Jake Roberts Looks Back On His AEW Debut

Back in 2020, just before the world was shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Jake "The Snake" Roberts made a memorable debut on AEW television. Roberts appeared on an episode of "AEW Dynamite" to confront Cody Rhodes, teasing the imminent debut of a "client" who intended to face Rhodes. That client would eventually be revealed as none other than Lance Archer, who Roberts still manages in AEW to this day. Roberts responded to a fan question on the latest "Snake Pit" podcast concerning how he felt about the reaction to his debut, and the WWE Hall of Famer had very positive things to say.

"Incredible reaction," Roberts said. "You can see that all the fans are standing, too. That [doesn't] happen very often anymore. When I walked out there, and that rush hit me — oh my God. And then whenever I touched the ring apron, I could just feel it ... come right back through me, man. I felt like I was at home again. It had been so long." Roberts praised the fact that he got to go out there and talk to the crowd with Rhodes in particular, saying the experience was as good as it could have possibly been.

Roberts has had sporadic appearances for AEW in recent months, primarily due to health concerns. However, Roberts revealed last month that he was off his oxygen tank and feeling well once again. In November of 2020, Roberts announced that he had been diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD as it's more commonly known. Now that his health has improved, Roberts has expressed interest in doing commentary for AEW – an area in which the Hall of Famer feels he could still have a great deal to offer.