Zach Linder of WWE.com is featuring an exclusive interview with Jake “The Snake” Roberts where he talks about his surprise return to WWE during the “Old School” RAW last Monday night and how they were able to keep it a secret.
On being approached by WWE to return during the “Old School” RAW:
“I got a call from [Diamond] Dallas [Page] on Saturday afternoon saying, ‘Dude, are you sitting down? Are you alone?’ He told me WWE wanted to talk with me about an opportunity. At that point, I went completely blank. I couldn’t think, I couldn’t make sense of what was inside my head. It has been such a journey for me. They told me they were going to play it really old school by keeping it a secret from everybody, which was pretty cool. It brought back a lot of memories.”
How WWE was able to keep his return a secret:
“They said I was going to fly into a different airport so nobody saw me. I flew into Washington instead of Baltimore. They picked me up there and told me to call when I was 10 minutes away from the building so they could smuggle me in. I went to one of the busses and I stayed on there until about 10 minutes before the whole thing. I had no idea what we were going to do. At about five o’clock, after I had been there for about four or five hours, I was told what was going on. I was told to chill out and they’d bring me food and to call a number if I needed anything. It was a good, because it gave me time to reflect about where I’d been and what got me there.”
Who else was made aware of his return that night:
“As far as I know, only [talent executive] Mark Carrano, the lady that did the travel, Hunter, Vince and that was it. They smuggled me into the Gorilla Position, which was real fun – walking with my head down, not being able to see anything other than my feet. To shake Vince’s hand again was really big for me. When you’re where I was at, with the addiction, anger and confusion in my mind, you tend to paint the picture the way you want, which is wrong. When you’re full of hate, I thought it was everybody’s fault but mine, and that’s not the truth. And now I’ve faced the truth and come to grips with what I’ve done. Once I started getting clean, I started evaluating my life. I said some things that were really off-base, out of line and just complete lies. So it was great to see Vince again, have a nice, firm handshake and be able to thank the man for the opportunity to be standing there. Honestly, I didn’t think it would ever happen.”
Why he appreciated what CM Punk did that night:
“I appreciate CM Punk so much more now than I ever have. He kneeled down over at the side, got completely out of the picture and allowed me to have that moment. It was incredible. It shows people what a true professional he is. He really raised himself up on my list of people that I respect. He didn’t have to do that. I’m the old fart who screwed up what I had. To be allowed to come back to WWE is the greatest gift that’s ever been given to me. Back in the day, I never appreciated what WWE had given me, because I was in too much disarray and too confused about my own life. I let opportunities foolishly slip through my hands. To be given this opportunity to come back and grab a small piece of what was, that’s very special.”
To check out the full interview with Roberts, click here.
Source: WWE.com