WWE Hall Of Famer Jake Roberts On Fear Of Snakes, How Many Times He's Been Bitten

Jake "The Snake" Roberts had the unenviable task of carrying a real snake around, but the WWE legend has revealed that he did so despite fearing them. 

The WWE Hall of Famer was initially against the idea of the gimmick until Vince McMahon gave him a sizable cheque. His hesitation was initially because he was terrified of snakes. The veteran joked that he should've instead gone with the name "Billy The Bug" and carried a cockroach around.

"I don't like snakes at all. They scare the piss out of me, and you never get used to getting bit," Roberts said during a recent interview on "Insight with Chris Van Vliet." "You know, if I shoved a cockroach in your ear, that would mess with your head, yeah, yeah, especially your ear."

When asked why he chose snakes even though he's afraid of them, Roberts admitted that he made the decision simply because most people are afraid of snakes. "Your parents tell you from the get-go, keep away snakes. And that's ingrained in you. It's sort of something that is taught to us from the very beginning, and kids dig it because mom and dad can't stand it."

Roberts then revealed that he was bitten by snakes between 15 and 20 times across his career. "15-20. Yeah, some of them are pretty nasty. I got one on the inside of my arm here it was 30 — it was a big reticulated python, he tore the hell out of my arm," he said. 

The veteran recalled advice he was given about snake bites, claiming he was told to simply not move when they attack. But he argued that the advice is difficult to implement as the natural reaction when bitten is to move away, which causes the snake to dig deep into the flesh.