Jake Roberts has recalled his mid-1990’s drug relapse, alleging that some of his colleagues placed drug paraphernalia in his bags.
By 1997, Jake Roberts began to move into a backstage role within WWE rather than being a regular performer on television night in and night out.
During this period, Roberts began working as a writer for the company, something he freely admits that he enjoyed. However, his presence in the writers room wasn’t welcomed by everyone, and according to Jake “The Snake” that led to jealousy and “games being played” by others.
Speaking on his DDP Snake Pit podcast, Roberts explained that his stint as a writer came to an end due to these games, and Vince McMahon needing him to step back into the ring.
“I wasn’t struggling in the beginning, but I didn’t want to work. I just wanted to write,” Roberts said.” But as Vince does, he gets what he wants, and this guy would get hurt and this guy would miss a show and I would have to go replace him. That was okay. But then he said ‘we need you to on this European trip. We need you back on the road.’
“And games were being played at the office with the writers. There was a lot of jealousy involved. Some didn’t want me there, some did. And it wasn’t long before I was out of that. That’s a shame because I enjoyed writing. But when I went back on the road full time, I knew I was in trouble.”
However, being back on the road sent Roberts into a downward spiral which saw him relapse into using cocaine. This in turn led to his wife serving him with divorce papers. Roberts alleged that even before he started using cocaine again, fellow wrestlers put drug “utensils” in his bag.
“I can’t go seven days a week,” Roberts said. “Yet you are throwing me out here. And there were a few guys in the locker room that played some pretty nasty games. You know, putting stuff in my bags. The utensils you might use to do cocaine would be found in my bag. I didn’t put it in there. But it wasn’t long before I started using again and as soon as I did, my wife said, ‘we can’t do this again.’ And she divorced me.
“Once she filed on me, that was it. I left the WWF and I went straight to my cocaine because that was the only thing that took the pain away from me. That was the only thing that made it alright. When I did the coke, I could forget about my wife and my four kids. If I was high enough, I could forget about them. The only problem is when you wake up, you’ve got the same f**king problems.”
Roberts reflected that he was out of control before Diamond Dallas Page stepped in and saved his life. This process was documented in the film ‘The Resurrection of Jake the Snake.’
“I did a lot of things wrong,” Roberts admitted. “I was high. I was totally out of control. I’m ashamed of what I did. I was so full of hate at the time that I wanted everybody else to suffer. And there were certainly a lot of shows that suffered through my hi-jinx, my bullish*t, and the horrible thing that I did. But I was a maniac that was just f**king out of his mind.
I was out of my mind because I had lost my family, I was out of my mind because I lost my dream, I was out of my mind because I had thrown a career out the window, and I was out of my mind because I couldn’t quit. It’s a well-known fact and I’ll just say it again, I would not be sitting here today without Diamond Dallas Page.”
Jake Roberts is currently signed to AEW where he manages Lance Archer.
H/t to Wrestling Inc for the transcription.