Jake Roberts Aurelian Jake Smith , Jr . ( May 30 , 1955 ) is a second - generation semi - retired American professional wrestler , the son of former wrestler Aurelian " Grizzly " Smith . He is best known by his ring name of Jake " The Snake " Roberts , and often brought snakes into the ring , including a boa constrictor named Damien and even a de - venomed cobra , named Lucifer . Roberts is best known for his two stints in the World Wrestling Federation — the first between 1986 and 1992 , and the second between 1996 and 1997 — though he also 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 has made sporadic appearances for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling from 2006 through 2008 . Throughout his career he was known for his intense and cerebral promos , his dark charisma , his extensive use of psychology in his matches , and has been credited as inventor of the DDT maneuver . Roberts was also one of the subjects of the 1999 documentary film " Beyond the Mat " . In 2014 , he was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame Professional wrestling career . Early career . Roberts started his career in 1974 in the Louisiana area , as a referee and wrestler , making his name in Mid - South Wrestling , Mid - Atlantic Championship Wrestling , and Georgia Championship Wrestling . It was in the National Wrestling Alliance during 1983 that Roberts became part of Paul Ellering ' s heel stable , the Legion of Doom , and began a feud with Ron Garvin over the NWA World Television Championship that lasted into 1984 . In 1984 , Roberts entered World Class Championship Wrestling ( WCCW ) joining up with " Gentleman " Chris Adams and Gino Hernandez in their feud against the Von Erichs , winning the WCCW Television title and 6 - Man Tag Team title ( with Adams and Hernandez ) . Roberts returned to Mid - South Wrestling for 1985 , ending his run there in February 1986 after a feud with Dick Slater . World Wrestling Federation ( 1986 – 1992 ) . 1986 – 1988 . Roberts ' first major feud was against Ricky " The Dragon " Steamboat . The feud began on a nationally televised episode of " Saturday Night ' s Main Event " in May 1986 . Roberts executed the DDT on Steamboat on the floor right in front of his wife , Bonnie , whom Roberts had pointed to just before delivering the blow and then proceeded to rest his snake Damien on top of a prone Steamboat . Roberts went so far as to put the snake in Steamboat ' s mouth . He later stated that he was initially against doing the angle for fear that he might seriously injure or kill Steamboat . While Vince McMahon and booker George Scott were adamant about wanting the DDT to take place on the floor , he refused until Steamboat told him that he would be able to adequately protect himself from injury . Steamboat was rendered unconscious and sustained a concussion . After Steamboat ' s recovery , the feud featured Steamboat introducing a " Komodo dragon " ( actually a small alligator ) as his " pet " to combat the psychological effects Roberts ' reptilian counterpart had on most adversaries . The feud continued with Steamboat winning most of the matches ( losing only one and because he threw Roberts back in the ring before the 10 count , then not beating said count himself ) , most notably a Snake Pit Match ( ostensibly a no - DQ match ) at " The Big Event " in Toronto , and the rematch on the October 1986 edition of " Saturday Night ' s Main Event " . Since their feud ended , both men have cited tremendous respect for one another , stating that the feud was a personal favorite for both . When asked about " The Dragon " in an interview , Roberts stated , " [ Steamboat ] was a great wrestler , but an even better man . " Also during this time , Roberts began hosting a talk segment called " The Snake Pit , " which debuted on the first episode of " WWF Wrestling Challenge " . " The Snake Pit " was patterned after " Piper ' s Pit , " wherein Roberts would conduct interviews with wrestlers or managers to help push wrestlers and get feuds over with the crowd . The segment was eventually moved to " WWF Superstars of Wrestling " ( to replace " Piper ' s Pit " ) before the last segment aired in July 1987 . In November 1986 , Roberts challenged Randy " Macho Man " Savage for the Intercontinental Championship in a nationally televised match . Before the match , announcer Vince