Jake “The Snake” Roberts Discusses Vince McMahon Getting Upset With Him For Getting In Good Shape, Reveals He’s Terrified of Snakes

On the latest edition of Talk Is Jericho, Jake “The Snake” Roberts told a story about how he got in the best shape of his life after having surgery, and what Vince McMahon’s reaction was when he saw how different he looked when he returned. He also revealed that he is actually terrified of snakes. Highlights are below.

On getting in the best shape of his career after having neck surgery: “At the time of the surgery, I could lift like four pounds with my left arm, that was it, I couldn’t hardly life my left arm at all. And somehow, within like 10 weeks, I was doing seated behind the neck presses with 225, and I gained a lot of size. Here’s the best part. I gained like forty pounds in like three months.”

On how Vince McMahon was upset that Jake got in such good shape: “So I went in to see Vince to tell him I was coming back, and he almost took a bump out of his chair when he see me. ‘What the hell is wrong with you?!’ ‘What do you think, Vince?’ And he looks at me and goes, ‘Jake, what the hell have you done to yourself?’ I said, ‘My God, I’m on the best shape of my fucking life, look at this shit!’ I had big knobs up here on my shoulder and shit. He goes, ‘Jake, if we wanted Hogan to carry the snake, we’d have Hogan carry the snake.’ He said, ‘We want some slimy, no good, son of a bitch to carry the snake. You know, a guy that looks like he’s been run through the mill and a little nasty and dirty, and a flesh eating bastard.’ ‘Well, thank you, sir, I think.’ He told me, ‘If I find out that you’re in the gym, I’m fining you a $1000 every time.’ So, I did the right thing, I stayed at home and drank by the pool. But I did up my cocaine use quite a bit and I should have paid the $1000 because I would have saved more money.”

On Vince letting him use the Snake gimmick even though he didn’t create it: “I was Jake ‘The Snake’ Roberts long before I went up there. He didn’t have a choice. It was a great idea, no doubt. I came up with that idea like in, 1978, or ’79. Nobody let me do it. In Bill Watts’ terms, ‘Jake, this is not a goddamn circus.’ Bullshit! You got Junkyard Dog up there, man. You got Junkyard Dog, you got this Cowboy Bill Watts, and you don’t call this a circus?”

On how he is actually terrified of snakes: “I’m such a liar. I hate snakes. I am terrified of fucking snakes. I swear to God, I will piss myself faster than you. I will. But it’s a crazy thing, man. You know how it is, Chris, you’re in that locker room and you’re sitting there and your body feels like shit, maybe, and maybe you’ve got a hangover, you don’t feel good, your wife’s been beating your ass or something, but when that bell rings, boom, you’re Jericho. Same thing here. I be back there in the back looking at that bag going, ‘Motherfucker, I don’t want to do this shit, damn.’ And they ring the bell, and it’s, I grab it, throw it on my back, go in there, do the thing, get the snake out, put it on the guy, come out the ring, hold it up in front of the people, and then I’d get to the back and as soon as I went through the curtain, ‘Goddamn, get that thing off of me!'”

If using any of the above quotes, please credit Talk Is Jericho with an h/t to 411mania.com for the transcription.