WWE legend Jake 'The Snake' Roberts hospitalised after double pneumonia left him in a coma

The wrestler, 59, is now drifting in and out of consciousness, close friend Diamond Dallas said on Twitter

Jake 'The Snake' Roberts, the veteran star of WWE, was left in a coma after he was hospitalised with double pneumonia.

According to a report on Wrestling Inc, Roberts slipped out of consciousness as he travelled on a plane heading to Las Vegas on Wednesday (27 August).

The wrestler, 59, was then in a coma for 24 hours.

He is now drifting in and out of consciousness, close friend Diamond Dallas said on Twitter.

Roberts made his big ring debut in 1986 when he appeared at WrestleMania II.

He made a triumphant return back to the professional sport in January 2014, and was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame.

In March 2014, he took part in the Jersey Championship Wrestling competition, despite having undergone surgery to remove a cancerous growth behind his knee a month previously.

Roberts, famed for including his pet python Damien as part of his act, is credited for inventing one of the sport’s most recognisable moves, the DDT.