WWE Hall Of Famer Jake Roberts Criticises Modern Steel Cage Matches

WWE Hall of Famer Jake Roberts has expressed his frustration with the current format of Steel Cage matches, arguing that they have strayed from their original purpose.

Speaking on his podcast, The Snake Pit, Jake Roberts explained that Steel Cage matches were initially designed to prevent outside interference and ensure a decisive winner inside the ring.

“Well, back in my day, the idea was to get two guys in there, and the cage was to keep everybody else out and to keep the guys in the ring,” Roberts said.

He criticised the modern version of the match, where victory often comes by escaping the cage rather than by pinfall or submission inside it.

“Now you win the match by climbing out of it, which to me kind of kills the whole damn gimmick,” he said. “The cage is supposed to be there to keep these two animals in there till it’s settled. So back in my day, we had to stay in there till we came up with a finish.”

Despite the brutality of cage matches, Roberts admitted he relished the challenge. He recalled how the structure allowed him to intensify the drama of his bouts by taking punishing hits.

“I really enjoyed the cage matches, because we could hit them hard, and I always made a point of it to hit it hard, the mesh,” he said. “And of course, it cut the sh*t out of me, but I enjoyed that, I enjoyed bleeding.”

Roberts’ perspective echoes that of many wrestling veterans who feel that modern gimmick matches have drifted too far from their intended design, altering the psychology and impact they once had in the industry.

Which 2014 WWE Match Was Jake Roberts Shocked Not To Be Part Of?

Jake Roberts spoke about how he was surprised not to be included in the 2014 WWE Royal Rumble. Roberts remembered receiving a phone call from WWE in late 2013 and was expecting them to ask him to be in the 2014 Royal Rumble match. However, they instead asked Roberts if he would like to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame, something that surprised Roberts as he was not expecting that.

H/t to ITRWrestling.com