Jake “The Snake” Roberts had wrestling fans thinking he was officially back under the WWE umbrella, but apparently that announcement got a little ahead of itself. Just days after saying he had “re-signed with WWE,” the Hall of Famer has now cleared up exactly what he meant — and there’s no WWE contract involved.
Roberts took to Twitter on November 3 and first addressed the confusion created by his recent claim that he had “re-signed with WWE.” According to Jake, he does work with WWE for things like autograph appearances and Topps cards, but he is not actually under contract.
“Got something I need to talk to you about. First thing is, I did a promo, talked to a fellow, had a great time being interviewed by him. I talked about going back to work for WWE. Yeah, in some capacity. That capacity is real simple — signing autographs.
I went to SummerSlam and signed some autographs, and I do some Topps cards here and there, and I enjoy doing it. Just like coming out and seeing you guys, signing autographs for you, taking photos. That’s all there is. I’m not under a contract — by no way, no means.”
That clears up comments Roberts made on October 31, when he casually said he had “re-signed with WWE” following the end of his six-year run with AEW.
“Staying busy. Not in AEW anymore. Re-signed with WWE, doing some stuff for them and just enjoying life, man.”
Roberts then moved on to the much more serious part of his update. He confirmed that he is currently using oxygen and said he has emphysema and COPD, while also acknowledging that smoking for roughly 50 years contributed to his health problems.
“The second thing I want to talk to you about is much more serious. It’s about me being on oxygen. Yes, I’m on oxygen. Why? Because I was a fool, and because of genetics. Genetically, I was given emphysema and COPD, and, like a fool, I picked up some bad habits along the way: smoking. Yeah, I smoked for 50 friggin’ years, man. But I quit. I quit five weeks ago, and I’m sticking with it.”
Roberts also revealed there is a medical procedure he hopes can eventually help him get off oxygen. According to Jake, he needs to remain smoke-free for six months before he can undergo it, giving him one hell of a reason to stick with quitting after five weeks.
“No-brainer, right? Yeah, because there’s a procedure they can do, but you have to be clean for six months before they’ll do it. It will help me get off oxygen, so thumbs up. We’re all good here. I’m gonna be around for a long time, so get used to it.”
And Jake certainly isn’t talking like someone ready to disappear anytime soon. He wrapped up the health update by putting himself on a very different kind of list.
“You have to put me on a different kind of list, I guess. A survivor list. See you around.”
So while Roberts may not actually have a new WWE contract, he has something considerably bigger to focus on right now. Five weeks without cigarettes is only the beginning of the six-month goal he described, and Jake seems determined to give himself the best possible shot at eventually ditching the oxygen.
How do you feel about Jake Roberts opening up about his health struggles and revealing that he finally quit smoking after 50 years? Let us know what you think in the comments.
This transcript was produced exclusively for Ringside News from the original recording. Republishing the transcription in full is prohibited. When using excerpts, provide prominent credit and a link to this article.
