During a recent episode of “The Snake Pit” podcast, the WWE Hall of Famer Jake Roberts shared his experience of an altercation with a fan back in Wheeling, West Virginia. Here are the noteworthy moments from the podcast:
While recalling the incident when he got physical with a spectator, he said, “There was this one time when a man approached the ring. It happened in Wheeling, West Virginia, while I was in a match with Ronnie Garvin. I had thrown him out of the ring, and I saw this man rise from his seat. He was colossal, almost 6’8 and weighing about 350-400 pounds. He warned me to stop, to which I retorted, ‘Find your seat, you senseless hick.’ He didn’t listen.
“As he approached me, I finished off Ronnie, and I could see this giant man looming on the sideline from the corner of my eye. I questioned myself about what I was going to do. I knew I had to make my best move. There was a possibility of losing, but I was determined to land at least one solid blow. I turned and punched him, and it hit him straight on his chin. It seemed like he was falling in slow motion, and then he was knocked out cold. I realized I got lucky.”
Touching upon the issue of fans trying to test the strength of wrestlers, Jake remarked, “That did happen. Most often, a headbutt to the nose would put an end to their mischief. I would coax them into believing that they can’t possibly punch me in the stomach hard enough to knock the wind out of me. And when they would attempt, I would thrust my head forward, hitting them in the nose.”