Search - WWE Legends: Jake "The Snake" Roberts - Pick Your Poison on DVD

Best Bio To Date/Not For Younger Viewers However

Ervin Griffin | Bluefield, WV | 11/05/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"While I don't have any children of my own, this is one WWE DVD you may want to wait until they are about 14 or so because some of the topics discussed are very sensitive and aren't appropriate for younger viewers.

Now, to the DVD itself, Jake "The Snake" Roberts is one guy that I can say that the proverbial "scars of time" have definitely marked him! From his unstable, abusive real life childhood to his rough beginnings in pro wrestling to his rise and fall in WWE and WCW until today!

Things that I most enjoyed was his explanation of how the DDT was invented. Its a really funny story but that hold made him legendary and is very popular today. The only other man that equaled Jake in execution of that move was The Four Horsemen's Arn Anderson, but that's another story.

I also was stunned to learn a few things that I always suspected. First, the incident where he DDT'ed Ricky Steamboat on the concrete! That WASN'T A WORK! In fact, Jake DIDN'T even want to do the stunt because he thought it was too dangerous but Vince and Steamboat convinced him to do it. Sure enough, Jake's worst fears were nearly realized as Steamboat was lucky to escape that incident with just a concussion as he could've been killed! Second, the incident where The Honky Tonk Man hit Jake with his guitar! Turns out the "break away" guitar was accidentally switched with a real accoustic guitar! When HTM hits Jake with it, it barely breaks and you can see that Jake is nearly out from the impact! Third, the feud with Jerry "The King" Lawler. What's shocking here is that real alchohol was used rather than a prop! That was kind of insensitive in my book because Jake was a recovering alcoholic! Why would you use real booze?! There are other shocking facts BUT I'll let you see the DVD for yourself for those things.

I found this bio to be very fair and I liked hearing from the man himself as well as his fellow wrestlers and friends. Also, much like the recent "Self Destruction Of The Ultimate Warrior" DVD, it was great to see the late "Ravishing" Rick Rude again! On a side note, I hope one day the WWE does a bio DVD on him!

While I have not watched all the extras, the ones I have watched are excellent and show that while Jake didn't have the greatest physique, he didn't need to have that because his psychology was so good and the little bit of action he did in the ring made sense even if it wasn't that exciting.

DISC 1 EXTRAS

Matches:

Vs. Ricky Steamboat - This was dubbed a "Snake Pit" match which was another name for a "no rules" bout! This happened on the undercard of THE BIG EVENT and was probably would've been match of the night if not for the big Hulk Hogan/"Mr. Wonderful" Paul Orndorff showdown in the main event!

Vs. The Honky Tonk Man - This was at WrestleMania III and still stands as Roberts most memorable match only because it took place in front of the record setting crowd of 93,173 in the Pontiac Silverdome! SIDENOTE: While this is Roberts' most memorable, his best WrestleMania showdown was at number 6 when he took on Ted DiBiase for the "Million Dollar Belt."

Vs. "Ravishing" Rick Rude - This was the DDT Vs. The Rude Awakening match from MSG. The only stip was that the pinfall could only come after one man applied his finisher! Made for great drama and strategy.

SNAKE BITES

Jake's Relationship with children
How he became "The Snake"
Working With Dynamite Kid
Legion Of Doom (I DID WATCH THIS EXTRA, ITS A HILARIOUS TALE)
"Steamboat Saved My Life" (HIS DISCUSSION OF HOW RICK STEAMBOAT SAVED HIM FROM AN ACCIDENT IN THE RING)

Meeting Dick Ebersol
"Snake" On The Loose
Grizzly Smith
Hogan/Jake Feud (INTERESTING DISCUSSION HERE)

DISC 2

MATCHES

w/Rick Steamboat Vs. Jim Nelson & Mike Miller (Mid-Atlantic 9/9/81)

vs.Ronnie Garvin - World TV Title Match (Georgia 12/3/83)

vs. "Leaping" Lanny Poffo (WWE 3/18/86)

vs. Earthquake (WWE 4/27/91)

The cobra incident with Randy "Macho Man" Savage (11/23/91)

Vs. Sting - Coal Miner's Glove Match (Halloween Havoc 10/25/92)

Vs. Dirty White Boy - Smokey Mountain Title Match (5/7/94)