McMahon stated that the fans would probably support Savage against the disliked Roberts . However , to the surprise of both McMahon and fellow broadcaster Jesse Ventura , the fans cheered loudly for Roberts throughout the fight . The match ended in a double disqualification . Around this time , the WWF was trying to get a feud between Roberts and Hulk Hogan going , but after Roberts DDT ' d Hogan during an episode of " The Snake Pit " , too many people started chanting for the DDT rather than for Hogan , forcing them to step away from this like it never happened . He officially turned face when he feuded with The Honky Tonk Man , a heel with an Elvis impersonator gimmick . The Honky Tonk Man attacked Roberts with a guitar during his interview segment " The Snake Pit " . In reality , The Honky Tonk Man ' s guitar shot legitimately injured Roberts ' neck . The shot was prior to the use of gimmicked breakable guitars , so it caused a legitimate injury . The Honky Tonk Man denies that he legitimately injured Roberts , although Jimmy Hart , as well as a video of the incident ( seen on the " Pick Your Poison " DVD ) suggests otherwise . The attack led to their match at WrestleMania III in which Roberts had Alice Cooper in his corner . He would go on to unsuccessfully challenge The Honky Tonk Man for the Intercontinental Championship several times throughout the rest of 1987 . The initial plan was for Roberts to win the Intercontinental Championship shortly after The Honky Tonk Man ' s win over Ricky Steamboat and begin an angle with the Million Dollar Man Ted DiBiase , but because of the injuries he suffered from the guitar shot , the decision was made to keep the belt with The Honky Tonk Man . Perhaps his best - known feud was against " Ravishing " Rick Rude , who began a gimmick of selecting a woman from the crowd to kiss after each match . In one segment , Rude chose Roberts ' real - life wife , Cheryl , who refused the kiss . After Rude began insulting Roberts , Cheryl slapped him , angering Rude before Roberts ran out for the save . This began a heated feud throughout the summer of 1988 , which escalated after Rude began wearing a pair of tights emblazoned with a visage of Mrs . Roberts , ( another act that was not sanctioned by WWF at the time and was Rude ' s own brainchild ) which an irate Roberts tore off . Many believe this angle was far ahead of its time , a precursor to The Attitude Era . 1989 – 1990 . Roberts moved from the feud with Rude into a feud with André the Giant . On a nationally televised Saturday Night ' s Main Event , Roberts and Rude fought to a no - contest , and Andre came out to help Rude . Roberts used his snake , Damien , to scare Andre into an eventual " heart attack . " Although the subsequent feud on the house show circuit saw Andre victorious after most of those matches , Roberts can claim a victory via disqualification over André after André attacked special guest referee Big John Studd at WrestleMania V . Shortly after his feud with André had ended , Roberts entered into a feud originally scheduled to happen years before with Ted DiBiase . Instead of fighting for the Intercontinental Championship , the prize of the feud was DiBiase ' s Million Dollar Belt . It was at this time that Roberts ' disc problems were publicly acknowledged , as DiBiase attacked Roberts after a victory over his bodyguard Virgil on " WWF Superstars of Wrestling " . In the attack , Roberts was ( storyline ) injured by DiBiase and needed time off to have surgery to repair the damage . Roberts returned and feuded with DiBiase throughout the end of 1989 into 1990 , including a point where Roberts stole DiBiase ' s Million Dollar Belt , daring him or Virgil to reach into the canvas sack to retrieve it . The culmination of their feud took place at WrestleMania VI , where in a match where the Million Dollar Belt was on the line , DiBiase gained a count - out victory over Roberts , thus regaining the non - sanctioned title . After the match , Roberts mounted an offensive against DiBiase and Virgil and then began giving away DiBiase ' s " money " . Following a brief feud with Bad News Brown in the summer of 1990 , Roberts feuded with Rick " The Model " Martel throughout late 1990 into early 1991 , after Martel ( kayfabe ) blinded Roberts by spraying cologne into his eyes . Roberts went so far as to wear white contact lenses to " prove " his blindness . After several months , the feud culminated in a match at WrestleMania VII , in which both contestants were blindfolded . The bout ended after Roberts beat Martel with a DDT . 