Jake “The Snake” Roberts has spoken about his absence due to ill health from AEW TV and the welcome he received on Rampage.
Speaking to the New York Post, Roberts said that he spent around 18 months on oxygen therapy after contracting COVID-19 three times.
The 67-year-old spoke of having other lung issues, including hereditary chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and emphysema.
The WWE Hall of Famer stated:
This last year my lungs got in pretty rough shape. I had to go on oxygen. I went on oxygen for nearly a year and a half. Now I’m off of it. The only time I use it is at night whenever I hook it up to my CPAP machine which is a good thing. It helps me heal at night.
On the welcome that he received from fans on Friday’s episode of Rampage, when he accompanied Lance Archer to the ring, he added:
It doesn’t get any better, it really doesn’t. You can’t imagine how it feels to walk out and all of sudden they’re chanting your name in unison. It’s overwhelming.
Turning to his current state of health, he commented:
I feel pretty good. I’m going to the gym five, six days a week. I’m stretching, I’m riding the bike for 45 minutes a day. So I’m getting things going man, I’m keeping this moving.
When you’re my age, going through protocol is never something you’re completely sure about because I got bits and pieces that have taken a lot of beatings and parts of me that just don’t work the way they used to. So being cleared by AEW is a pat on the back that all’s well.
Roberts was recently announced as a special advisor for AEW’s revamped community outreach program. As well as his onscreen role, he helps the current roster in promo and interview classes.
Roberts is the subject of Sunday’s episode of ‘Biography: WWE Legends’ on A&E at 8 p.m. ET.