Vs. "Stone Cold" Steve Austin - King Of The Ring Final (6/23/96)

Vs. Jerry "The King" Lawler - SummerSlam '96 (8/18/96)

Run-in during Tommy Dreamer Vs. Jerry "The King" Lawler - Hardcore Heaven '97

w/Tommy Dreamer Vs. Justin Credible & Jack Victory - November 2 Remember '98

INTERVIEWS & PROMOS

Vince McMahon interviews Jake on TNT

Rick Rude hits on Cheryl Roberts

Brother Love interviews Jake and Cheryl

Mean Gean Okerland interviews Jake

Promo about threatining Ted DiBiase with snakes prior to their bout at WrestleMania 6

DDT's Brother Love during interview

Interview with Brutus Beefcake

Ultimate Warrior Casket Vignette

Ultimate Warrior Cemetery Vignette

Ultimate Warrior Snake-Filled Room Vignette

Mean Gean interviews Jake prior to WrestleMania 8 with The Undertaker

THE SNAKE PIT

w/Kamala

w/Junkyard Dog

w/Hulk Hogan

Overall, a very good buy!
"

You'll love this...trust me.

Mr. D. A. Donnelly | Texas | 11/02/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"As a fan of the Snake for almost fifteen years (even managing to meet the man himself on two occassions), I've been anxiously awaiting the release of this DVD from the moment it was announced.

Let's first clear the confusion. This is a 2-disc set. FYE is not running a 3-disc edition. You can divide the discs into two parts - documentary and extras (matches, promos, vignettes, etc). WWE DVDs as of late have been of an excellent quality, and "Pick Your Poison" is no exception. As expected, the documentary style, sitdown interview with Jake is amazing. He truly is a master story teller, and his intense eyes and husky voice make every word compelling. The tales of his childhood and personal life are disturbing and often hard to listen to. The emotion in his eyes shows the pain is still there.

Like the recent discs devoted to Undertaker and Road Warriors, there is a huge amount of content in the documentary - breaking into the business, politics, feuds, highs, lows, you name it and it's here.

Sadly, his feuds with Rick Martel and Randy Savage are rushed over...and this is one of my biggest problems with the disc. His feud with Savage and Elizabeth was possibly the highlight of his career. His heel turn doesn't get much attention...no footage from Tuesday in Texas, the infamous moment when he slapped Liz across the face, nor is his SNME match with Savage. Many agree this was his best wrestling match, so it's a shame they didn't include it.

However, as an old fan who always loves the chance to stroll down memory lane and surround himself in the warm fuzzy blanket of nostalgia, there is plenty in these discs to enjoy. Teaching Ultimate Warrior the ways of the dark side (including the betrayal when he delivered Warrior's poisoned carcass to the Undertaker)are here to enjoy, as is his beating of Brother Love (when we see his blinded eye for the first time), the teasing of Earthquake and the subsequent squashing of Damian (from Superstars in 1991), invading the wedding reception at SummerSlam 1991, putting the cobra on Savage, his return in 1996, etc. Plus various promos, interviews and Snake Pit segments...perhaps Jake's greatest moments of all.

Of course, what would a Jake DVD be without the necessary delve into addiction and substance abuse problems. They are here for all to see. I've always been confused why wrestling fans (particularly on the internet) feel the need to focus on this side of Jake. Anyone in the business (the entire entertainment business for that matter) knows that drink and drugs was a huge part of the lifestyle in the 80s. Wrestlers were no different to the Van Halens, Motley Crues and Ozzys of their era. Some did more than others, and some paid more dearly than others. At least Jake is honest about his mistakes and asks for no pity or remorse. What more can you ask from the man?

There are contributions from the usual DVD participants...Jim Ross, Gene Okerlund, Hulk Hogan and Bruce Pritchard (most of which is complimentary) but Jake himself is the focal point of the disc. Which is how it should be.

I enjoyed this retrospect of one of my favorite wrestlers. I also have his RF shoot interview, so most of the stories I knew already, but the goldmine of extras and rare footage is what makes this such a special DVD for me.

Like many, I feel frustrated with Jake. Annoyed that such an amazing and gifted mind, a master psychologist, a good person with a kind heart and love of the business, never quite hit the heights he could've easily reached.

But it ain't over yet.Get this DVD. Old fans will cherish a childhood hero, young fans can sit back and watch a master at work.

