The Resurrection of Jake the Snake

I was a WWF fan in the 80s. I was a devout watcher, following the weekly feuds of colorful rasslers like Hulk Hogan, Ted Dibiase, Randy Savage, and Jake "The Snake" Roberts.

I outgrew the pseudo-sport in my mid-teens, but I have kept an eye on the further lives on the heroes of my youth. So many of them met with early deaths, and mostly because of substance abuse.

Jake Roberts was almost a punchline for this. Him and Scott Hall were so badly out of control.... DUIs, arrests, embarrassing public displays.... that everyone was amazed they were still alive.

Jake was a memorable character... as a face (a good guy) he was sinister, and as a heel (a bad guy) he was downright malevolent. He was in shape but never was as muscular as most of the WWF talent.

But when we first see him, it drives home the reality of what destructive living does to you. He looks sickly. He has a gigantic gut. His legs and arms have withered away to bony sticks. At this time, he's in his late 50s and is far too young to be looking that old. In fact he looked to be on Death's Door.

Then DDP comes to the rescue. It shows Jake's recovery from alcohol and drugs. It's not just any celebrity rehab -- this is a man who basically was the face of substance abuse. A man who had been through dozens (literally) of rehab programs.

What makes this different from most movies like this... is that Jake backslides. A lot. So many movies like this show them at rock bottom and then endeavoring to get clean, and making it in one big arc. That's not anywhere near how addiction recovery works. Jake seems to be doing great, and then he turns up drunk again. He loathes himself but freely admits he's going to do it again. It's frustrating, like two steps forward but three steps back.

For this, it's a very real look at how substance abuse recovery is a very, very long road with a lot of setbacks. Even if you don't watch wrestling (or hate it), you still will be moved by this documentary.

It not only shows Jake's personal pain, but it shows how his family (particularly his adult children) are hurt by his actions. Even when things are looking up, most of them (particularly his sons) are dubious that this time will be different.

In the end, Jake is clean. Will he stay clean? Probably not. But it's a very good and sometimes heartwrenching look into the world of substance abuse.

Look, I've never really been a fan of wrestling; I use to watch it when I was little with my father, but quickly grew out of it. If it wasn't for stumbling across a youtube clip of Joe Rogan and Jake talking about his addiction and this film, I would have probably never have known of it's existence, let alone watch it.

With that being said, I am actually really glad that I gave it a shot. To be honest, I wasn't even sure of what I was getting into 100%. I expected a lot of wrestling backstory and filler, but instead I was left with a window into a broken man's soul and how he decided to cope with it and the process to get out of that rut.

As someone that dislikes wrestling, I still think that this is a film that should be watched. Even to this day (I watched this a month or so ago), I still hope that Jake is doing well and isn't going down the same traveled road.

As a long time pro wrestling fan first exposed to Jake the Snake Roberts over 35 years ago, I have been a fan of his work from the Mid- South days all the way to the genesis of Austin 3:16 and beyond. Knowing how sad the endings of most pro-wrestlers' stories end, I was elated to find out that he decided to let DDP help him out at the Accountability Crib. As a DDPYoga user I can tell you first hand that just letting the DVD sit on the shelf does NOT help you. Likewise, Jake had to do the work and be honest with himself and come face to face with his demons before he could find any real healing. The documentary staff did a wonderful job in balancing the good and the bad without being exploitative.

To me Jake Roberts is the most notorious liar i have ever seen. I never believed a word that came out of this guys mouth. DDP has the patience of a saint.

"The Resurrection of Jake the Snake" is a documentary that many may assume only appeals to wrestling fans, or to be even narrower, WWE Fans. This does a great injustice to a film that, at its core, is about addiction and recovery. WWE produces some great pieces about their stars, past and present, but this is not a WWE film. This film is a raw, gritty, emotional roller coaster that leaves the viewer at times in tears of both joy and sadness. It can be uncomfortable to watch at times. It is supposed to be. Addiction cannot be truly documented in a glossed over fashion. Will fans of Jake "The Snake" Roberts enjoy this film? Of course. But you will come away knowing more about Aurelian Smith Jr., the man behind the wrestling tights and python. That is where this film is different, and will be captivating for those who know little to nothing about him or professional wrestling. Many media outlets seemingly took great joy in covering Jake's downfall over the last decade-plus. His battles with addiction played out in the public eye on many occasions, and he easily could have been "just another statistic" for talking heads to bring up when another wrestler dies. His battle back to sobriety, harmony with his children, and harmony with himself is brilliantly captured over the course of over two years of filming. This is also a story of fame, and the effects of its absence. It is about brotherhood. Brotherhood, and the fraternity and bond between two men is ultimately what saved Aurelian Smith and resurrected Jake the Snake. I have seen it said that this film is a "WWE hype piece" or that it is an "infomercial for DDP Yoga." This makes me wonder if any of these reviewers actually watched the film, or if they did, how often they looked up from their mobile device or whatever it is they were working on at the time, because they clearly came in knowing only a synopsis and with a preconceived notion of the film. Is WWE footage in the film? Yes. Which is really quite amazing as they are guarded with the use of their material. As a publicly traded company that now tries to provide family friendly content, having their footage in a film such as this, that has very strong language at times and deals very frankly with the subject of abuse and addiction, as well as the injuries stemming from a life in the ring, probably was not an easy decision. I would assume it was given only out of respect to Jake and the importance of the story being told. To say that this is a WWE hype piece is absurd. Did Dallas Page use his yoga program to help Jake get back in shape and find some focus? Absolutely. But it is a small portion of the film and the many steps Jake had to take to battle back. If you add up the screen time that features anyone doing yoga, I do not think it could amount to five minutes. To act as if a 900 number is popping up on the screen every five minutes is disrespectful to the passion Steven Yu clearly had in making this film and to the love and friendship that Dallas has for Jake. The 93 minutes of this film flew by. I personally cannot wait to watch it again and share it with others. What I am most excited about is sharing it with those who don't care about wrestling, those who have never heard of Jake. I want to see if they are as moved and affected as I was, because I truly believe that this film has something to offer everyone. Obviously, I'm a fan of wrestling, and a lifelong fan of Jake. This film was personal for me. It was hard seeing the man I idolized at five years old in such a self- destructive state. The fact that he was able to finally battle back and find his redemption is something that should be celebrated. This film does that, chronicling every step of the journey that brought him there. I commend Jake, Dallas Page, and Steve Yu for bringing this to us. I also hope and believe that it will be a wake-up call to those battling addiction to reach out for help, and see that no matter how badly the monster has its claws wrapped around them, there is always hope.