In an earlier report, Jake’s “Assistant” Shannon suggested that someone Jake had been with in the ring “drugged him”. The two guys who were in the ring were JT Lightning who tried to work him, and J-Rocc who hit the ring after trying to get Jake to DDT him to salvage something. J-Rocc arrived late to the show. By then Jake had already downed numerous small bottles of vodka.
J-Rocc posted the following at his website www.J-Rocc.com
Jake The Snake Roberts, 9/12/08
OK, here is my version of what went down at Firestorm Pro Wrestling at the Phantasy Theater in Lakewood, OH on 9/12/08 between Jake The Snake Roberts, JT Lightning and myself. Ill post the facts first, before I go into any comments or what not. Video is at the end of this book Im fixin to write.
I arrived at the building during the VIP deal where Jake apparently began drinking. I came in through the back door, but had to walk around to the front to send someone on a run to the store to grab a DV tape for me. Jake was out front, and seemed like he was a little slurred when I spoke to him, but I have worked with Jake alot recently, and sometimes when your tired from the road, your voice takes a toll and your tired as hell, I know, so I thought nothing much about it, and went on my way. (Not to mention the fact I have been on several shows with Jake since his return from his WWE paid rehab last December, and it really seemed like Jake turned the corner this time.)
The night went on, my match was on third, so I did my thing, then was hanging out back near the locker rooms until the semi-main event, where I headed up to the top seating area, so I could get a good look at the match, which had 5 of the 6 guys involved that I trained, or helped teach. I was excited, the crowd was huge, which was a big deal for Firestorm, which has spent the last 10 months trying to find its way as a promotion. Firestorm has tried alot of different things to draw fans, to mixed and sometimes frustrating results, and all involved worked very hard on the new venue, the staging and production, which was very top notch, and on getting people in the building to see what great performers we have on our roster.So imagine the excitement in the locker room with between 5-600 hot fans packed into the building, and ready to have a great time, and Jake even gave a speech in the locker room to that effect, about how big this was and what a great opportunity it was for Firestorm Pro Wrestling, and everyone went out there and busted their ass to make sure those people came back.
So, back to the semi-main, for the Firestorm Title. I was watching the match, watching how the crowd reacted to everything, and got a phone call about halfway through. I stepped outside to talk on the phone, and missed about 5-10 mins of the match, which i was told afterwards was where Jake made an unplanned spectacle of himself, and the boys in the ring who were just going all out in this match were suddenly relegated to bystanders as Jake got to the commentary table and made quite a few lewd comments, including calling one of my trainees a “N—–“, who told me afterwards only restrained himself out of respect for me and Ray Rowe, who are training him, and the promoter, JC. Not jokingly, either, just called him a big “N—–“. On the mic. Nice. I come back in and watch the last 15 mins of the match, and one of the security guys fills me in on what I just missed, so I darted back to the locker room to figure out exactly what was going on. At this point, I have no idea what condition Jake is in, as he spent most of the night wasted, passed out, or attempting to get his opponent, JT Lightning, to score him some crack. Before I continue, I would like to comment right there on criticism of why Jake was allowed to even perform in this state. To understand that, first realize that the promoter booked Jake around a year ago against me and he was in similar condition, yet was able to be led through some semblance of a match (which was hurtful to me as a lifelong wrestling fan before getting in the business, and knowing the legacy of Jake and what he can do when his heads on right, and seeing how little care he had for the fans who still thought of him as he once was, the wrestler he was responsible for keeping safe and the people paying his bills), as well as the fact his agent was apprised of the situation and insisted Jake could do what he had to do.Hell, everyone knows Jake always worked messed up in the past, and could do enough to get by, its a running joke in the business. I usually dont side with promoters because they mostly suck and lie to everyone who works for them (not all, there are very good promoters out there, just not enough, lol), but in this case JC was truly damned either way. Had he not sent Jake out to the ring, with ALL of the publicity being centered around Jake The Snake, he was concerned about the appearance of false advertising, which I can assure you would have happened to him had he gone that route, he definitely has a bulls eye on him from people who dislike him. Whatever, he outdrew anyone around by working his ass off promoting the show, and until you walk in a mans shoes, you cant understand why he does what he does, so Im sure JC mostly didnt want to screw this show up.