"The Snake always bites back..."."

Here are the matches for this DVD

An old school fan | 09/19/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"-NWA Mid-Atlantic (9/9/81) Jake Roberts & Ricky Steamboat vs. Jim Nelson & Mike Miller
-NWA Georgia (3/12/83) Ronnie Garvin vs. Jake Roberts (NWA National Television Title)
-WWF @ MSG (3/16/86) Jake Roberts vs. Leaping Larry Poffo
-WWF Big Event (8/28/86) Jake Roberts vs. Ricky Steamboat
-WWF Wrestlemania (3/29/87) Jake Roberts vs. Honky Tonk Man
-WWF @ MSG (10/24/88) Jake Roberts vs. Rick Rude (Rude Awaking vs. DDT Match)
-WWF Superstars (4/27/91) Jake Roberts vs. Earthquake
-WCW Halloween Havoc (10/25/92) Jake Roberts vs. Sting (Coal Miners Glove Match)
-Smoky Mountain Wrestling (5/7/94) Jake Roberts © vs. Dirty White Boy (SMW Championship)
-WWF King of the Ring (6/23/96) Jake Roberts vs. Stone Cold (KOTR Final)
-WWF Summerslam (8/18/96) Jake Roberts vs. Jerry Lawler
-ECW November to Remember (11/1/98) Jake Roberts & Tommy Dreamer vs. Justin Credible & Jack Victory"

Great View Into The Darkside Of The Business

D.P. | California | 07/10/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This documenty will probably be the "darkest" DVD WWE will ever release because Jake Roberts himself is a very dark man. They hold nothing back here as they do deep into his life and every aspect of it which honestly, it's not safe for children and this DVD itself is something that should have been rated TV-MA. Pick Your Poison is an approprate title for this DVD set.

The documentry starts with Jake Roberts story of growing up and dealing with problems abusing women, and going from home to home. Him getting into wrestling via his father Grizzly Smith and his early days in promotions are glossed upon all the way up to him getting involed in NWA Mid-Altantic Wrestling. Jake Roberts invention, the DDT, is talked about and the story of his it came to be. His time in Georgia Championship Wrestling along with his fued with Ronnie Garvin is touched upon before they move on to him going back to Mid-Alantic before quitting there as well. His debut in the WWE is talked about starting with his fued with him & Damien "the snake" against Ricky Steamboat and his lizard including the DDT Ricky on the concrete from Saturday Night's Main Event. His interview segment "The Snake Pit" is talked about along with Jake's interview skills & the fact that he never had to raise his voice to get his point across. His fued with Honky Tonk Man, how that started his drug addiction, and his match at WM3 with Alice Cooper is touched upon along with how he was a becoming a big star in the WWE. His fueds with Ted Dibiase over the Million $ Belt along with his real life wife's involvement with the Rick Rude fued are discussed. Here the docuementy starts to get more personal as Jake talks about his drug addiction. From there, stories are told about Damien the snake & his fueds with Andre The Giant & his fued with Earthquake which resulted in the "death" of Damien. Jake then goes into the backstage story behind his fued with Ultimate Warrior and how come nothing ever happened past the vignette's that were filmed. His fued with Randy Savage is glossed over before they go into the story of how he left WWE after WrestleMania 8. His brief history & story behind his entrance & exit in WCW was talked about before he returned to WWE a religious man...and how that faith planted the seeds for Austin 3:16. His fued with Jerry Lawler is discussed and how it personally effected him to the point to where he left WWE again. His appearence on Beyond The Mat was discussed along with his 30 second cameo at ECW's Hardcore Heaven '97 is talked about. The documentry closes out on Jake discussing stories that have been printed about him for the past couple of years and his appearence on RAW before WM21.

Also on this disc are various interview outtakes where Jake talks about his relationship with children, how he became "The Snake", a meeting with NBC Executive Dick Ebersol, how he turned King Kong Bundy babyface, and why his fued with Hulk Hogan didn't go far. Other wrestlers speak on various subjects such as Hogan also giving his point of view in his short fued with Jake along with a hidden story about a drive with Jake's dad Grizzly Smith, other wrestlers speak on Grizzly, and Ricky Steamboat tells a story about Damien in the shower & scaring the crap out of all the wrestlers in the locker room.