1991 – 1992 . In early to mid - 1991 , Roberts engaged in a feud with Earthquake after he " squashed " Damien with a pair of Earthquake splashes during a televised match ; in actuality , Roberts ' bag contained hamburger stuffed in pantyhose with a small motor to make it appear that a live snake was in the bag . When the match aired on " WWF Superstars of Wrestling " , footage of Earthquake landing on Damien was interrupted with cutaway shots to that show ' s " Events Center , " but when aired later on " WWF Prime Time Wrestling " the following week , Earthquake ' s actions toward Damien aired uninterrupted and uncensored . The feud was advanced when , several weeks later , Earthquake appeared on " WWF Prime Time Wrestling " and served " Quakeburgers " to co - host Lord Alfred Hayes , later revealing that the meat was ground from Damien ' s carcass . Roberts appeared on Brutus " The Barber " Beefcake ' s interview segment " The Barbershop " and stated that " " You could do two things : Roll over and die , or get yourself a bigger snake " " , in which he revealed that his new snake was a larger python , a reticulated python whom he named " Lucifer " — the supposed big brother of Damien and " the devil himself . " Heel turn . Roberts began a heel turn later in the summer of 1991 following a series of televised vignettes featuring the Ultimate Warrior turning to Roberts for help in his feud with The Undertaker . In the set - up , Roberts explained to Warrior that , after passing three tests , he would have the " knowledge of the dark side " to defeat Undertaker . The segments included Warrior being locked inside a coffin ( a reprise of an incident that occurred on " The Funeral Parlor , " hosted by the Undertaker ' s manager , Paul Bearer ; earlier in the year ) ; the Warrior being " buried alive " in dirt before being abandoned ; and Warrior walking through a room full of live snakes to reach a chest containing " the answer . " During the latter segment , the Warrior opened the chest , only to be immediately bitten by a King Cobra ( the snake was a rubber prop ) . As Warrior " weakened " from the " effects " of the cobra ' s strike , Roberts was joined by The Undertaker and Paul Bearer , revealing the three were working together all along ; Roberts closed the final segment by proclaiming , " " Never trust a snake . " " A series of matches were planned , but the feud was canceled after the Ultimate Warrior was fired by the WWF the night of SummerSlam . Feuds with Sid Justice , Randy Savage and Undertaker . After SummerSlam , Roberts was placed in a feud with " Macho Man " Randy Savage . The set - up story had Roberts crashing the post - SummerSlam wedding reception of Savage and Miss Elizabeth ; Roberts ' presence was explained when Elizabeth opened a gift package to reveal a live snake . Roberts and The Undertaker appeared to beat up Savage , until Sid Justice ran them off . Roberts was then in a Short feud with Justice , When Sid was scheduled to wrestle " El Diablo " , The Undertaker came out and accepted the Challenge to Sid , Then " El Diablo " unmasked himself , It was Jake , Then Jake unleashed a King Cobra to have it bite Sid , Until Hacksaw Jim Duggan saved Sid , Sid & Jake wrestled on Superstars a week later , Then Sid injured his biceps , Which forced the Feud to end . Roberts immediately began berating Randy Savage in a series of promos , aware that Savage - who had lost a retirement match to the Ultimate Warrior earlier in the year - was unable to exact revenge . During an October 21 taping for " WWF Superstars of Wrestling " in Fort Wayne , Indiana , Roberts goaded Savage into the ring and brutally attacked him , eventually tying Savage into the ropes and getting a live cobra to bite his arm ; the snake was devenomized and , according to Roberts ' DVD " Pick Your Poison " , he had trouble getting the cobra to release his bite . The segment went on longer than planned , and Savage ' s blood was clearly visible as it dripped from the puncture wounds . The footage of Savage suffering was censored with a large " X " when aired on " WWF Superstars of Wrestling " November 23 , but aired uncensored