WWE Hall of Famer Jake “The Snake” Roberts took to an episode of his Snake Pit podcast, where he talked about a number of topics including when he knew it was time to retire from wrestling:
Roberts said, “Yeah. I knew it was time to retire, probably in ’97 or ’98. But I just couldn’t stop, man. You know, I just wanted more. And shame on me for going out there when I couldn’t do what I used to do. But you’ve watched all the guys do it. You know, the old-timers do it, who comes to mind, Hacksaw [Jim Duggan]. You know, Hacksaw does a lot of walking and talking out there in the ring. But he’s not talking bumps, and he’s just a shadow of what he used to be.”
“But you know, you go back out there because you think you can do it. And then when you get out there, you realize that you can’t. You don’t have the wind, you don’t have the strength. You just can’t man, your body won’t do it. No matter how much you have in your heart, your body just can’t perform.”
On still wanting to wrestle:
“I just figured I’d do it until I didn’t want to do it anymore. And the problem is, you’ll always want to do it. I mean, to this day I wish that I could do it. I’d love to have one more match, but I know I can’t. And it pisses me off.”
On scratching the itch in other ways:
“Anytime you go to the ring, it helps a little bit. You’re still getting to go out there and feel that excitement, feel the adrenaline. Even as a manager throwing a punch, or giving somebody a short arm clothesline. You know, it’s a rush.”
You can check out the complete podcast in the video below.
(H/T to 411Mania.com for transcribing the above quotes)