Matches include:
Snake Pit Match vs. Ricky Steamboat - For those who don't know what a "Snake Pit" match is, it's just another version of a "No Holds Barred Match" with Steamboat looking for revenge after Jake Roberts giving him a DDT on the concrete floor resulting in Steamboat going to the hospitial. Steamboat heavily focused on Jake's arm throughout the match while Jake took advantage of the match settings by taking the match out to the floor to get an advantage & worked on Steamboat's injured head. A good match but not as violent as you would expect for a "no rules" match.
The Big Event '86

vs. Honky Tonk Man - It should be noted that Jake Roberts had heavy metal legend Alice Cooper in his corner while Honky Tonk Man had his manager Jimmy Hart in his. Jake started the match off with a bang as Honky didn't get a change to take off his jumpsuit so Jake beat it off of him in the opening moments. They ended up going back & forth with each other before Honky was able to steal a victory. The aftermath with Jimmy Hart, Alice Cooper, and Damien led to a very funny moment. The alternative commentary with Jake Roberts & Jim Ross discussed his memories of Alice Cooper including how Jake was a fan of his growing up & the health issues he had going into the match.
WrestleMania III

"DDT vs. Rude Awakening Match" vs. Rick Rude - This was a unique match in that to win the match, you have to use your finishing move on the other wrestler to get the pin. This was a match in the feud between Rude & Roberts over Jake's wife Cheryl, who came to ringside with Roberts. Both men have a good performance but in the end, Jake & his wife got their revenge.
"MSG" Oct. '88

NWA Television Championship Match vs. Ronnie Garvin - This was a good match where they told the story (that was usual for Television Title matches) that Garvin had to beat Roberts while all Jake had to do was last the time limit.
"NWA Georgia Championship Wrestling" Dec. '83

Coal Miner's Glove Match vs. Sting - For those who never seen or heard of this type of match, a heavy weighted glove is put on the top of a pole in the corner that you have the option of grabbing & using as a weapon during the match but you win the match by pinfall/submission. This was the highlight of Jake's short feud with Sting & run in WCW. Sting worked on Jake's arm including ramming it into the steel post various times that heavily effected him throughout the match. They told a nice story but the match seemed a bit underwhelming.
WCW Halloween Havoc '92

vs. Steve Austin - This was the final match of the annual King Of The Ring tournament with Jake going into the match with ribs that were heavily injured by Vader earlier in the night. Austin was completely ruthless here & the perfect heel against Jake's character who refused to quit & was after his own "Cinderella" story. However, this wasn't Jake's night as Austin 3:16 was born.
King Of The Ring '96

w/Tommy Dreamer vs. Justin Credible & Jack Victory - Tommy Dreamer was out for revenge for Justin Credible eliminating the Sandman from ECW & Jake Roberts was revealed to be his mystery partner...and it should also be noted that Jack Victory came into the match heavily injured after being attacked by New Jack earlier in the night. As you would expect from ECW, this started off as a wild brawl as they fought out at the ringside area with Justin's stable, mainly Jason, getting involved throughout the match. You get a heavy load of interference at one point by people like One Man Gang & Kronis & New Jack who, as usual, brought a bunch of weapons into the ring to use including a ladder that would be the key to victory. This was your typical ECW brawl.
ECW November To Remember '98

Other matches feature a tag match with Ricky Steamboat vs. Jim Nelson & Mike Miller, Madison Square Garden debut against Lanny Poffo, Dirty White Boy for the Smokey Mountain Championship, and Jerry Lawler at SummerSlam '96. Other DVD extras include Earthquake "killing" Damien, Jake's cobra biting Randy Savage, his run-in during the Tommy Dreamer/Jerry Lawler match from ECW Hardcore Haven '97, a TNT interview, Rick Rude hitting on Cheryl Roberts, an interview with Mean Gene, two appearences on the Brother Love show, four Ulitmate Warrior promos, an promo featuring various snakes, and 3 "Snake Pit" episodes featuring Kamala & JunkYard Dog & Hulk Hogan. Hidden extras inclue a promo with Roberts & Ricky Steamboat, another promo with Roberts & Paul Ellering, and Jake Roberts scaring away Earthquake & Jimmy Hart with Damien.

Overall, a great DVD collect for those who were fans of the legend and good for those who want to know about the effects of the "dark side" of the business.
"