Dark Side Of The Ring - In the Shadow of Grizzly Smith FULL RECAP
The Intro
Jake the Snake Roberts is one of the most authentic wrestlers the world has ever seen. Behind his raw intensity lies a depth of personal trauma that shaped his iconic in-ring persona. Unbeknownst to most fans, Sam Houston and Rockin’ Robin are Jake’s brother and sister. Each following followed in the footsteps of their father, Grizzly Smith.
Scarred by a traumatic childhood, each child faced addictions that nearly killed them.
Decades later, the Smith family have finally accepted their past.
Episode
The siblings were raised at a distance, so they were never close.
Jim Cornette brings up famous wrestling families such as The Harts and Von Erichs. You could trust your family with industry secrets because they were your bloodline. Cornette is then asked to provide an introduction to the Smith family.
“Even though the Smith family was all related, the people inside the industry knew that, but to the fans, Jake Roberts, Sam Houston and Rockin’ Robin and Grizzly Smith were all different people. There was no knowledge publicly that they were related.”Jim Cornette has stated that he felt Sam Houston was the best performer in the family.
Michael Smith (Sam Houston) is then formally introduced. Jake is his older brother, and Rockin Robin, who he states is one of the greatest women’s wrestlers ever, is his younger sister.
Robin Smith makes her introduction and explains the name Rockin’ Robin was something she came up with before a match devoid of much reason.
Richard Nabors, another sibling of the Smith family, is then shown.
Nabors had no interest in getting involved with wrestling due to the hectic travel schedule, which was an unappealing lifestyle. That said, Jake was the total opposite and relished in the attention.
Jim Cornette points out that Jake Roberts as a wrestler, had strengths and weaknesses. He was never a high-level amateur athlete or had a ridiculous physique, but he understood the mental aspect and psychology of professional wrestling. By growing up in wrestling and learning how to think of it, Jake came to it naturally and also had the verbal ability to match the psychology. Once Jake fully developed his character, he made you believe he was indeed a snake in the grass. There was probably some truth to it.
Jake (Aurelian Smith Jr.) spent a great deal of time with his father, Aurelian Smith Sr.
Jake’s father did not want him involved with wrestling to the point where he leveraged connections with promoters to have his son fired.
Jake got humiliated and stretched while his father would tell him, “You’re gutless, you’re a coward, I’m ashamed of you, and you will never amount to anything.”
Roberts would reveal that his sole purpose for succeeding in wrestling was his hatred for his father. He wanted to hear his father confess, “I’m proud of you, son.”
Grizzly Smith would tell other wrestlers he was proud of them, but never his son.
Grizzly got involved in wrestling after working in the oil fields and knew someone who suggested he give it a try due to his sheer size.
When asked what watching his father wrestle made him feel, Sam Houston would state that he was honoured. He was superman while literally and figuratively the biggest on the card.
After seeing his father get beat up, bloodied and bandaged, Richard questioned why his father would travel all over for such a life.
An old interview with Grizzly Smith is shown where he discussing his father gave him a whipping if he lied or whenever he needed it.
Jake noted that his father was mean and would torture him psychologically. He would play the injury angle out at home. That’s how closely Grizzly protected the business.
Grizzly would then retire from the ring in the late 70s and transition to a management position behind the scenes.
Jim Cornette noted that by the time he came across Smith in a management role, everyone was talking behind his back and in such a way he never experienced before. Jokes were made about Grizzly and young girls, which Jim found rather strange.
Wrestler/Manager Baby Doll (Nickla Roberts-Byrd) is then introduced. She got married to Sam Houston, which is how she entered the family. Baby Doll reflected on riding with Grizzly Smith and how he would pick up a 14 or 15-year-old girl who would join them for 4 or 5 days. While stories came out after Smith died, she didn’t see anything.
The Jake the Snake Roberts character was a mean son of a bitch who didn’t care about anything. There’s nothing that was out of bounds with Jake. On the other hand, Aurelian Smith Jr. was a totally different cat who hasn’t grown since he was 12 or 13 years old. He hasn’t met this person in 30 or 40 years, since that childhood was robbed. He’s more comfortable as Jake than Aurelian.
Jake’s mother was 13 when he was born, which confirmed that his father was a pedophile. This has haunted Jake to this very day.
Grizzly would eventually leave home with the kids being passed out. Richard got passed out to his father’s sister, while Jake went live with his grandmother until she passed away.
At 11 years old, Jake was forced to move back with his father and new wife. Jake’s stepmother would play sexual games with him while his father was aware of it. Just as tragic, shocking and disgusting, Grizzly Smith forced his daughters to have sex with him.
Robin noted that her intention is not to destroy her dad’s legacy as a wrestler, but he was a monster. Grizzly was grooming her and playing psychological games to break her. The first time Grizzly put his hands on Robin, she was only about eight years old. Her innocence was stripped away. This lasted until she was 14 years old.
