While fairytales often have happy endings, when unparalleled evil presents itself, even good is in jeopardy. This is the tale of the feud between Randy Savage and Jake Roberts.
Macho Man Randy Savage is a legend in professional wrestling. From his iconic sunglasses and hats to his elbow drop finisher, everything about Randy Savage has stood the test of time.
He has had feuds with some of the greatest in the business such as Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair, Ultimate Warrior, DDP, and the Million Dollar Man Ted Dibiase just to name a few.
However, there is one rivalry that is seldom talked about. That rivalry is with Jake “The Snake” Roberts. The only word to describe this feud is savage.
Macho Man and Jake Roberts were at their very best during this war. At one point, it became so heated that Roberts attacked Savage with a king cobra. More on that later.
Macho Man and Elizabeth Reunited
In early 1992, Macho Man, then known as Macho King Randy Savage, was embroiled in a year-long feud with The Ultimate Warrior. Along with Queen Sherri, Macho made the Warrior’s life a living hell.
Finally, at WrestleMania VII, Savage faced The Warrior in a career-ending match. This match was one of Macho’s finest. Complete with 5 viscous elbow drops, the match is a must-see.
Savage did everything he could, but he could not defeat the Warrior. At the finish of the match, Macho saw his career end after a gorilla press slam.
Knowing her meal ticket was over, Sensational Queen Sherri attacked Randy Savage. Throughout the night, one “fan” in particular was watching this match with interest.
Miss Elizabeth, Savage’s former manager and girlfriend, ran into the ring and stopped Sherri from assaulting the Macho Man.
When Savage saw Elizabeth at first, he was confused, but after figuring out it was Sherri who stabbed him in the back, Savage and Elizabeth embraced.
The WWF’s first couple was reunited as fans everywhere cried tears of joy. Arguably, this was the WWF’s best storytelling effort ever. The story was ten-plus years in the making. No matter what, Savage and Elizabeth conquered it all. It truly was a happy ending.
Savage’s career was over, but his life with Elizabeth had just begun. In the weeks that followed, Macho Man became a color commentator on WWF Superstars.
Now that Savage was reunited with Elizabeth, everyone wondered when he would pop the question. Finally, Savage asked the first lady of wrestling to marry him.
Elizabeth responded with an “Oh yeah “. The wedding was set for SummerSlam 1992 in Madison Square Garden. It was deemed the match made in heaven. Little did Savage know that their heaven was about to turn into hell.
A Snake in Waiting – Randy Savage and Jake Roberts
While Macho Man’s career was changing. Another well-known superstar, Jake “The Snake” Roberts, was also shedding his skin.
Until late 1992, Jake Roberts was a beloved figure among fans. He and his pet Damian were always trouble for the likes of Ted Dibiase and The Model Rick Martel.
However, recently on Jake’s podcast, he revealed that he is actually terrified of snakes, ironically enough, though that was his gimmick. In the 90s, The Ultimate Warrior was having his troubles dealing with The Undertaker.
Jake Roberts began to help The Warrior tap into the dark side. In the end, though, The Warrior was double-crossed by Roberts.
Unfortunately, the feud was canceled because the Ultimate Warrior was let go from the company after his match at SummerSlam. Since Warrior was now gone, Roberts needed a new feud. He was paired with the one and only Macho Man Randy Savage.
Trust Me
The same night the warrior was fired, Macho Man Randy Savage and Elizabeth got married. They were actually married, as he introduced her to the world in the 1980s.
At the wedding reception, the happy couple received an unwelcome and terrifying gift. As Elizabeth opened the gift, she screamed.
It was a King Cobra. It was revealed that this was a gift from the very disturbed Jake the Snake Roberts. Jake wanted to coax the Macho Man out of retirement.
He knew to get to Savage. He would need to terrify Elizabeth. Jake also started an alliance with possibly the most terrifying newcomer to the WWF ….The Undertaker.
The King Cobra Incident
Macho Man was angry as ever, but there was nothing he could do about it because of his loss to the Warrior. Savage was relegated to his role as a color commentator on WWF Superstars.
Week after week, Jake Roberts would terrorize the Madness. He knew Savage would eventually lose his cool. Macho Man Randy Savage started a petition to return to the ring, but WWF President Jack Tunney kept ignoring it.
On a cold November day, the heat was building inside the Macho Man. Jake the Snake knew it was time to strike. Roberts went to the ring, cutting a promo on Savage and Miss Elizabeth.
Savage had finally had enough. He ran to the ring and was immediately attacked by Roberts. Eventually, Savage got tied up in the ropes.
Then the unthinkable happened. Jake was known for traveling with his pet Damian but this time Jake had something more sinister. Jake’s new pet was a King Cobra.
Jake wore a black glove to protect himself from the animal. He teased savage with it. This was not going to be good. Before anyone realized it, the cobra was biting Randy Savages arm.
Luckily, the Snake was de-venomized. According to Jake, it was actually Macho’s idea. Jake didn’t really want to do the spot, but Savage, being the player he is, insisted it would up the ante to their feud.
