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Submitted by Wevv Mang on Wednesday, November 23, 2005 at 7:44 AM EST
RWTB DVD Reviews – Jake “The Snake” Roberts – Pick You Poison “Never Trust A Snake” Famous words uttered by the man known as Jake “The Snake” Roberts. Famous words to keep in mind as you watch this DVD. Jake “The Snake” Roberts was a favorite wrestler from the eighties, early nineties. Growing up watching wrestling, I was a fan of Jake Roberts. His was, and still is, a fascinating character. As a wrestler, he is credited with popularizing the move known today as the DDT in North America, an innovative move at the time. Jake Roberts struck a chord with fans. His promos are what most fans seem to recall fondly about him. Jake had a way of speaking that sucked you in and took you along for a ride, often dark and full of promise of even worse to come. Yet something was growing in Jake as time went by. The catchphrase of this DVD, “Pick Your Poison” plays on that. In one way, it is a reminder of Jake’s nickname “The Snake” and how he carried live snakes to the ring with him. Damien was a piece of wrestling history, as one of the most successful gimmicks. On the other, it implies that there was dark side to Jake’s story that fans may not know about. The obvious allusion to drugs may come to mind, and rightly so. Jake Roberts has had more than his share of brushes with substance abuse. In the movie “Beyond The Mat” (Which is touched on in this DVD) Jake Roberts is shown smoking crack. He talks about smoking crack. A lot. On the DVD, Jake talks about his problems with drugs and alcohol. The folks who appear on the DVD seem to actually come to life when they talk about Jake and drugs, as opposed to their guarded statements throughout the rest of the DVD. They come across the rest of the time as desperately trying to say something nice, and hold back the rest of their statements. The main section of the DVD is Jake telling his tale. It starts off from the beginning, with Jake talking about his childhood and continues on all the way to the present. It’s a great story. How accurate it is, well, that’s another thing. Some parts are glaring inconsistencies, and others are highly plausible. A certain level of skepticism is needed when watching this DVD. Jake is a compelling storyteller. His hallmark is that he is able to get in touch with the dark side of humanity. Yet some where along the line, Jake let that dark side control his life. Jake Roberts knows what to say to you to get you to believe him. And he believes what he’s saying. That’s where the line gets blurred between fact and fiction. There’s enough on the web to get a different version of his current activities and problems. There’s enough evidence in those account to counter what Jake says on the DVD. For example, to hear him tell his side of what happened in England when the police found his current snake near dead, you could believe him. He skips a lot of facts, and shrugs off the trouble and merely says “ They were out to get him”. Facts like “Who, why, and how?” Well, Jake distracts you and takes you down different path. Yet the story is a good one. Again, how much is fact and how much is fiction is blurred into a compelling story. One that just proves that when he’s in form, he could sell snake oil to…well, a snake. Just ask Ultimate Warrior. But first and foremost, remember the words of Jake Roberts. “Never Trust A Snake” Packaging and Layout A two-disk set, with a small booklet of excerpts from previous WWE books (Listen, You Pencil Neck Geeks!” by Freddie Blassie, “It’s Good To Be The King…Sometimes” by Jerry Lawler, “Tangled Ropes” by Billy Graham) makes a thick DVD package. The cover has a picture of Jake, with a snake around his neck. The background is dark green, with a snakeskin pattern. The back has a lengthily description of the contents and brief synopsis of the main DVD story. Inside, two-page insert lists all of the extras, and features. Main Features Disc 1 Main Feature There are 33 chapters to the main feature, starting with a poem written by Jake. The bulk of these chapters average four minutes in length, and the longest clocks in at 10:30, which is Jake discussing his childhood and growing up. The matches are good and long though. 