Five Potential Hall of Fame Inductees of 2014 – Number 5

In three more months, we will witness the greatest spectacle in Sports Entertainment. Like every year, WWE will roll out with the “Grand daddy of Entertainment”, WrestleMania, and like every year, the night before the big event will see some of the greatest names in wrestling history come together to celebrate the legacies of a few legends, who will take their rightful place in wrestling history. These few behemoths of the wrestling past will be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame, and while that in itself is a massive honour, the WWE fans in attendance will cheer for the biggest names of the bygone era. For one night, they get to relive the past, as the WWE fans show their appreciation for the memories these legends had left behind. Sadly, there are instances when some of these legends do not live to see their achievements being rewarded, and the fans in attendance thank them nonetheless, at least one last time.

Throughout the years, WWE has been notorious of inducting people who’ve had very little to do with professional wrestling. The Mike Tysons and Drew Careys are some of the examples, but every year, WWE puts out a list of marquee names, legends who were considered to be the finest among their peers. WWE also has been at the receiving end of the wrath of WWE fans for ignoring certain legends, who fell out with Vince McMahon a long time ago. In this series, I take a look at five legends who should be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame this year, and given their due credit and recognition. Today, I kick things off with someone who not only is considered as a pioneer in professional wrestling, but has also seen his fair share of ups and downs, and has finally put his demons to rest. Quite ironically, he calls his pet “Damien”; he is none other than Jake “The Snake” Roberts.

Once considered as the greatest villain in the history of professional wrestling, Jake Roberts was an odd combination of a sadistic genius and a dangerous human being. His mannerisms and persona earned him the nickname of “The Snake”, and he was considered ahead of his time. Jake Roberts also had one of the best brains in the business, as he understood the ins and outs of professional wrestling. Jake wasn’t just a bad guy, but was the bad guy in professional wrestling in the 80s. Jake is also considered to be one of the most underrated performers in the history of professional wrestling, and someone who deserved to be a WWE champion at least once in his career. Jake Roberts had many memorable feuds and matches in the WWE, and was also known to be an innovator, using the vicious spike DDT as his finisher.

Last week on RAW, Jake Roberts made a surprise return, with his trusted friend Damien on his shoulder. Not only did that send the live audience into a frenzy, but it also left the door open for WWE to induct Jake Roberts into the WWE Hall of Fame this year. Jake Roberts, in the past two decades fell victim to his personal demons, and his downward spiral resulted in him being away from main stream professional wrestling. While Jake Roberts’ career wound down, he was responsible for the birth of one of the greatest characters in the history of professional wrestling, Stone Cold Steve Austin. Steve Austin’s “Austin 3:16” promo skyrocketed the superstar’s success into the upper echelons of professional wrestling, as he broke the proverbial glass ceiling and became one of the greatest superstars in WWE history!

Jake Roberts was also considered a master on the mic, and one of the best promo guys in the history of the company. His somber, morose yet almost poetic promos captured the imagination of the wrestling fans, and he became one of the best talkers in the industry. Jake’s methodical approach led to him being known as the master of mind games, and cemented his legacy as one of the most influential performers in the wrestling business. With WWE unwilling to bring Jake Roberts on their program for more than half a decade, the fans started believing that they might not see “The Snake” going into the Hall of Fame anytime soon, but that all changed last week. Jake Roberts’ return has sparked a speculation of WWE inducting him into the Hall of Fame, and if that is indeed true, then there aren’t a lot of people who deserve it more than Jake Roberts!