"Formerly known as Jack Swagger," Jake Hager is looking to earn a name of his own outside of WWE, much like he did in college wrestling.
The former World Heavyweight Champion Swagger asked for his WWE release earlier this year and has been pretty quiet since then. Now that he's free contractually, he's looking to wrestle anywhere he can, as he told Sports Illustrated recently.
"I want to make a name for myself on the indie scene. I want to earn my street cred. I want to wrestle everywhere. I’m open to wrestling for Global Force, Lucha Underground, even if I’m under a mask, and Ring of Honor. I want to work them all. Everyone is talking about how hot the wrestling scene is in Japan, but the U.K. market, promotion across promotion, is very consistent and growing. I just did WAW (World Association of Wrestling) in Norwich, England, and their television production value was amazing. I wrestled Cody Hall, who had [his father] Razor Ramon in his corner, and that was really cool. I want to grow my brand and help wrestling continue to grow, too," said Swagger.
Many questioned the possibility of Swagger competing in MMA down the line as well. In his mid-thirties, heavyweights in the sport skew older anyway. According to Swagger, it's a risky proposition.
"A fight would be a big risk. It could help my pro wrestling career, or it could hurt it. Once you're an amateur wrestler, you're always an amateur wrestler. I relate everything to amateur wrestling, including the way I watch basketball and the way I watch football. My brain thinks as an amateur wrestler. That's who I am," said Swagger.
Fightful has been told that multiple promotions have interest in Swagger as an MMA fighter, but whether a deal has been offered isn't clear.
You can read his full interview at this link.
