Diamond Dallas Paige, Scott Hall and Jake Roberts recently spoke with Sports Illustrated’s Extra Mustard to promote the new documentary “The Resurrection of Jake Roberts”. Below are some interview highlights:
Jake on the snake being a critical piece of his persona:
“If I had a twelve or fifteen foot snake next to me, chances are you didn’t want to talk about me. The snake was something to hide behind. My biggest problem was all the shame I carried around with me. But when I had that big snake with me, that’s all people ever wanted to talk about. Everyone was scared of the snake, and that’s exactly what I wanted. I didn’t want anyone to get close to me. I wanted everyone to be afraid of me.”
DDP on Jake and Hall now:
“Jake is almost two years sober. Now, when you speak with him, you can have a really intelligent conversation with a really smart guy. But there were times when this really beat me up. That first year when Jake was sober, he messed up maybe six times. He went cold turkey from booze, pills, and crack, but he needed to go completely sober.
“Scott fell after the movie. But even when the cameras aren’t rolling, we’re still going. So let’s focus on the story you keep telling yourself. I call it ‘self-talk,’ like you talk to yourself. Nobody can pull you down more than you. No one one can f— you up more than you. The positive side is nobody can pick you up more than you, but you just need to learn how to do it. So that was my goal with Jake and Scott. Teach them how to help themselves. They’d say, ‘I’m worthless, I’m a piece of s—, I f—– up again,’ and if you keep telling yourself that, then you’re screwed. If you say you can or you say you can’t, you’re right.”
Hall on having a reason to live:
“I was in a dark place and all broken up, and I arrived at Dallas’s in a wheelchair. I thought I’d had a pretty good run and thought it was over. I’d given up hope. But I thank Dallas for reintroducing me to myself, and restoring hope. I have a pretty strong, positive vibe. I feel grateful to be alive, especially when there are so many guys who are gone. I don’t want to sound like a heel, but it’s all about the choices they made. If I could leave anybody with anything, it’s this–if you need help, ask for it. If people offer to help, accept it. Everybody out there knows somebody who suffers from some kind of addiction. There is a lot of stigma to seeking help. I needed to go numerous times to get any kind of results. So I encourage people, if people offer you help, accept it, and if you need help, ask for it.”
Nick was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan, and lived there until the age of 18, when he decided to pack his flack jacket and move to New York City.
