During an appearance on the “Rulebreakers with Saraya” podcast, former WWE Superstar Jake Hager (Jack Swagger in WWE) opened up about the events that led to his WWE departure in 2017, citing “disrespectful” contract negotiations and the company’s refusal to let him pursue a mixed martial arts crossover storyline.
Hager revealed that he felt undervalued during renewal talks with WWE.
“I was in contract negotiations, and I just felt really disrespected,” Hager said. “I felt disrespected in the contract negotiations, just by what they offered, and I made a counter, and then they made a counter that really pissed me off. So I was like, ‘Alright, let’s go. Let’s go elsewhere.’”
At the time, a thriving independent wrestling scene gave him the confidence to walk away. “Drew McIntyre was still on the Indies, and like, he was just killing it. And like, Cody had just left… so you knew there was an indie market out there… so I said, I’ll leave.”
Hager also had ambitions to compete in legitimate MMA and pitched WWE on a storyline that would see him leave TV to train and return after a real fight. “I’ve been pitching an idea to Road Dogg about me causing a scene and leaving for a little bit, and the whole time I’m training, and then I go and have a fight, and then I come back,” he explained.
However, WWE rejected the idea outright: “And they’re like, ‘You can’t do that.’”
After leaving WWE, Hager signed with Bellator MMA, embarking on an undefeated four-fight run in the heavyweight division. “It makes the vindication when you go on and win four in a row,” he said. “I wish I would have stuck with it.”
For Hager, it was all about proving his worth. “I didn’t feel like WWE knew my value… I wanted to go out there and prove, ‘No, this is what I’m worth. This is what I can be.’ And a lot of times there they don’t want certain talent to be because they’ll have to pay them.”
Hager’s success in MMA and the independent scene eventually led him to AEW, where he was a featured roster member for several years before recently announcing his retirement. The full interview is available now below.
