In a recent episode of his podcast, “The Snake Pit”, WWE Hall of Fame legend Jake Roberts reflects on his experiences and challenges while working with Stan Hansen. Here are some highlights from the show:
Regarding his initial feelings on working alongside Stan Hansen, Roberts recalls, “I crossed my path with him in Louisiana… [I remember] being scared to death.”
Discussing his first match with Hansen, Roberts says, “It was a daunting experience… There were roughly 20 Japanese photographers present, given that Stan was frequently touring Japan, they were there to capture his footage in the States. He happened to be wrestling against me on that day. My finish at that time was the kneelift. When I gave him a kneelift, he attempted to place his foot on the rope but missed. ‘Two, three.’ Suddenly, all the photographers were taking pictures of me defeating Hanson. Hanson got up instantly, took hold of the referee by his hair, and literally threw him over the top row. The referee ended up in the third row.”
Roberts vividly recalls, “He then proceeds to look at me, comes over, and knocks me down. He pushed me into the ropes and delivered a horrendous clothesline, which nearly broke my neck. A fan even handed me his chair and urged me to face Stan. But I just looked at Stan, threw down the chair, and left… You could literally hear him screaming in the opposite locker room.”
Discussing the challenge of Hansen’s legal blindness on the job, Roberts comments, “He would throw you in, and then you notice him looking for you, despite being barely five feet away. As soon as he saw you, he would throw a punch.”
On the question of whether wrestling with someone having limited vision alters the planning of a match, Roberts states, “Not really, no. You just kind of get out there and feel your way through. I wrestled George Weingeroff, who was legally blind. We wrestled around 20 times. It was indeed fascinating. He used to communicate his moves by touching your arm.”