Bob Backlund is one of wrestling’s most accomplished performers but is also a “f***ing lunatic” as far as Jake “The Snake” Roberts is concerned.
Speaking about Backlund’s often erratic behavior both on and off-screen, Roberts told listeners of his “The Snake Pit” podcast that Bob legitimately scares him. He said,
“He’s a f*****g maniac. Are you kidding? That guy is legit psycho. He’s just … that guy is so strong, it’s incredible. He’s a freak of nature. He’ll f*****g lose it man, and start screaming and s**t. He scares the f**k out of me. He does it at signings. He’ll grab someone in a f*****g hold and just scream like crazy.”
While making his views clear on Backlund, Roberts added that he has a ton of respect for Bob, who held the WWE Championship from February 1978 to December 1983.
Backlund’s reign would see the title be rechristened from the WWWF Championship to the WWF Championship and would include a brief, unofficial reign by Antonio Inoki.