, Bray Wyatt, More

The story of Jake “The Snake” Roberts is full of ups and downs, but the WWE Hall of Famer has found peace in his life and is finding as much success outside the ring as he once did inside it.

To help him tell his incredible story of failure, reconciliation and triumph, filmmakers have released an excellent documentary—dubbed The Resurrection of Jake The Snake—that takes viewers on an emotional journey.

For any wrestling fan, Roberts’ story of redemption is inspiring. In addition to the film, the story was also chronicled by Bleacher Report’s Ryan Dilbert.

Roberts sat down with Ring Rust Radio to discuss his induction into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2014 and what fans can expect from this year’s event, the possibility of Bray Wyatt being a top heel moving forward, the retirement of Daniel Bryan and his own history with concussions and much more.

With WrestleMania 32 approaching, a huge focus has shifted to the WWE Hall of Fame ceremony and the accompanying speeches. One of the best inductions of all time was Roberts in 2014, and he spoke about the night and what it meant to him:

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It’s not something I practiced and wrote down and read and reread. I just go out there and let it flow. The gift I was given a long time ago, just like I said in my speech, I didn’t use all of it, but I did use some of it. Ya’ll got a little bit of it, but there’s still some left. How did it change my life? It made it easier for me to hold my head high. It gave me that stamp of approval in my mind and heart, and I needed that.

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Roberts is widely considered one of the greatest in-ring workers of all time due to his ability to tell a convincing story. Add in his ability to cut some of the best promos wrestling fans will ever hear, and Roberts is a credible source when discussing Bray Wyatt.

Over the last several months, Roberts has shown support for Wyatt and his character, going as far as comparing himself to the young Superstar. When asked if Wyatt can be a top heel for WWE, Roberts spoke candidly of the problems he’d face and how he can relate:

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He will never be a top heel because people are infatuated by him, just like the way they were with me. Whenever I wrestled Hogan, they cheered me. With Savage it was split. People are funny, man. When you’re doing your job really well, and you’re different and unique and you have this edge, that’s very special. People dig that, they respect that and they want to be with that. If they are scared of your character like they were of me and Bray, they want to be on the winning team, so they will want to cheer for you regardless.

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One of the biggest topics of conversations in wrestling right now is concussions. WWE Superstar Daniel Bryan was forced to retire due to concussions, and there is more awareness surrounding the injuries than ever.

Roberts has spent over 40 years in the business and has been open about his history with concussions. When asked about Bryan, Roberts spoke candidly about the number of brain injuries he has suffered throughout his career:

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As far as Bryan goes, that’s a huge loss and I hate to hear that. WWE needs him desperately. I’m very proud of him that he is smart enough to get out after being injured. Most of us weren’t. As far as concussions for myself, I went and did all the tests because I am having issues. We did all the tests and stuff and it did not come out good. It came out there’s some spots on my brain that don’t look good and shouldn’t be there. It came down to how many concussions do I think I’ve had, and I thought I had maybe two or three a year. It’s a very low number when really I think it was more like eight or 10. So let’s say two or three, but I wrestled for 40 years, that’s 120 now. So I am going to have problems, and I’m already having problems.

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The honesty of Roberts is refreshing in the wrestling business, and the fact that he is addressing his issues with such candidness is what he needs to get any help he requires. After a long and storied career, now it’s on to the next chapter of his life.

Roberts expressed interest in helping a younger generation of talents get better on the mic and in the ring. While his history of substance abuse would likely have WWE concerned, the talent Roberts possesses is invaluable and could help turn a good Superstar into an all-time great.

With Diamond Dallas Page helping Roberts turn his life around, WWE should consider bringing The Snake into its developmental center to help wrestlers with their promos. Few wrestlers have ever been able to speak with the same conviction as Roberts, and teaching a younger generation of Superstars would pay major dividends in the future.

Roberts is far from done contributing to the wrestling business, and with his life improving as he stays sober, his ability to make an impact will continue to grow.

For more wrestling talk, listen to Ring Rust Radio for all of the hot topics or catch the latest episode in the player above (some language NSFW).