On a recent edition of his “The Snake Pit” podcast, WWE Hall of Famer Jake Roberts discussed the incident where he ended up in jail with a $200,000 fine for slapping a fan.
You can check out some highlights from the podcast below:
On fans trying to fight him: “Yeah, it did happen. And you learn pretty quick, you just don’t go into some bars, you know? Your neighborhood bar is not a place you want to go into because the same guys go there every night. It’s their bar, and they don’t like you walking out there with one of their women either. I will say that that’s usually what happens is some woman, ‘Oh my gosh, he’s on television all the time. Oh my gosh, he’s a star.’ Next thing you know, the guy’s ‘He ain’t s**t, I’ll show you. ‘Now you gotta thump somebody, you know.
“So to be honest with you, man, it didn’t happen to me that often simply because I went into the right places. When I say the right places, what I’m talking about is going into a place that has a lot of security. See, your neighborhood bar does not have any security. You know, TGI Fridays does not have security. But the landing strip does.”
On why wrestlers go to gentlemen’s clubs: “Believe it or not — and my wife doesn’t believe it — that was one of the bigger reasons that we picked those places, is because we knew there were security. We could go in there and drink, and not have a bunch of people f**king with us. Because if you got somebody messing with you in a t**ty bar, then you know, you got a real problem. [You’re looking for a] place to drink and to have some decent music, and that’s it.”
On the cost of having altercations with fans: “That’s the problem. You hit somebody, now you’re gonna have to come back to town to go to court. So that means you have to pay for your airfare, for your hotel, and for your lawyer. You’re $5,000 down before you ever start. So, do you really want to slap this guy?”
On his incident with a fan: “I had one. There was an instance one time where I slapped a guy. And the next thing I know man, I’m sitting in f**king jail and I may not get out. Wound up costing me close to $200,000… And the son of a b**ch sent me a thank you note. You can get hurt, you can get stabbed really easy. And there’s just no — it’s a no-win situation.”
