Jake Roberts Recalls The Injury That Made His Voice Sound Raspy

When it comes to legendary talkers in professional wrestling, certain wrestlers rise above the rest. The Rock uses insults and catchphrases to assault his opponents well before the bell rings. Paul Heyman adds intricate details to any storyline that he's a part of to manipulate a crowd's reaction to his clients. And Sensational Sherri's pitch and cadence can catch unsuspecting spectators off guard. But when it comes to Jake "The Snake" Roberts, he took an icier route that made him stand out from the loud cacophony of his peers. However, that wasn't initially by choice.

While appearing on "Hey! (EW)" with RJ City, the Hall of Famer shared that his signature raspy voice was the product of an accident in the ring. He recalled an incident involving Florida wrestling mainstay and former Olympian Bob Roop. Roop dropped a knee on Roberts' throat and accidentally crushed his foe's voice box and from that moment on, the cerebral competitor was forced to speak in a lower register.

Although, Roberts made the injury work for him. After that, his promos always sounded more sinister since he delivered them in hushed tones. When animated and explosive promos were the dominating style, the AEW manager turned a weakness into a strength, leading him right into the history books. In typical RJ City fashion, he pointed out that Roop ended up giving the legend a gift by making him realize that "you don't have to actually yell into a microphone for it to pick up your voice." And for that, Roberts thanked his former colleague for the serendipitous night that pushed him for the rest of his career.