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The Undertaker (w/ Paul Bearer) vs. Jake "The Snake" Roberts -- WrestleMania VIII, April 5, 1992


What a difference a year makes. After getting built up as the big bad guy and beating Hulk Hogan for the WWF Title (and losing it back to him a week later), Taker was turned into a babyface just a few weeks before this match, and he's already one of the most popular guys in the company. Like Snuka before him, this is Jake's swan song, as he's since told the story of how he held up Vince McMahon and demanded his release before he would even go to the ring. This would lead to Jake's disasterous WCW run and years of...uh...problems before he returned to the WWF in 1996. Sadly, those problems have never quite gone away. Too bad, as Roberts is a genuinely gifted wrestling mind, who would be a great asset to the business if he could properly clean up.

Jake's spent the past six months as a mega-heel and running buddy for the Taker, only to turn on him just before this, so there's a storyline here. You know, looking back, the Taker face turn should never have worked. In the era he was in, the Undertaker as a top good guy seems to run totally against the grain of everything else in the kiddie-era WWF of the early 90's, especially since he didn't change anything about the way he worked after the turn. But maybe that's exactly why it worked so well. Everyone cites Austin as the first modern WWF anti-hero. I think they're looking about 5 years too late.

We're in the Hoosier Dome in Indianapolis for this one, which isn't full, either. This would be the last major stadium the WWF would run Mania in for nearly a decade. Jake plays a little bob and weave with Taker to start, as Taker does his best Michael Myers impression by slowly stalking him. The first of Taker's many, many, many tattoos has made its appearance on his right forearm by this point. Jake hits Taker with a few punches that knock him over the top to the floor, but Taker lands on his feet and drags Jake to the floor with him.

A shot and a run into the ring post puts Taker in control, but Jake catches him with a knee lift on the way in. He goes back to punching Taker a lot, and Taker goes back to not really noticing much. Jake whips Taker to the corner , but when he tries again Taker blocks and gives Jake a whip of his own. It's kinda weird, considering the circumstances behind the match, that Jake is getting any offense at all. You'd figure this'd be more one-sided than a match between Andre the Giant and Herb the Burger King mascot.

Choke in the corner by Taker, another whip and another choke, as the match begins to resemble the squash you'd think it'd be. Another whip, and another choke. Fourth verse, same as the first. More slow domination by the Taker leads to the flying clothesline. He goes for the Tombstone but Jake slips out and hits the DDT. The crowd goes crazy...and then goes crazier when Taker casually sits up.

Jake gets right back on the attack, hits his short clothesline and another DDT, then for some crazy reason decides to chase after Paul on the floor instead of covering. Taker, of course, sits up again, follows Jake to the floor and proceeds to Tombstone the CRAP out of him out there. It's beyond academic as Taker picks up the lifeless Jake, tosses him in the ring and covers for the pin. Again, pretty much nothing as a match, but very entertaining as a moment and as Jake's final comeuppance.