on cable television . Ironically , the snake died shortly afterwards , causing Savage to later joke that the snake got the venom from him . WWF president Jack Tunney reinstated Savage as an active wrestler to get revenge for the attack . To explain the absence of the cobra in kayfabe , Tunney " banned " Roberts from ever bringing a snake to the ring again . Savage and Roberts feuded for the next few months . Their first match was at the Tuesday in Texas pay - per - view December 3 in San Antonio , Texas , which saw Savage earn a victory over Roberts ; the two continued to brawl after the match , and Roberts eventually gained the upper hand by laying Savage out with a series of DDTs . Roberts then demanded that Elizabeth beg him to stop the assault , but when he was dissatisfied with her pleas , he slapped her in the middle of the ring . The feud would continue through the early part of 1992 , and included Savage eliminating Roberts from that year ' s Royal Rumble match . The feud ended on " Saturday Night ' s Main Event " , with Savage getting the win . Roberts , livid at having lost to him and having received two of Savage ' s flying elbow drops ( one of which happened after the match ; Savage was going for a third until officials intervened ) , was helped backstage . Enraged , he grabbed a steel chair and said that he was going to hit whoever came backstage first , whether it was Savage or Elizabeth . Just as Roberts was about to swing the chair , an unknown person stopped him . Roberts turned to confront this person , who turned out to be the Undertaker ; Roberts was distracted long enough for Savage to hit him with the chair instead . That incident helped set up Roberts ' feud with the Undertaker , who along with Bearer were in the midst of a face turn . Roberts appeared on " The Funeral Parlor " to demand answers from the Undertaker about why he stopped him from attacking Elizabeth . When Roberts was dissatisfied with the answers , he DDT ' ed Bearer and , after jamming Undertaker ' s hand in a coffin , began hitting him with a steel chair ; however , Undertaker was able to fend off the blows and chased Roberts backstage . At WrestleMania VIII , Roberts lost the match . Departure . The WrestleMania VIII match turned out to be Roberts ' last for the WWF for nearly four years . Roberts ' departure came after he was upset that WWF chairman Vince McMahon did not offer him a position on the writing staff , despite being promised such previously . After Pat Patterson stepped down from his post on the writing staff , McMahon decided that out of respect for Patterson , the spot would be left vacant . Roberts felt he was not only being lied to , but also being betrayed . In response , he threatened to no - show WrestleMania if he was not given a release from his contract . World Championship Wrestling ( 1992 – 1993 ) . Roberts went on to work for World Championship Wrestling ( WCW ) alongside his father , Grizzly Smith , where he aligned himself with The Barbarian and Cactus Jack to feud against Sting and Nikita Koloff . However , before he could officially join WCW , he had to wait almost 90 days . According to the " Pick Your Poison " DVD , Roberts had initially signed a lucrative contract under Kip Allen Frey , who was running WCW at the time . On the 87th day , Frey stepped down and was replaced by Bill Watts , for whom Roberts had legitimate heat with back in his days at Mid - South Wrestling . Ultimately , Roberts estimates that he went from making about $ 3 . 5 million a year to approximately $ 200 , 000 a year . His first major TV wrestling appearance for WCW was at " Clash of the Champions " , where his team won a 4 - man elimination tag match . Roberts scored a pinfall victory over Sting , which built their feud further . His single WCW pay - per - view match was against Sting at Halloween Havoc in 1992 . Their match was determined via the Spin the Wheel , Make the Deal gimmick . There was a series of gimmick matches on the wheel , but because the wheel itself was not gimmicked , neither Roberts nor Sting knew the kind of match they ' d be wrestling until the wheel stopped spinning . When the wheel stopped , it had landed on what many pundits believed was the worst option — the Coal Miner ' s Glove match . While it was the company ' s top - selling PPV for several years , Roberts soon left WCW . Asistencia Asesoría y Administración . Roberts debuted in the Mexican promotion Asistencia Asesoría y Administración ( AAA ) in April 1993 , causing the defeat of Konnan on the career vs . career match at TripleMania I . Jake ' s run - in started a feud that lasted until 1994 at TripleMania II - C , in which Konnan managed to defeat Roberts in a hair vs . hair match . For some months of 1997 Roberts fought again in the AAA , teaming with Gorgeous George III , Glenn Jacobs , and Rick Bognar . This stint was not successful and Roberts left after TripleMania V . World Wrestling Federation ( 1996 – 1997 ) . Roberts returned to WWF at the Royal Rumble in 1996 , as a Bible - preaching face . To go along with his new gimmick , his new Albino Burmese Python was named " Revelations . " His gimmick also mirrored his real life , as Roberts had recently become a born - again Christian and had been preaching around the country . During his second tenure with the company , Roberts was pushed as a " Cinderella story " and faced " Stone Cold " Steve Austin in the final match of the King of the Ring tournament . Due to injuries received at the hands of Vader in their semi - final match that night , Austin easily defeated him and mocked his recital of the biblical passage John 3 : 16 by saying " " You sit there , and you thump your Bible , and you say your prayers , and it didn ' t get you anywhere . . . Talk about your Psalms , talk about your John 3 : 16 . . . Austin 3 : 16 says I just whooped your ass ! " " . The catch phrase would help propel Austin to the top of the WWF and pro wrestling throughout " The Attitude Era " of the late 1990s to early 2000s . Roberts next feuded with Jerry " The King " Lawler , who went to great lengths to ridicule Roberts ' past bouts against alcoholism . At one point , Lawler spat real whiskey at Roberts . In November 1996 , Roberts , Vader , and Brother Love appeared on the ABC sitcom " Boy Meets World " for one episode . In early 1997 , the WWF wanted Roberts to wind down his in - ring career and to join the backstage side of the company . Since he still loved to wrestle , he did not make this transition well . This led to a relapse with drugs and alcohol . He was fired in February 1997 . According to the " Pick Your Poison " DVD , after his firing , his long - time wife Cheryl filed for divorce . Extreme Championship Wrestling ( 1997 ) . During the summer of 1997 , Jake debuted in ECW . His introduction came towards the end of a match between Lawler and Tommy Dreamer , which was the main event of the show . As the match went on , the arena lights were turned off . Moments later when the lights came back on , Roberts was already in the ring , and had given his signature DDT on Dreamer . He then went to the camera man and screamed ; " " Your God . . . he giveth , and he can taketh away . My God , he giveth . . . but he aint got the balls to do nothin ' else " . " He promptly clotheslined Lawler , dragging him over Dreamer for the victory in Lawler ' s favor before exiting the ring . " Beyond the Mat " and " Heroes of Wrestling " . In 1999 , Roberts was unflatteringly featured in the wrestling documentary " Beyond the Mat " . Throughout the film he made numerous confessions about his tragic past , including the murder of his sister and the collapse of his marriage . Amongst the more disturbing moments was Roberts reportedly smoking crack in a hotel room after a reunion with his daughter Brandy , though the act is not shown on camera . In 2005 , Roberts , along with others , heavily criticized the film for showing him in a negative light , complaining that the depiction of him was " not the real Jake Roberts . " Roberts also claimed that director Barry Blaustein and Terry Funk lied to him about the aims of the film , telling him it was a television special on the effects of drug and alcohol abuse . Great Britain ; All Star / WAW / Hammerlock / WWE ( 2001 – 2005 ) . In 2001 , Roberts moved to Great Britain , where he began competing for Brian Dixon ' s All Star Wrestling . In December , he made his debut for Ricky Knight ' s World Association of Wrestling in Lowestoft . On October 20 , 2002 , Roberts became the NWA UK Hammerlock Heavyweight Champion in Maidstone , Kent , England by defeating " Vigilante " Johnny Moss . Moss regained the title the next night in Ashford , Kent , though . In November 