Robin’s mother would have been the one to sexually abuse Jake, which she believed would never happen until Grizzly forced her to for his sick pleasure.
Jo Lynn, one of the other daughters, would find Robin with the two going shopping and getting to know each other. Jo Lynn asked several questions and wanted to know if Robin felt safe and comfortable. There was no doubt in Robin’s mind that the same thing had happened to her. Weeks later, Jolene was then kidnapped.
Carl “Buzz” Gage, former Chief of Police Tatum, Texas, is introduced. In 1979, he was 28 years old and on a routine patrol when he was flagged down to be notified about a kidnapping at a trailer park. With Jo Lynn being 5’1’0’’ and 200 pounds, Richard speculated that multiple people would have taken her down since she was tough.
The ex-wife of Jo Lynn’s husband was sending her threatening letters and became the prime suspect. Once confronted with evidence, this woman confessed to the kidnapping but claimed Jo Lynn had escaped.
Carl recalls helicopters and search parties on horse, motorcycle and foot attempting to locate Jo Lynn. Her body was never recovered.
The siblings were not allowed to go to court, as Grizzly would relay the information to the family.
Carl noted that while there was plenty of evidence, without a body, it was nearly impossible to see a murder charge handed out. He speculates that her body was taken to an incinerator and disposed of.
Robin questions if her father was responsible for fear of being exposed to his disturbing sexual behaviour. Richard wanted to take the case to Unsolved Mysteries, but Grizzly was adamantly against it, which was also suspicious. Richard also noted that the loss of his daughter never saddened his dad.
The hatred as part of Jake Roberts's character was derived from his real hatred towards his father.
As Jake Roberts was on his ascension to the top, Robin would train with Nelson Royal. She was trained as one of the guys.
Robin caught the attention of Vince McMahon following a dark match with Sherri Martel. Vince noted, “she throws a punch like a guy!” He was pretty impressed.
In 1988, Grizzly, Sam, Jake and Robin worked for WWF.
Jim Cornette re-stated that Sam Houston was the best worker in the family. What held Sam back was being too thin.
Sam then got into drinking. Baby Doll shared a story about when he told her dad they were getting married; he had 32 Crown and Coke. It was amazing how much he could drink and still walk.
Robin speculates that their family suffers from powerful addiction.
Years later, Grizzly would visit Robin with a 9-year-old by his side. He comes in, and he first says, “Can you make her a daiquiri?” Yes, at nine years old. He would go to bed while Robin watched over the girl.
Grizzly went to leave the following day, but Robin noted that the 9-year-old would not be joining him.
Jake, Robin and Sam each battled addiction into adulthood. Still, the matter became life or death for Sam. Sam held the all-time Texas record for most DUI offences, and the real reason he wasn’t jailed earlier was that Grizzly constantly bailed him out due to knowing the right people.
Eventually, Sam’s luck ran out, and he went to prison. Two days after being placed in prison for what could have potentially been 30 years, he attempted suicide by hanging.
Meanwhile, Jake was spiralling deeper into drug and alcohol addiction. Jim Cornette compares him to the Keith Richards of pro wrestling and how he should have died countless times over, but he is still alive.
Jake confessed that cocaine was the number one priority in his life for 20 years.
The Heroes of Wrestling incident on October 10, 1999, is shown where Jake showed up in condition to wrestle, let alone function. This was already an awful show, but Jake sent it over by pretending to use the snake to masturbate. For ten years, it was never positive whenever Jake’s name was in the news.
Jake confessed that he was a junkie, a liar and a thief. There’s a great deal of self-hate involved in admitting that.
By 1989, WWF was phasing out the women, and Robin hit rock bottom with alcohol abuse. She believed it had more to do with her childhood than it did with not having a job.
On June 12, 2010, Grizzly Smith passed away at 77 years old due to complications of Alzheimer’s disease.
Richard, Grizzy’s biological son given up for adoption, would be his sole caretaker until the end.
Producers ask if, at any point did, Grizzly apologize or talk about what he put the family through. Jake would cut him off to say, "No. Hell, no.”
With their father’s death, the children finally feel safe enough to open up about their experiences from childhood, but their estrangement still exists today.
Jake hopes that one day he and Robin can be friends. He loves and respects her very much. It would also be nice to have a sister.
Robin wanted to let people know that it’s tough and you may never get past it, but you don’t have to stay in. You be successful and can overcome it. The key is to tell someone and seek help.
Jake realizes millions of other kids are going through what he went through and advises them to “Run like the wind. Go to the police. Go to your pastor. Just go. If it’s already happened to you, you’ve got to get help.”
To conclude the episode Jake would share, “I’m 65 now, and I’m not ashamed anymore. I’m still a little angry at times, but not so angry that I have to medicate. I’ve been sober now for ten years. I did it! I made it all the way back. The bottom line is never, ever, ever give up.”
This was a very challenging yet important watch, and the Smith family should be commended for their bravery in sharing their stories. Hopefully, it can be of help to those who need it.
