WWE legend says Vince McMahon made star pour whiskey on him when he was struggling with sobriety
Former WWE Chairman Vince McMahon made Jerry "The King" Lawler pour whiskey on Jake "The Snake" Roberts in an angle, during a time when Roberts was struggling with his sobriety.
Jake Roberts and Jerry Lawler were in a heated feud in 1996, which was the year that the former had returned to WWE after a four-year gap. In the angle, Lawler mocked and ridiculed Roberts' real-life issues with alcoholism.
In a recent edition of the DDP Snake Pit podcast, Roberts stated that he was not in favor of doing the angle in 1996, where his real-life issues were made fun of. He also did not like having whiskey poured on his face, which Lawler reportedly claimed he was ordered to do so by Vince McMahon.
"Absolutely was in horrible taste. They were making fun of me being an alcoholic. He went out and poured a bottle of whiskey on my face, burnt the sh*t out of my eyes. Ask Jerry [Lawler] he'll tell you the same damn thing [that they used real whiskey to pour on his face] because when it came time for me to pour it on him, he goes, 'You can't pour that on me.' I said, 'What do you mean? You poured it on me.' He goes, 'Vince wanted it poured on you.' That motherf**ker," said the Hall of Famer. [20:32-21:00]
He continued:
"That was a real bad angle and even Lawler didn't want to do it," said Roberts. [22:42-22:47]
TIL the whiskey Jerry Lawler poured over Jake Roberts at Summerslam 1996 was supposed to be iced tea but they ended up using real whiskey to rib Jake https://t.co/0GxOxQYJ9R
The legend said that he didn't know at the time that Jerry "The King" Lawler was also not keen on taking part in the angle, and he had some harsh feelings for the former WWE commentator. Roberts, though, clarified that he and Lawler are on good terms after they talked about the angle.
Jake Roberts left WWE a year after that angle
23 years ago today, Stone Cold Steve Austin defeated Jake "The Snake" Roberts to win King of the Ring tournament.
Austin gave the WWE universe the infamous speech that put Austin 3:16 on the map. https://t.co/qjIufkMWPe
Roberts left the company in 1997, with his return to the company lasting just a year.
The Hall of Famer was keen on continuing his in-ring career, but the company wanted him to move to a backstage role.
The highlight of Roberts' stint was his match against Stone Cold Steve Austin at King of the Ring and the subsequent promo that the Texas Rattlesnake cut on him after the match. That promo helped put Austin on the map and began his iconic run.
What's your favorite Jake "The Snake" Roberts moment in WWE?
If you use any of the above quotes, please credit DDP Snake Pit and H/T Sportskeeda for the transcription.