Jake Roberts comments on legendary WWE Hall of Famer's refusal to put wrestlers over
Jake "The Snake" Roberts recently shed light on another famous WWE Hall of Famer's unwillingness to put over other superstars.
Late legend "Rowdy" Roddy Piper was a standout performer, one that influenced a plethora of talents in the generations that followed. However, he was also a controversial talent and had a bad reputation with some. His WrestleMania 6 feud with Bad News Brown, in particular, may have involved more backstage drama than fans realized.
Talking about his own program with Brown on The Snake Pit, Jake Roberts recalled that the former had an easier time working with him than with Piper right before. During this time, Piper infamously painted half of his body black for his showdown with Brown. Roberts recalled:
"I never was one to play that drama s**t, man," said Roberts. "Never was. Maybe I should have been, but I wasn't ... [But] I heard that he [Piper] wouldn't lay down for anybody, which to me is just ridiculous. It is a work, man! If your s**t isn't good enough to sustain you through doing a job for somebody, your s**t must be pretty damn weak." [H/T: Wrestling Inc.]
Bad News Brown eliminates Rowdy Roddy Piper after Roddy eliminated Bad News seconds earlier in the 1990 Royal Rumble match pic.twitter.com/plt4JpJam3
Roddy Piper's reported refusal to lose clean to Bad News Brown added up to the latter eventually parting ways with WWE following SummerSlam 1990. Roberts himself left the company two years later, though he returned in 1996 for a short stint. He is currently signed with AEW.
Jake Roberts on who the bigger WWE star was between Shawn Michaels and Bret Hart
According to the legend, neither Shawn Michaels nor Bret Hart was a true champion, as opposed to somebody like Bruno Sammartino. On an earlier episode of The Snake Pit, Roberts was asked to pick the better performer between the two:
“Better performer? Shawn. Bret just gets dull at times, you know? And his interviews aren't up to par; I don't think, to what they should be for what position he held. I think his interviews were poor at best." [H/T: Wrestling Inc.]
Is the WWF big enough for both Shawn Michaels and Bret Hart?(short answer:it wasn't).that subject is discussed in the January/February,1997 issue of WWF Magazine.#MyMagazinePickOfTheDay pic.twitter.com/OdsS3H2tRT
The WWE Hall of Famer further added:
"They were part of that era that quit selling things. [They] just did everything. I will give it to Bret that he did wrestle a lot more than Shawn. But Bret, to me, just — oh, boy, I'm going to get myself in trouble here. He just wasn't a champion to me. There, I said it. Neither one of them [were]."
Check out a hilarious anecdote Jake Roberts shared about the late Paul Bearer and his belief that without him, there wouldn't be an "Undertaker" in WWE here.