However, Savage made Jake get bit first in the locker room, and then he would do it. He also watched him for 30 minutes to make sure Jake was alright.
Neither expected the Snake to latch onto Randy so hard that it wouldn’t let go. The segment lasted way longer than it should have. Jake said that he could not get the snake to let go.
Vince sent Rowdy Roddy Piper, who was also at the broadcast booth, down, but Rowdy Piper was afraid of snakes, so he stood 15 feet away.
Then they finally sent Elizabeth down there and shes way braver than Piper. Roberts later said that when the Snake finally let go, he brought it close to Savage again, and Savage was like ” get that thing away from me. “After the incident, Savage’s arm swelled up, and he developed a fever.
Interestingly enough, Savage later on in a shoot said the cobra died a week after biting him. After this incident, Jack Tunney barred Roberts from bringing his favorite pet to the ring. Jake wasn’t worried, though, because the cobra was never the real snake; it was always Roberts himself.
“The Snake in the bag was never the dangerous one. It’s always been me. I ‘ve always been the one to take you on a ride of emotions. So the Snake you have to worry about isn’t the one in the bag. The Snake is me. Trust Me”
Reinstate The Macho Man – Randy Savage and Jake Roberts
This act sent shockwaves through the WWF. Fans demanded that the Macho Man Randy Savage would be reinstated. A month later, the WWF did just that.
The Madness was back and more savage than ever. A match was announced for this Tuesday in Texas on December 3. Savage sprinted to the ring like a man possessed. Savage wanted revenge.
He was pissed off. He attacked Roberts, still wearing his trademark cowboy hat and jacket. Bobby Heenan put it best, saying he doesn’t care about winning the match; he just wants to rip Roberts apart.
When Jake got the upper hand, he went directly for the savages wrapped arm. He used the ring post to further injure Savage. Finally, Roberts went for the DDT, but Savage threw him into the turnbuckle.
Savage climbed to the top rope and hit that iconic elbow drop. 1…2…3. It was over, or so we thought. Savage jumped to the outside, grabbed the timekeeper’s bell to knock out Roberts, but was caught with a viscous DDT.
Jake was not done, as he mentioned previously, he’s the real snake. It was never the cobra or Damian; it was always Jake. Like a true snake, Jake was coiled and waiting.
He then picked a broken-down Savage up and gave a second thunderous DDT. Then Jake pulled out his black glove, which usually signaled he was going to use the Cobra.
Elizabeth ran down to the ring, begging and pleading with Jake. Roberts was at his heel best here as he looked as though he enjoyed Elizabeth’s vulnerability.
He then picked Macho up again and dropped him for the third DDT. To make matters worse, he slapped Elizabeth to the ground.
Roberts was on a whole other level of heat. Elizabeth was consoling her husband, and Jake slithered back down the aisle. After the match, Macho Man Randy Savage was seething
“Trust You, Jake Roberts. You used a 14-foot King Cobra to take me out. Now there’s no Snake at ringside. Yeah. There’s just you, the real snake. I’ll be the one to take you out. Oh yeah, Trust Me.”
Getting Revenge
The feud between these two continued through the rest of the winter. At the Royal Rumble, both Savage and Roberts entered.
Savage’s only goal was to make sure Jake the Snake was eliminated. Savage accomplished that goal. Then Macho eliminated himself to go after Roberts.
All the singles matches started basically the same, in chaos. You were lucky if the match stayed in the ring at all.
Savage was out for blood. Jake barely escaped with his life at most events. Macho would use chairs, ring bells, and barricades. Anything that wasn’t tied down was fair game. Most ended the same way with a victory for Savage.
Finally, the two had their final match on February 8, 1992, at Saturday Night’s Main Event. Savage won, defeating his foe and defending Elizabeth’s honor.
As the two were walking back down the aisle, Jake “The Snake” was waiting for them. He was holding a steel chair with the intention of hitting Miss Elizabeth with it.
Just as the couple was walking around the corner, Jake went to hit Elizabeth, but was stopped dead in his tracks literally by his partner in crime, The Undertaker.
Feud Cut Short – Randy Savage and Jake Roberts
As quickly as Macho Man and Jake Roberts rivalry started, it also ended abruptly. There are several theories as to why this is the case.
Jake went on to have a rivalry with the Undertaker, and Randy Savage went on to defeat Ric Flair for the WWF Championship at WrestleMania VIII.
It was rumored that the feud ended early at the request of Elizabeth‘s parents, who were upset when Jake slapped her earlier. They did not think that Randy was protecting her. They were legit angry.
Whatever the reason was for dropping such an intense feud so early, the Macho Man Randy Savage vs Jake The Snake Roberts rivalry defines each man’s career.
No one will ever forget that King Cobra gnawing on Randy’s arm. No one will ever forget the intensity that Macho had every time he faced Roberts.
Lastly, no one will ever forget the callous, cold, and calculating actions of Jake Roberts. Jake Roberts could legitimately make you hate him.
Likewise, Macho Man Randy Savage made me like him more. They were two of the very best at taking fans on an emotional roller coaster.