Ok, so I am now back to the back, while they take a 5 minute intermission to try and assess this situation, and sell some concessions. I walk up to JT, who tells me how fried Jake is by this point, and hes gonna do what he can with him. JT went out there with every intention of getting whatever he could out of Jake, as evidenced by his working with him when he finally got to the ring. To protect himself, JT discussed the match with JC and decided that if Jake is going, cool have a great match, but should this not work, he was getting out of there and not allowing himself to get hurt. That is what ended up happening, JT tried and couldnt get a drop (bad pun, I know) out of Jake, so when Jake fell over, he simply covered him and got the hell out of dodge. I was in the back talking with Ray Rowe about his match, when I saw what was going on in the ring through the curtain. I look at Ray and said, this isnt going right, JT is pinning Jake right now about 30 secs into the match. Ray thought I was joking til he heard the bell. I looked right at Ray before the words could get out of his mouth, I emptied my pockets (Im in street clothes and sandals at this point), and said Im gonna get JT out of there before he kills Jake, and Ill take a quick DDT to cover this up and get the people home happy. Ray and JC are screaming Go Go Go, so there I went.
JT is on the stage as you see me come out to make sure he isnt gonna kill Jake (which he easily could have done, people are giving him hell for taking advantage of Jake, and god knows JT and I have never been best friends, but I was shocked he didnt just kick the shit out of Jake instead of getting out of there, if he really wanted to create an internet controversy he could have) and JT kind of looked at me like, this is bullsh*t, what are you doing out here. I told JT when your done, Im gonna try to get these people out of here with a ddt, and JT said his peace and left. I looked at Jake and told him to turn around, told him exactly why I was there and what I was going to do. He said hed kill me if I came in the ring. Now Im getting pissed, for many reasons Ill get to in a minute, and I yelled at him to turn the hell around and knock off the shit, lets fix this and be done, and we can argue in the back (Reasoning with a drunken drug addict=bad idea, lol), he again said hed kill me, I said so be it, and headed in the ring as Jake turned around. Notice, he fed me his back, so I think maybe Jake knows where Im going and will appreciate this after he realizes what went down. I jumped him from behind, I begged and pleaded with him to just DDT me, I even short arm reversed myself into a ddt, and Jake still wouldnt cooperate at this point. He just walked to the corner, and proceeded to make me, and every wrestler who worked all night look retarded as he decided to become “The Thinker” (famous statue, if u dont know the reference, google it) in the corner. I got really hot, because now he was not only shitting on everyone, and all the work earlier in the night where guys actually sold, and all the fans, and everything that went into this show, but he was making me look like an ass, and Im the only one out there thinking about Jake. Wrestlers are pissed, fans are throwing stuff, and I figure if I can help Jake get out of this, it wouldnt become anywhere near as bad as it became as far as press. Then he wants to fight, which as I said earlier would have been very easy, Im no tough guy beating up on people (cough-Ray Rowe-cough), but I could have dropped Jake just as easily as JT. Hell, Im pretty sure Hannah Montana would have taken Jake out at this point. But I was very pissed at his no-selling and killing my heat and credibility with every second that went by, so i went and got a chair, I figure if hes not gonna sell, then he could no sell a chair shot, if you know what Im saying. Thats my moment of anger, I admit, and you see on the video as I slide in with the chair, Ray Rowe must have seen this from the back, as he runs out and pulls me out of the ring and holds me back. Then Jake waits until after Im held out of the ring to lean through the ropes and call me back in to fight, which really pissed me off mainly because I was out there to help him. So while there is chaos on the outside of the ring, as JT made his way back out in case, hell I dont even know why, I just saw him back by me, lol, and people are pissed off and were ending the show with the way wrong kind of heat. I grabbed the mic while security removed Jake from the ring while he was flashing his penis at a crowd half filled with children, which really made me sick, and JC was looking like a boy who just got his brand new bike stolen on Christmas Day out of his yard, and with good reason. So I grabbed the stick and said something like “f*ck this guy, forget it, these wrestlers rocked the house, lets hear it for Firestorm,” and got a nice little Firestorm chant going to end the drama.