2002 , Roberts started his own wrestling promotion in the UK , called " Real Stars of Wrestling " . Roberts made his final British appearance at WAW ' s " October Outrage " show in Canvey Island , Essex , once again teaming with Steve Quintain against the UK Pitbulls . However , Roberts turned up at the show " in no fit state to compete " , but went ahead with his match . Roberts cut a drunken promo paying tribute to Ray Traylor , who had died a few days before , and almost got into a scuffle with several WAW wrestlers who were sent out to defuse the situation . This involved challenging Zak Zodiac , son of Ricky Knight and Sweet Saraya , and who was only 13 at the time , to a fight . Roberts made a World Wrestling Entertainment ( WWE ) appearance on March 14 , 2005 on " Raw " , where he confronted Randy Orton , who was preparing to challenge The Undertaker at WrestleMania 21 . Roberts warned Orton that facing The Undertaker , particularly at WrestleMania , could be a soul - altering experience ; he then fell victim to Orton ' s " RKO , " helping to fuel Orton ' s " Legend Killer " gimmick . He worked with the company to create a DVD retrospective of his career ( the aforementioned " Pick Your Poison " DVD ) , which was released later that year . Total Nonstop Action Wrestling ( 2006 – 2008 ) . Roberts made an appearance on the October 19 , 2006 edition of " TNA Impact ! " . He announced he would referee the Monster ' s Ball match between Brother Runt , Abyss , Raven , and Samoa Joe at Bound for Glory . Roberts proceeded to cut a rambling , incoherent promo that was barely audible to the live audience . At least once , he ended up on his back during the promo and had trouble getting up . The promo lasted a couple of minutes live but was so incoherent that it was edited down to about 15 seconds on the broadcast of " Impact ! " He had a snake in a bag , which he placed on Brother Runt after Runt came out and confronted Roberts . At one point , he even stuffed the snake ' s head down the front of Runt ' s pants . The confrontation was only partially aired on " Impact ! " . At Bound for Glory , he performed his signature DDT on Raven , giving Samoa Joe the win in the match . Roberts did his signature after match ritual by putting a snake ( which resembled " Revelations " ) on Raven . Roberts made a one - night return to TNA in 2008 as a guest of " Black Machismo " Jay Lethal and SoCal Val ' s storyline wedding at Slammiversary . PWA ; Jim Rose Circus and retirement ( 2008 – 2011 ) . Roberts made an appearance at Booker T ' s Houston - based Pro Wrestling Alliance ( PWA ) promotion , in which he cut a promo urging those who want to enter the wrestling business to not follow along his path . At one point he stated that he loved the wrestling business more than anything else in the world . PWA wrestler " Rockstar " Robbie Gillmore then interrupted Jake and attempted to make an alliance based upon the fact that Robbie wears an 80s style shirt featuring a cobra . Jake had just stated that all he ever wanted was a little respect , and the Rockstar ' s interruption irritated him . Jake then attacked Gillmore . In May 2009 , Roberts joined the Jim Rose Circus for the " Jim Rose Circus vs . Jake " The Snake " Roberts : The Legends Collide Tour " . Advertised as " a grueling 40 city campaign " containing pretty girls , wrestling , amazing circus stunts , and a fist fight , the tour features Jim Rose and wrestler Sinn Bouldi - Sinn Bowdee as " Team Jake " . On January 29 , 2011 , Roberts wrestled what was billed as his retirement match , when he defeated Sinn Bowdee at the Pro Wrestling Guerrilla ( PWG ) show during the WrestleReunion 5 weekend . Post - retirement ( 2012 – present ) . News circulated beginning in October 2012 that Roberts had moved in with former pro - wrestler Diamond Dallas Page , and was living in Atlanta , Georgia . Page stated that their goal was to get Jake clean , sober , and back in shape through DDP Yoga so that he could make one last pro wrestling run . At WrestleCon 2013 , Roberts announced his desire to return to WWE as a participant in the 2014 Royal Rumble . On January 6 , 2014 , Roberts returned on WWE television for the first time in almost nine years as a part of " Old School Raw " at the end of the CM Punk vs Roman Reigns match , bringing out a new snake with him and aiding The New Age Outlaws