Within the last few weeks, the WWE announced that Bruno Sammartino will be inducted into the 2013 WWE HOF on April 6th. Bruno finally accepted a return to the WWE after a long hiatus from the company due to personal differences with Vince McMahon and the WWE. In addition to Bruno, fans have been screaming for the WWE to induct Jake "The Snake" Roberts. Jake has had a tumultuous relationship with the WWE and only personal grudges by the WWE brass are apparently keeping him out. However, things might be changing for Roberts. According to a February 26th article by my colleague Kevin Kellam, another WWE HOF'er Greg "The Hammer" Valentine fanned the flames of Jake's WWE HOF campaign by making the following comments:
"I heard a rumor that Jake ‘the Snake’ Roberts may go in. He was a phenomenal wrestler, a second generation wrestler like myself.His mind and that gimmick with the snake, everybody knows that name. I don’t know if this is his year, but I would certainly like to see it happen."
If Bruno Sammartino can return to the WWE after a very long and public battle with Vince McMahon, then Jake Roberts can easily return to the company that made him a household name. Roberts is more than worthy of a HOF induction and it's a travesty that he's not already inducted. However, with Valentine's comments, it appears that things could be turning in the favor of Jake, which would make a generation of wrestling fans more than happy. Just don't ask Jake about this topic, he's tired of answering the same question over and over.
It seems that a potential WWE HOF induction isn't the only thing that's changed in Jake's life. It's common knowledge in wrestling circles that Jakes has battled drug problems for most of his adult life. However, he has miraculously turned things around when there seemed to be no hope left. With the help of former wrestler DDP, Jake has not only lost significant weight (over 60 pounds), but he has also been sober and looks the healthiest he has been in 25+ years.
According to a February 27th article by LFPress.com, Jake made the following comments about his time with DDP:
“He’s inspired me. He’s encouraged me. The only way I can say it is he’s given me the same type of encouragement that I wish my father had given to me. That’s the only way I can come close to understanding. The love that he has for me — sometimes I wake up and I shake my head, and I’m like ‘this dude needs some goddamn counseling. He’s so goddamned positive sometimes you just want to take a fist and shove it down his throat, and tell him to shut the eff up."
I'm a sucker for inspirational stories and what DDP has done with helping Jake turn his life around from the brink of death is nothing short of a miracle. Now, I just hope that DDP can help Scott Hall too.
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