WWE star Jake "The Snake" Roberts announced that he has cancer and needs to undergo emergency surgery. He told TMZ that he discovered a tumor the size of a half dollar behind his knee about a month ago and had it tested.
On Friday, Feb. 21 doctors confirmed that the tumor was cancerous. Because the mass is growing into his muscle, Roberts said he scheduled a surgery for Tuesday, Feb. 25 but is optimistic he'll make a full recovery.
"If the devil can't defeat me, cancer doesn't stand a chance in hell," he told TMZ. "Pray for sick children who face this horrible disease 'cause The Snake will be just fine."
After resting and recuperating for a few weeks, Roberts told the site that he'll make his return to wrestling on Mar. 14 at the Jersey Championship Wrestling. He also has every intention of attending the WWE Hall of Fame, where he'll be inducted, on Apr. 5 in New Orleans.
The 58-year-old was famous for carrying a boa constrictor named Daniel to the wrestling ring with him. He also made the DDT move popular. Last year, Roberts opened up about overcoming his substance abuse problems to Bleacher Report saying that life without drugs wasn't always easy but he was determined to keep his life on track.
"I don't have anything to block the pain, the aggravation, the depression," he said. "I'm forced to think about the wreckage and carnage I need to rectify. But my children want to see me and be part of my life. I'm welcome in their homes. And now, they tell me they're proud of me, not disappointed."
"The wanting and craving to drink is gone now. I don't know why it happened this time when I've asked for it 10, 000 times before, but it feels great," he told The Fix last year. "I'm also going to AA meetings every day. There was a point where you would have had to drag my ass to them, but it feels good to be there now. I'm one of them and want to be one of them. I'm finally starting to feel alive."