Or Not.
We get to the back, which is what leads to the next video out there with me and Jake outside the building. Wrestlers are trying to get Jake under control, as he is way more out of it by this point then even during the above debacle if you can believe that, and he is walking around going after random people wanting to fight. There must have been 15 wrestlers circling the Snake Wagon, lol, and I was still out in the ring, so when I come back, Im right in the middle of the deal. We get outside, where Jakes calls me unprofessional for shooting on him during the match, probably having me and JT confused by this point I think, but whatever, he pulls that crap where he says it as hes walking away. That re-set me off, for everything that already happened, plus unlike JT who didnt even work with him on this night (rightfully so), I have worked with him all screwed up and did everything in my power to send the crowd home that night thinking he was still Jake the Snake. I try to help the guy because I respect his legacy, even though I know what he really is nowadays. Not only that, but everyone in wrestling knows Jakes past, what he was before the drugs and booze took his gifts away from him, and what he went through over the various years of rehab. I was a huge fan of Jake Roberts, and study alot of his work in his prime from both WWF and Mid South/Georgia stuff because when he was on, Jake was really one of the greats.I truly thought, like most others that he was finally ready to take his life back, as he went to WWE sponsored rehab last December and got out clean and sober, and supposedly the old Jake was back. I, as a wrestler, fan and just out of human nature, was pulling for him like anyone else and the first few months out of rehab, we did several shows together and he was straight and working hard. It was a really great thing to see, I heard Vince was even watching him on the indies, to bring him into creative if he really had himself together. So, you have to understand that I was dissappointed severely in Jake, combined with the hard work we had put into the last year of Firestorm to get to this successful night, plus watching my own credibility get shit all over in the ring, When he called me unprofessional, thats where the other video starts, as I cut a scathing promo on him, and some people have a problem with that. Oh well. I refuse to apologize for anything, Jake has demons, but guess what, so does just about every wrestler, in one way or the other, the only reason Jake does what he does is because people enable him, make excuses for him, or simply mark out for him because hes a “legend”. Any wrestler who would try the shit that Jake pulled would have gotten alot worse, prolly beat up at the least, i guarantee it, and 99% would never be booked again.ANYWHERE, EVER, NO QUESTIONS ASKED.CAREER OVER. Not Jake, hell be back next weekend drunk or high at another show, because someone will mark out for him and his legacy, and the cycle continues. But the same people who enable him, the same fans and wrestling people who stick up for this crap or defend his “demons” while they have a drink with Jake and laugh at his drunken antics will put on their memorial shows, their tribute shows, they will get themselves over with “I loved Jake” promos and feel good about themselves for honoring Jake after he meets what will be his inevitable tragic death if someone doesnt get him out of this business until he is truly well, or else not at all. I truly think wrestling will always lead to Jakes relapses, because its been a part of his abuse for so long, its almost like a guy who gets a weekend pass from jail and is away from the warden, so he breaks every law he can while hes out, knowing hell be back in jail on Monday. I have heard some people didnt like that I cut a promo on Jake around the fans, “exposing” the business. Bro, not many stick up for this business like I do, or try to protect kayfabe like I do, which almost feels futile in todays crap-ass world of indy wrestling (not all of it, there are some great indy feds, but nowhere near as many as the ones that ruin our business). How anyone figures I exposed anything after Jakes nonsense is simply someone who is either a mark for Jake or doesnt like myself, JT, JC, Ray Rowe, Firestorm, whatever. I hope that Jake sees that video of our deal and says, Damn even that kid is on my shit, hell even if it pisses him off, I dont care maybe that will work, whatever gets through to Jake. I did