1) Jake vs Ricky Steamboat – 13:20 2) Jake vs The Honky Tonk Man – 15:05 3) Jake vs Rick Rude – 18:09 There are also plenty of extras, just interviews, and short for the most part. A) Relationship with kids B) The origin of the name: Snake” C) Dynamite Kid D) LOD (Legion Of Doom) E) Steamboat Snake rescue F) NBC’s Dick Ebersol G) Snake on the loose H) Grizzly Smith – which gives a completely different account of Grizzly than Jake gave I) Hogan Feud, almost Disc 2 Matches and Promos Matches 1) Jake and Ricky steamboat vs Jim Nelson and Mike Miller, 6:15, Mid-Atlantic 9/9/81 2) Jake vs Ronnie Garvin – 12:40 World Television Championship match Georgia Championship 12/3/83 3) Jake vs “Leaping” Lanny Poffo, 9:26, MSG 3/16/86 4) Jake vs Earthquake, 9:27, Superstars 4/27/91 5) Jake attacks Macho Man Randy Savage with a cobra (Yes, a live cobra) after a match – 8:28 6) Jake vs Sting , Coal Miner’s Glove Match, 11:53, Halloween Havoc 10/25/92 7) Jake vs Dirty White Boy – 14:31 Smoky Mountian Heavyweight Championship Match, SMW 5/7/94 8) Jake vs Stone Cold Steve Austin, 7:40, King Of The Ring Final , 6/23/96 9) Jake vs Jerry “The King” Lawler, 13:18, SummerSlam, 8.18.96 10) Run-in during Tommy Dreamer vs Jerry “The King” Lawler, 1:48, Hardcore Heaven , 8/17.97 11) Jake and Tommy Dreamer vs Justin Credible and Jack Victory, 13:30, November 2 Remember, 11/1/98 Interviews and Promos - Vince McMahon interviews Jake “The Snake” Roberts, 3:47, TNT 3/14/86 - “Ravishing” Rick Rude hits on Cheryl Roberts, 7:30, Superstars 4/23/86 - Brother Love interviews Jake & Cheryl Roberts, 3:55, Wrestling Challenge, 7/23/88 - Mean Gene Okerlund interviews Jake,2:00, Wrestling Challenge, 1/27/90 - Promo about threatening Ted DiBiase with snakes, 1:21, Superstars, 3/3/90 - Fights with Brother Love and Rick Martel during an interview, 6:32, Superstars, 10/27/90 - Interview w/ Brutus Beefcake On the Barber Shop, 3:56, Wrestling Challenge, 5/11/91 - Ultimate Warrior Casket Vignette (All the Warrior segments are hilarious. “Snake Man!”), 4:10, Superstars 8/3/91 - Ultimate Warrior Cemetery Vignette, 4:00, Superstars 8/10/91 - Ultimate Warrior Snake Filled Room Vignette, 4:52, Superstars 8/17/91 - Mean Gene Okerlund interviews Jake, Superstars, 2:38, 3/14/92 There are also the Snake Pit Segments - w/ Kamala, The Wizard, and Kimchee, 1:54, Wrestling Challenge 9/6/86 - w/ Junkyard Dog, 2:14, Wrestling Challenge, 10/18/86 - w/ Hulk Hogan, 1:58, Wrestling Challenge, 11/22/86 Sights And Sounds The video quality was high. The background music was an excellent choice, both for the pieces, and for the menus. Kind of a funky eighties rock riff. The menu was well laid out and easy to navigate. One slight observation, due to a lack of people giving interviews I guess, a lot of pictures were used, some more than once. Not a big problem, but a simple observation. I mentioned earlier that the folks who did give interviews seemed hesitant. I would also like to comment that Vince spoke, and he looked like he was on trial, very slow paced, as if to make certain of his words. But his final comments were all smiles. Final Thoughts A fine example of Jake Roberts the entertainer. He can still tell a great story. But his past does work against him. He has a habit of no-showing events, and of being unstable. Vince pointed out that he hired Jake back after leaving the promotion twice, that he gave him a chance. I think Jake used that chance. Should Jake Roberts come back to wrestling? No. As a tribute to Jake’s body of work, this disc is excellent. It has everything. Past and present. His fabled promo skills are there to see and enjoy. His matches are plentiful and varied. I will offer up this final thought. It’s a good thing PETA wasn’t paying attention to wrestling, as that poor snake gets thrown around a lot. Not just kayfabe, but being thrown into the ring, handled in the ring and so forth. Also, Macho must taste like Slim Jim’s because they really tried to pry that snake off him, and it wasn’t done yet. Jake Roberts “Pick Your Poison” is a great buy to pick up for the holidays, and a solid addition to any one’s collection. Grades: DVD Score : A Audio Visual : A Packaging and Layout : B- ( The books were a blatant marketing ploy) Special Features : A + Matches : A Overall : A Until Next Time, Thanks For Readin' and Thanks For Ridin' Wevv Mang mrwevv@mac.com Please label all email DVD FEEDBACK. All Your DVD Review Needs can be filled at : DVDFANATIC.COM *NEW GALLERY* The VERY CREEPY Pix of Hulk Hogan Rubbing His Daughter Brooke!
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