"The first to get a can of whoop a**"- AEW star recalls legendary match against Steve Austin in WWE
AEW star and wrestling legend Jake "The Snake" Roberts recalled his legendary match against Steve Austin in WWE back in 1996.
Jake Roberts is one of the most iconic figures in the pro wrestling industry. The inventor of DDT helped create countless memories throughout his illustrious career. He was the catalyst behind the advent of the "Austin 3:16" era that began at King of the Ring 1996, where Steve Austin defeated him in the finals.
Roberts recently took to Twitter to mention that he's happy to have played a foundational role in the historic Austin 3:16 era. Here's what he had to say:
"I'm glad I was able to be part of wrestling history...even if it meant I had to be the first one to get a can of whoop a** opened up on me!!"
6-23-1996
I'm glad I was able to be part of wrestling history...even if it meant I had to be the first one to get a can of whoop ass opened up on me!!
@steveaustinBSR https://t.co/IkOpR81VDX
Jake Roberts was one of the first ones to claim that Steve Austin was destined to be a megastar
The aforementioned match and the subsequent iconic 3:16 promo marked the arrival of Stone Cold Steve Austin in pro wrestling. Coming fresh off his Ringmaster gimmick, Steve faced Roberts in a stellar match that's lauded to date.
However, Jake was possibly the first to believe that Austin would be a megastar and he helped put him over brilliantly.
A STUNNER FOR @PatMcAfeeShow!!! 🍻
#WrestleMania @steveaustinBSR https://t.co/omCC2cmvvl
Speaking on the DDP Snake Pit podcast, the WWE Hall of Famer opened up on identifying Austin's caliber before anyone else did:
"But it [The Ringmaster] wasn’t working and it wasn’t doing anybody any favors, and it finally got bad enough that they gave him some time off and he came back Stone Cold. At that time, I was helping write the storylines and I looked at the whole thing there and I told Vince ‘that guy’s going to be your next megastar." (Read more here)
He further mentioned that when he told Vince McMahon about it, he laughed and said Austin would be a mid-carder instead:
"Vince laughed at me, he said ‘No way. Middle of the card maybe.’ I said ‘No, you’re wrong. You wait and see.’ And that’s probably one of my better feel-good moments too because I was right.”
As the world saw, Austin rose to the occasion and conquered the path to superstardom. He made his in-ring return after 19 years at WrestleMania 38 earlier this year. The Texas Rattlesnake shocked the world with his terrific performance against Kevin Owens.
Meanwhile, Roberts has been making sporadic appearances in AEW as the manager for Lance Archer. Regarding Steve Austin, it's a no-brainer that Jake "The Snake" Roberts was spot on with his prediction.