and Punk in fending off The Shield . Gimmick . Jake Roberts claims to have invented the DDT in a match where he had his opponent , The Grappler , in a front facelock , but when Jake tripped over Denton ' s foot he fell backwards and Roberts ' opponent landed on his head . From that match , Roberts claimed the move as his finisher , calling it the DDT , though instead of falling back , he stepped back before falling ( which , as he explained on his DVD " Pick Your Poison " , was the quickest way to drive his opponent ' s head into the mat and also gave the move a " snap " effect ) . When asked what the initials DDT stood for , he famously replied " The End . " In the 2005 DVD documentary , World Wrestling Entertainment employee Bruce Prichard said Roberts named the move after the pesticide of the same name . Roberts has also said often that " DDT " stands for " Drop Dead Twice " . Roberts has further been said to claim it stands for " Don ' t Do it Twice . " Many Jake Roberts critics are quick to point out that he never tells a story the same way twice and that if asked the same question in two separate interviews , Jake Roberts is known for giving two completely different versions of the " honest to God truth " . Roberts derived his nickname for being known as " snake like " and untrustworthy . Roberts also said on the " Pick Your Poison " DVD that he got his nickname by copying Oakland Raiders quarterback Ken " The Snake " Stabler ( of whom Roberts was a huge fan ) . To accentuate this , he would often slide ( " slither " ) into and out of the ring on his belly under the bottom rope . Once he reached the World Wrestling Federation ( WWF ) in March 1986 , Roberts would bring a huge , live Burmese Python ( though various snakes were used over the years , most were named " Damien " ) to ringside in a canvas bag . Other snakes used were a Reticulated Python named Lucifer , who was called Damiens ' older brother after Earthquake sat on the bag that ( kayfabe ) contained Damien , and the de - venomized Cobra that bit Macho Man Randy Savage . After executing a DDT , Roberts would coil the constrictor around the opponent ' s neck , and the snake would slither around on top of the fallen wrestler , sometimes appearing to strangle him . Besides the fact that numerous fellow wrestlers and commentators were legitimately afraid of snakes , it was a masterful show as the wrestler lay twitching and sometimes foaming at the mouth with the monstrous snake appearing to squeeze the life out of him . This display of theatricality was big with professional wrestling fans . Personal life . Roberts is the son of wrestler Grizzly Smith , with whom he had a strained relationship . He has a half - brother , Michael and a half - sister , Robin , both of whom also became wrestlers ( Sam Houston and Rockin ' Robin ) . Roberts has a daughter named Brandy Grace ( born 29 July 1975 ) with his first wife Karen S . Rauschuber , whom he married on 27 February 1975 . Brandy appeared in the wrestling documentary , " Beyond the Mat " . Roberts also has a son from his first marriage , named Dustin ( born 1980 ) . On 2 August 1984 Roberts married his second wife , Cheryl Dawn Hagood . The couple had 2 children , including a daughter named Codi Dawn ( born 1985 ) before divorcing in 2000 . In 2004 , Roberts faced a charge of " causing unnecessary suffering " after his snake , Damien , was allowed to starve to death in the garage of his London Colney home . In 2007 , WWE started a policy that they would pay all expenses for any former WWWF / WWF / WWE performer who needed to enter into any form of drug rehabilitation . According to various wrestling news reports , as well as his own MySpace page , Roberts was placed in a 14 - week voluntary rehab program by WWE as of December 10 , 2007 . In May 2008 , Jim Ross reported that , " " Jake Roberts has been doing well the past few weeks , after completing a treatment program . " " / Roberts ' official MySpace page reported that he was back to working indy shows . Roberts is an unlockable character in " WWE SmackDown vs . Raw 2011 " , alongside several other legends , such as Stone Cold Steve Austin , Jimmy Snuka , and Terry Funk . On November 27 , 2010 , Roberts was inducted into the Legends Pro Wrestling " Hall of Fame " by Jack Blaze in Wheeling , WV at their annual " LPW November To Remember " event .