Jake Roberts Explains Why The WWE Locker Room Resented Zeus

WWE Hall of Famer Jake Roberts shared his thoughts on the late Tommy Lister Jr.’s brief but memorable stint in WWE.

Lister, better known as Zeus in WWE, transitioned from Hollywood to the wrestling ring in 1989 as part of the promotional push for No Holds Barred, a film starring Hulk Hogan. Speaking on his podcast, The Snake Pit, Jake Roberts recalled how Lister’s arrival was met with mixed reactions, particularly because of the lucrative deal he secured despite having no wrestling background.

“What a lucky motherf**er—that’s what I thought. Sure, I was jealous a little bit.”

Roberts admitted, acknowledging the frustrations shared by many wrestlers at the time. Lister, cast as Hogan’s on-screen nemesis in both the movie and WWE programming, was given special treatment backstage—something Roberts said didn’t sit well with many of the roster.

“He kind of did his own thing, he had his own locker room, and he was getting carte blanche, man, so yeah, I think everybody resented it.”

For seasoned wrestlers who had spent years honing their craft, seeing a Hollywood actor step into the spotlight with major paydays and preferential treatment was a tough pill to swallow. However, Roberts conceded that WWE’s decision to bring Zeus in was ultimately a smart business move.

“Sure it was smart business, he was selling tickets for the theatre, he’s trying to spark interest for it [No Holds Barred], it was great business on Vince’s part.”

While Lister’s time in WWE was brief, his role exemplified Vince McMahon’s strategy of blending mainstream entertainment with pro wrestling—an approach that has continued to shape WWE’s business to this day.

How Did Jake Roberts Say He Got Steroids While Working In WWE?

Jake Roberts spoke about the process of how he got steroids from Dr. George Zahorian whilst working in WWE in the 1980s. Roberts said that the process was fairly simple as Zahorian usually had a room backstage where he’d have suitcases full of steroids, and wrestlers could go to him and get what they wanted there and then.

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