what I had to do to make my point to Jake, and guess what, any fans watching at least left knowing Jake did what he did, and it wasnt ok with the wrestlers, either, which hopefully shows them that this isnt what any of us at Firestorm are about. People who werent there have all their stupid comments, and hey to each his own, anyone with a problem can let me know when they see me, but unless you were there, you dont know shit. Every wrestler left in the building after this, and every fan who witnessed it went out of their way to thank me for sticking up either for Firestorm, for wrestling in general, or for the fans, so I accomplished what I wanted to. Period. Jake Roberts has my phone number, and i am easy to reach, i will gladly talk to Jake again about any of this, and whatever happens happens. I think afterwards, and after viewing the video, Jake will realize I really was looking out for him, and it just got all blown up from there. If not, like I said, I hope he gets pissed, goes to rehab, gets clean (again) and comes out ready to kick my ass, Ill be fine with that. Hell, this stuff is all over, from AOL to TMZ and every acronym in between, so anyone who wants to book me and Jake, hit me up, Im down for whatever, hell lets bring in JT and make some money off this shit. Business is Business. I have never been a tough guy, or a shooter, whatever you want to call it, but I wont back down when I feel I am right. Also, Some people commented like who is JT, who is J-Rocc to do what they did, they are nobody, how dare they. Wrong, how dare Jake choose to drink 25 shots of vodka knowing he was there to perform, how dare Jake pull his dick out in front of a truckload of kids, and how dare Jake try to say he was “drugged” at the show. Has this mystery person been following Jake around for 25 years, druggin him everywhere he goes? Did they send him on live PPV at that legends thing drunk as hell? Oh, they must have been the ones who sent him to rehab what 10, 11 times in his life too right? I am outraged they would even say something like that, Jake drank himself stupid, took whatever pills or god know what else he did, and knew what he was doing the whole time. He is a 53 year old man, for christs sake. NO ONE, NO ONE drugged Jake Roberts, except Jake Roberts, and anyone dumb enough to believe that, im wasting my breath talking to anyways. If someone in any locker room I was in would do something like that to Jake or anyone, I can guarantee you they would be taken care of, and taken out of wrestling, at least as far as myself and any one of my friends in this business goes, and if I ever found out that something like that did happen to Jake, I would put it right here public for all to see, but i wont, because its the dumbest thing I have ever heard. His assistant lady is yet another reason we will be mourning Jake Roberts sooner, rather than later.
Im not judging anyone, but before you pass judgment on me or JT, think about what other people would have done to Jake, think about the Mike Levy deal in IWA MS, or New Jack and Mass Transit and imagine if people (working or shooting) with the mindset of getting over at someones physical expense (Not accusing IWA, just pointing out you never know what youll get on the indies) got their hands on Jake last Friday night in his condition. Hell, they would have beat his ass and prolly pissed on what was left of him, just for a few extra dvd sales.
I did what I felt I had to do, and I will deal with whatever fallout there may be, but I havent gotten any heat yet, 95% of the people who see/saw this know what the deal is, most that have some comments dont like me anyways, so Im not missing out on anything,lol. After the video was out, i called my mentor Tracy Smothers, told him my story and asked him if I had anything to apologize for, because I would if I did in a second. Tracy watched the video, and said I was in the right, and thats good enough for me. Anyone that seriously wants to talk about it, just ask me, and ill tell you exactly what i just said here, I understand that you might not understand, but you couldnt unless you found yourself in the middle of it.
Plain and simple, I hope someone through all this finally gets through to Jake. Before its too late.
Give it up one Time!
TMZ Coverage:
http://www.tmz.com/tmz_main_video?titleid=1794987209
You Tube #1:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zmRTg6l_A2A
You Tube # 2:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cYIpIMg8nu4
