.jpg) Roberts in 2024 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | Justin Jason Roberts[3] (1979-12-29)December 29, 1979 (age 45)[1] |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Enzo Reed[1] Jae Sage[1] Jason Roberts[1] Justin Roberts[2] Justin Price[1] |
| Billed height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)[2] |
| Billed weight | 170 lb (77 kg)[2] |
| Billed from | Scottsdale, Arizona[2] |
| Debut | 1996 |
Justin Jason Roberts (born December 29, 1979) is an Americanring announcer. He is signed toAll Elite Wrestling (AEW). He is best known for his time inWWE, where he regularly announced for itspay-per-views and television shows such asWrestleMania,Raw,SmackDown,ECW, andSuperstars from 2002 to 2014.
Roberts began watchingprofessional wrestling after he saw an edition ofSaturday Night's Main Event[1][better source needed] and metKerry Von Erich andThe Ultimate Warrior at a hotel inWisconsin. The combined events inspired Roberts to become a fan of wrestling.[1][better source needed] He also briefly trained as areferee so he could be in the same ring asCurt Hennig, of whom he was a big fan.[1][better source needed]
Roberts began ring announcing at age 16 for localprofessional wrestling promotion Pro Wrestling International, and announced his first match in November 1996.[1][3] While studyingMedia Arts and Communications at theUniversity of Arizona from 1998 to 2002, Roberts worked for otherindependent promotions such as the American Wrestling Alliance,All Pro Wrestling, and Impact Zone Wrestling. During this time, he also announced for theToughman Contest.[2][1][3]
In 2002, Roberts joined WWE and joinedSmackDown!, followed later by a move to theRawbrand.[2] He also worked onVelocity andHeat shows while touring as the full-timeRawlive event announcer.[4][better source needed] Most notably, Roberts announced theECW show each week on theSci Fi Network until September 2007, before swapping withSmackDown!'sTony Chimel.[2][4] Roberts achieved a career high point when he announced the main event ofWrestleMania XXIV betweenEdge andThe Undertaker on March 30, 2008. In addition to announcingSmackDown andpay-per-view matches, Roberts would also announce onWWE Superstars, including its inaugural episode on April 16, 2009. Beginning on September 28, 2009, Roberts took over theRaw announcing duties, replacing the departingLilian Garcia.
On the June 7, 2010 episode ofRaw, Roberts was attacked by theNexusstable who had competed in thefirst season ofNXT and was called up to the main roster the same day.[5] During the segment, Roberts wasstrangled with his owntie byDaniel Bryan, which led to Bryan's release, as WWE felt the incident was too violent for theirTV-PG programming.[6][7] At theSummerSlam pay-per-view two months later however, Bryan returned to WWE. AtWrestleMania XXVII, Roberts worked as the sole announcer for the whole show, with the exception of the announcement of theHall of Fame class of 2011, which was announced byHoward Finkel.
On October 13, 2014, immediately afterRaw, WWE released Roberts after opting not to renew his contract, ending his 12-year tenure with the company.[8][9] Following his release, it was reported that Roberts would be working on an autobiography. In the days leading up to his release, Roberts had publicly penned a five-page essay explaining why the WWE had been the “most incredible blessing of [his] life”.[10]
Roberts was guest ring announcer at theHouse of Hardcore 9 event and a couple of other events soon after leaving WWE. In 2016, Roberts was the ring announcer for the UR Fight iPPV Events which included his announcing for a match betweenKurt Angle andRey Mysterio. Since 2015, Roberts has worked for the bandTool hosting and moderating their VIP events.[11][12]
On July 13, 2018, it was announced Roberts would commentate theAll In broadcast withDon Callis,Sean Mooney,Excalibur,Alicia Atout,Ian Riccaboni, andBobby Cruise.[13] Roberts along with Cruise were the ring announcers at All In.
On April 3, 2019, Roberts was hired byAll Elite Wrestling (AEW) as its main ring announcer, nicknamed "The Dapper Yapper".[14]
In 2023 Roberts started announcing for MMA promotion theProfessional Fighters League.
Roberts has appeared as anon-player character in thevideo gamesWWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2008,WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2009,WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2010,WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2011,WWE '12,WWE '13,WWE 2K14, andWWE 2K15.[15]
Roberts has appeared inGraves andThe Messengers. He has also done some acting and was featured in such movies asStuart Saves His Family,The Guardian andSoul Food.[1] As a child, he was an extra inSleepless in Seattle,Blue Chips andOnly the Lonely.[4] He also appeared in an episode ofThe Jerry Springer Show.[1][4]
Roberts released hisautobiography,Best Seat in the House, on April 1, 2017.[16]
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