As a regular feature at Pinfalls, we will be analyzing why certain gimmicks, sometimes underrated or unrecognized greats were cool. We are kicking off this feature with The Man, The Myth, The Legend ... The Snake.

There are plenty of reasons why Jake "The Snake" Roberts was cool. First, Jake was just a guy ... in an age of perfect physiques and super-heroes, Jake wasn’t a bodybuilder or steroided-up monster playing a goofy role. He was one of very few who survived during the 1980s without a body-builder appearance and simply, by acting natural. His physique was average--Jake seemed like a neighborhood guy or your friend’s dad who just happened to be a wrestler.

Jake’s long hair was pretty cool and he probably inspired others [ahem] to never cut their hair either. And like the aforementioned super-heroes of the 1980s, Jake wasn’t a pretty boy, nor even really a fan favorite even when he was billed as one.

When Jake was a face, he acted the same as when he was a heel. He wasn’t one of those Tito Santanas or Hulk Hogans who came to the ring slappin’ hands with the fans--nope, that wasn’t Jake’s style. Babyface or heel, Jake came to the ring the same--never touching anyone, never really needing the crowd as most faces do. Only rarely during a match would Jake play or interact with the crowd (The only time that comes to mind is when Jake handed out Ted DiBiase’s money at Wrestlemania 6) because simply, it seemed to cramp his style.

Jake rarely lost a match. As a babyface, he was almost like Hulk Hogan, seldomly jobbing to anyone. Having most of Jake’s televised matches on tape, it can be said that he only lost four times as a babyface; once to Kamala (Saturday Night’s Main Event); once to Honky Tonk Man (Wrestlemania 3); to Curt Hennig (Survivor Series 1988) and Ted DiBiase (Survivor Series 1989). As a heel, Jake lost more but it was during that multiple year span that Jake was not unlike Hogan or the Warrior when it came to losses.

Jake’s character was what most wrestlers probably strive for but never accomplish. He was cold, calculating and devious; his smile was, regardless of affiliation, always evil; his walk--determined and deliberate. He was the quintessential villain.

And, as discussed in this month’s "Shoot on This," Jake’s interviews were prime. His whispering, intense stare and cool demeanor only emphasized his calculating nature. Even when Jake hosted “The Snake Pitt,” he was no-nonsense and not-your-typical wrestling “show” host. No one does or has done an interview like Jake. Not the Rock, not Steve Austin, not Triple H or Vince McMahon ... NO ONE.

The DDT, was, according to Jake, “Cruel But Fair” (One of the best yet unrecognized wrestling catch-phrases), however was one of the best all-time finishers. Jake was a master of putting the DDT on in a split second; he was the innovator and, truly, the best. The DDT really isn’t a finisher anymore--it’s just another hold. Current fans would probably balk at the idea of someone being put away with a DDT while 10 years ago, it was one of the most anticipated moves of the night. Seeing the clunky style of DDTs today, many fans would probably ponder why it was once so popular.

And there were no modern day romance related story lines with Jake--or in that era for that matter. The closest was when Rick Rude (RIP) attempted to kiss Jake’s then-wife Cheryl then wore her likeness of her tights. Pretty tame by the sports entertainment standards of today.

It is ironic to note, that while Jake never held any WWF titles, Rude, after jobbing to Jake on numerous occasions, went off to win the I-C belt from the then-indestructible Ultimate Warrior. Thus, by Junior High Logic at the time, it was quickly determined that since Jake could beat Rude and Rude beat the Warrior, that Jake could beat the Warrior ... you know, if it should ever come to that.

But who could forget the snakes. When Jake debuted with the WWF back in 1986, wrestling was, unfortunately, kind of bland. Not that this old school style is bad; just that there were very few characters with interesting features. Damien, followed by Lucifer then the un-named Cobra were what little gimmick Jake had. But the snake never seemed like a gimmick to me--it was simply an extension of the character. Jake could survive without the snake if he had too--but could Koko B. Ware survive without Frankie or what about Brutus "THe Barber" Beefcake without that huge pair of scissors? Probably not.

But Jake was the coolest when he was a heel. Not that he wasn’t cool when he was a face wanting to be a heel--but he was still in his prime as a full-fledged-Elizabeth-hating-heel. Or, years earlier when he was DDTing Ricky Steamboat on the concrete or possibly when he faced Randy Savage in a rare, seldom seen at the time, heel vs. heel match on Saturday Night's Main Event. When you never knew what dastardly thing Jake was going to do, that’s when he was at his coolest.

I was into Jake’s return to the WWF in 1996 but wasn’t crazy about either the God or drunken angle. I mean, it was cool because it was Jake, but then again it wasn't. Considering the past, it was indeed quite disappointing.

And while Jake hasn’t been in the wrestling spotlight (aside from “Beyond the Mat”) for almost 5 years now, he is, truly, one of the unrecognized masters.

Jake is an enigma. Jake was an enigma long before I knew he was. And maybe ... just maybe, that’s why he’s my all time favorite.