The name Jake "The Snake" Roberts conjures up memories of the late 80's and early 90's, of mornings spent watching the exploits of WWF (now, E) superstars on Sky One.
The quasi-mythical former pro-wrestler has, however, been largely absent from regular programming since his second major run with Vince McMahon's company came to an acrimonious end in 1997.
But now, via All Elite Wrestling, Jake Roberts is back.
The 64-year old made a surprising return on AEW's weekly show Dynamite interrupting the company's main creative force, Cody Rhodes, to cut a customarily intense promo.
Rhodes (son of legendary performer Dusty Rhodes), had been involved in a programme with Maxwell Jacob Friedman but the pause button on that issue seems to have been pressed by Roberts' return.
During his run as an active performer, Roberts was one of the most captivating on the microphone with many of his promos regarded as some of the best to be delivered in the history of the business.
His return in AEW reminded many of what an accomplished performer he remains with a microphone in his hand given his ability to turn the crowd's warm nostalgic welcome into a genuine interest in the message being delivered.
Roberts is promising to bring a "client" to AEW, which is rumoured to be either Brodie Lee (the former Luke Harper in the WWE) or Lance Archer.
The man who used to carry a real snake to the ring on a nightly basis had been hard-bitten by alcoholism and drug abuse.
Courtesy of his association with fellow retired wrestler, Diamond Dallas Page, Roberts has apparently cleaned up his life and found a new start. The 2015 documentary The Resurrection of Jake The Snake laid out his journey from barely-together mess to a reborn character.
However, The Wrestling Observer's Dave Meltzer has his reservations about Roberts' return.
Speaking to Figure-4 Weekly, Meltzer posed the question, "Has anyone booked Jake Roberts that didn't end up regretting it in the last 30-years?"
Sadly, there is more than a kernel of truth in that. Roberts' battles with drug and alcohol abuse cost him jobs with the then WWF and WCW, and led to regrettable appearances for ECW and the ill-conceived Heroes of Wrestling pay-per-view in 1999.
Meltzer also points towards Roberts' "many many many lapses", which it must be noted can be par for the course for a recovering addict, but he added, "I always thought - because it's true - that the worst environment for Jake Roberts to be in is around wrestling."
Roberts' track record bears that out, unfortunately, but as Meltzer points out he hasn't heard a true horror story "in years".
Download the brand new OffTheBall App in the Play Store & App Store right now! We've got you covered!
Subscribe to OffTheBall's YouTube channel for more videos, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for the latest sporting news and content.
