[1991-07-27-WWF-Superstars] Funeral Parlor: Jake Roberts

[Loss]

Talk about it here.

[Loss]

So begins the build for one of the best WWF heel runs ever. Jake Roberts is the guest and promises Paul Bearer that he will share the secrets of the darkness with the Ultimate Warrior to help him combat the Undertaker. This is all dumb and overwrought but again, Paul Bearer is so in character and such a pro, and Jake is Jake. "Trust me" … those words will resonate for the rest of the year.

[PeteF3]

For all intents and purposes, this is Jake's final interview as a babyface. They're still pushing a Jake/Earthquake program, presumably to give Jake something to do on house shows while this is going on. Jake declares that through the power of Lucifer (and he's not talking about the snake) he will have no fear of death. And then promises to share those secrets with the Ultimate Warrior.

 

"..and secondly, he must do something that neither you or the Undertaker could ever do. And that's simply...trust me."

 

Jake is as awesome as ever and this is a great table-setting promo that looks even better in hindsight, knowing what's to come out of him.

[Kevin Ridge]

Jake doesn’t fear death. Lucifer (not the snake) rests upon his shoulder. Bearer states that everyone must face the Undertaker at some point. Roberts talks about sharing the secrets of death with Ultimate Warrior. Bearer is not pleased. Roberts wants Ultimate Warrior to trust him. Yes! And so we begin. Looking forward to the Roberts heel turn.

[soup23]

Jake wearing some darker tights is a nice touch. Bearer is really good in this setting and the theme of the parlor really fits the theme. Roberts is talking about Lucifer himself and it has Vince hmmm'g in the announce booth. Cant wait to watch this unfold.

[garretta]

Is there any fan in the world at this point who didn't want to see face Jake vs. heel Taker after watching that? It seemed like the most natural, inevitable feud in the world........and then came Jake's turn.

 

Jake was tremendous as usual, but Percy's starting to grate. That falsetto's scary in short bursts during promos, but to hear it over and over again in a five-minute segment is just too much. Plus, they're not really getting full mileage out of this by not having Taker there as a bodyguard for him. Without Taker, the Paul Bearer character is just another cornball invention of Vince's, and Taker isn't often mentioned during these segments at all. This one was a rarity, and it felt like one of the few Parlor segments that was truly vital instead of just another WWF interview segment on a goofy set. All the elements of '91 heel Jake are here: Lucifer references, talk about the dark side, and of course "Trust me", which has to be one of the best catchphrases a WWF wrestler has ever had. I can't wait to see how all of this progresses.

 

Will someone please tell the announcers to stop talking while the guests are making their entrances, or at least talk so everyone can hear them? Their muffled asides and mumbling do nothing but drive me crazy.

[dawho5]

Jake again kills it with his promo. It's definitely over the top and stupid, but Jake has this magic way of making everything work because he always seems to understand exactly who his character is and how that fits the circumstances.