Semi-retired professional wrestler Jake Roberts, nicknamed 'The Snake' owing to his penchant for bringing snakes into the ring, has been hospitalised in Las Vegas.

59-year-old Roberts was flying to Las Vegas, where he was set to appear in a fight, on Wednesday evening (27th August) when he collapsed whilst on his flight from Atlanta. He was rushed to a local hospital when the plane landed in Las Vegas and numerous reports state Roberts is battling double pneumonia. Medical personal add, according to the NY Daily News, Roberts has a mass on his brain and fluid on his lungs.

Roberts is showing signs of improvement however as his first 24 hours in hospital were spent in a coma, as the News, and he has now awaken, fading in and out of consciousness. Roberts' fellow wrestler Diamond Dallas Page has kept Roberts' fans up to date via Twitter and announced Roberts' girlfriend was with him and he was now conscious. 

It appears Roberts' condition has been prompted by an earlier bout of flu. TMZ reports Roberts' fellow wrestler Sinn Bodhi said Roberts was advised to rest a fortnight ago after being told by doctors he was down with flu. He evidently wasn't back on top form and did not want to disappoint his fans, expecting his appearance in Las Vegas. Bodhi also tweeted about Roberts' concern, writing "With Jake at hospital, he's more worried about disappointing fans than getting better! We told him to shut up and beat this pneumonia!"