WWE Hall Of Famer Jake Roberts Recalls Contentious Move Between Territories

Having begun his career in the 70s, Jake Roberts was a man of the territories. The wrestling legend worked many of the major ones before signing with WWE in 1986, including brief runs for Stampede Wrestling and Maple Leaf Wrestling up in Canada, and longer runs in Championship Wrestling From Florida, World Class Championship Wrestling in Texas, Mid-South Wrestling, Mid-Atlantic Wrestling, and Georgia Championship Wrestling, where Roberts had less than a great time working under Ole Anderson.

One territory Roberts did enjoy working in was Mid-South, despite his contempt for promoter Bill Watts, and rubbed shoulders with the likes of Stan Hansen, Paul Ellering, and top stars like Ernie Ladd, Len Denton, and the Junkyard Dog. Unfortunately, as Roberts detailed on "The Snake Pit," the run came to an end when Roberts and Denton both left Mid-South after 1981. Roberts attributes his departure from Mid-South to Watts wanting him, Denton, and some others gone, something the WWE Hall of Famer continues to be baffled by.

"Bill Watts asked us to," Roberts said. "He was fed up with us. He'd had enough. I don't understand it, I never did understand it. I was hot at the time, and he just said 'It's time for you to move on.' So he gave us to Ole.

"It was tough. I was very disappointed by the move because I thought we had a good thing going. I was learning a lot. I was able to wrestle with anybody, whether it was Len Denton or Ernie Ladd, anybody. It didn't matter."

To quote this article, please credit "The Snake Pit" and provide an h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription