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Tag: Jake Hager

  • Jake Hager Wins Power Slap Debut, Screams “F**k Tony Khan”

    Jake Hager Wins Power Slap Debut, Screams “F**k Tony Khan”

    Jake Hager celebrating his Power Slap debut victory after knocking out Devin Jenkins in the third round at Power Slap 19 in Las Vegas

    Jake Hager made an emphatic entrance into Power Slap on Friday night, knocking out Devin “Big Jinx” Jenkins in the third round at Power Slap 19 in Las Vegas, then immediately sent a message to his former boss.

    After the finish, Hager stared directly into the camera and shouted, “F**k Tony Khan!” The moment drew instant attention online, given Hager’s well-documented frustrations with the president following his 2024 departure from the company.

    Hager, known to fans as Jack Swagger, also performed his signature “We the People” salute throughout the appearance, leaning into his pro wrestling roots while debuting in an entirely different combat sports arena.

    How the Fight Went

    The bout played out over three rounds at The Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas. Jenkins landed shots that visibly rocked Hager early, but the former World Heavyweight Champion absorbed the punishment and answered back each time. By round three, Jenkins could not recover from Hager’s counter, and the bout was stopped with Hager earning the TKO victory.

    The win was Hager’s first in Power Slap and comes as part of a six-appearance deal he signed with the Dana White-run promotion.

    Background

    Hager spent over a decade in before joining at its launch in 2019 as a member of Chris Jericho’s Inner Circle. His contract expired in May 2024, and he had been openly critical of Tony Khan in interviews since departing. He also went 3-0 (with one no-contest) in Bellator during his time with.

    Power Slap 19 streamed live and free on YouTube on Friday, April 17 — one night before WrestleMania 42 kicked off at Allegiant Stadium.

  • Jake Hager on Chris Jericho\’s Possible WWE Return, Heel Value, and Working the Internet

    Former AEW star Jake Hager recently offered his take on former Inner Circle teammate Chris Jericho\’s WWE future, the timeless value of a great heel, and why wrestling companies should start using the internet as a tool rather than fighting it — all in a new interview on TMZ\’s Inside The Ring.

    On Jericho\’s WWE Return: \”Anything Is Possible\”

    With Chris Jericho\’s AEW contract having expired at the end of 2025, Hager was asked about the chances of seeing his former Inner Circle partner back in WWE. He didn\’t hesitate.

    \”With Chris, anything is possible. I fully expected to see him at the Rumble — or in the Rumble. That guy loves wrestling. He loves to perform. It\’s who he is. He\’s not going to stop.\”

    Hager also credited Jericho\’s work ethic and ring intelligence as the model for how a veteran should operate.

    \”He\’s not going to have a bad storyline. Every segment is going to be ironed out and great because he\’s done it for so long. He knows what to look for,\” Hager said.

    He also pointed to Jericho\’s willingness to put over younger talent during his AEW tenure.

    \”He started off with the championship — he was the first ever AEW champion — but then after that he was constantly putting over Orange Cassidy, putting over the young guys, helping them grow.\”

    The Case for a Great Villain

    Hager also made a pointed argument about the current state of wrestling storytelling, centering it on the importance of heels.

    \”A heel is more valuable than a baby face. In order to have the knight in shining armor, you\’ve got to have that big nasty fire-breathing dragon. Otherwise everyone\’s the same. The nastier, the more evil the heel is, the bigger it\’s going to make the baby face.\”

    Using the Internet Against Itself

    Hager also proposed a strategy for recapturing some of what pro wrestling has lost in the social media era. Rather than lamenting that \”smart\” fans spoil angles, he suggested companies lean into it.

    \”You don\’t have to tell all the wrestlers [a backstage argument] was a setup for a storyline — and then it can get leaked online that these two were fighting backstage. You can start working the fans again, having them believe stuff is real,\” he said.

    \”Everyone says the internet is where you can just find out everything. Well, you can use the internet right back at them. I think that\’s an avenue that\’s going to be next for wrestling companies.\”

    It\’s the kind of thinking that comes from being more than two decades in the business — and it\’s the lens through which Hager is watching whatever comes next for both himself and the industry.

  • Jake Hager Reveals Origin of \’We the People\’ and His Trump Pitch to Vince

    Former WWE star Jake Hager recently revealed the unscripted origin of \”We the People\” — one of WWE\’s most resonant catchphrases — and shared a pitch to Vince McMahon that tied the Real Americans gimmick to Donald Trump\’s 2016 presidential campaign. Both stories came during his appearance on TMZ\’s Inside The Ring.

    The Nashville Session That Started It All

    Hager explained that Dutch Mantel (Zeb Colter) was brought in to audition as the mouthpiece for the Real Americans in Nashville. The phrase that defined the act was never written down in any script.

    \”We were in Nashville — Dutch lived there — so we brought him in to cut a couple promos and see if he\’d be a good fit for the mouthpiece of the group,\” Hager recalled.

    \”He cut about two [promos], took some notes, and then at the end of the third one, he finished with \’We the people.\’ Everybody in the room was just like, \’Oh, that\’s so cool.\’ That was the beginning of it.\”

    The gimmick began as an anti-immigration heel act — but the crowd gradually turned it into something else entirely.

    \”People kind of took it over. \’We the people\’ became theirs. It was no longer the Real Americans\’ catchphrase. It was kind of unifying in a way.\”

    He added that he believes the phrase would still get enormous reactions today. The gimmick was cut short partly due to media scrutiny over its political content.

    The heel paradox wasn\’t lost on Hager. Dutch would insult the audience to their faces, yet they\’d still rise and chant along at the end.

    \”Dutch, you said THIS and THIS and THIS about them — and they still cheered us when we said \’We the people,\’\” Hager said. \”We were on to something for sure.\”

    The Trump Pitch Vince Buried

    In 2015, with Trump\’s presidential campaign underway, Hager pitched an idea to McMahon that would have tied the Real Americans storyline directly to the political moment.

    \”Dutch and I were going to do everything Donald Trump did and come out on stage and be very presidential,\” Hager explained.

    He said he framed it to McMahon as a unique opportunity:

    \”What if you could tell your friend that you\’re the reason why you put him in the White House?\” The response was immediate. \”And he was like, \’Oh, stay away.\’\” Hager laughed recounting it, calling it one of the more prescient moments from his WWE tenure in hindsight.

    Hager said he believes \”We the People\” would land just as hard with today\’s audiences. \”It doesn\’t mean it can\’t morph for change,\” he noted — leaving open the possibility that the catchphrase has more chapters left to write.

  • Jake Hager Open To Wrestling Return, Rules Out One Company

    Former WWE and AEW star Jake Hager, who announced his retirement from professional wrestling in August 2025, is now leaving the door open for a return to the ring. However, he\’s already ruled out at least one company.

    Speaking on TMZ\’s Inside The Ring, Hager said his body has recovered significantly since he stepped away. He said:

    \”When I retired, my body was banged up pretty badly. My shoulders were hanging on by a thread. Everything\’s a lot better now and healthier — it\’s amazing what a little time off creates. I wouldn\’t rule out me wrestling again. I think I\’d like to get back in there, actually.\”

    One Company He Won\’t Call

    Despite the renewed optimism about his physical condition, Hager drew a clear line when it came to AEW. When asked which promotions he might consider, he stated flatly:

    \”There [is] one company that I wouldn\’t be asking [to work for].\”

    The context of the conversation made clear he was referring to All Elite Wrestling.

    It\’s not the first time Hager has aired grievances about the company. He previously slammed Tony Khan\’s leadership and said he regretted his AEW run, and told Sportskeeda he didn\’t think WWE liked him very much either. The combination left his future in wrestling uncertain — until now.

    Hager spent five years in AEW as a founding member of the Inner Circle alongside Chris Jericho before departing in 2024. He was candid that the AEW chapter holds mixed memories.

    \”It\’s hard to look at my time at AEW and be mad at it because I got to work with Chris,\” he acknowledged, but his exit was acrimonious.

    With his Power Slap career now kicking off and his body healthier than it\’s been in years, a wrestling return may be closer than previously thought — just not in Jacksonville.

  • Jake Hager Announces Power Slap Debut Over WrestleMania Weekend

    Jake Hager (FKA Jack Swagger) has signed with UFC President Dana White\’s Power Slap league and will make his debut in the sport on April 17 in Las Vegas over WrestleMania 42 weekend.

    The former WWE World Heavyweight Champion made the announcement during an appearance on TMZ\’s Inside The Ring.

    \”I\’m so excited to announce that I\’ve signed with UFC Power Slap,\” Hager said. \”They are doing a show April 17th in Vegas live — that\’s the Friday [before] Mania. I\’ll be competing in that show in the heavyweight division.\”

    Hager revealed he signed a six-appearance contract with the promotion. \”Absolutely, long term,\” he said.

    The Transition From MMA

    https://media.sescoops.com/uploads/2026/03/\"Jake

    The signing fills a competitive void left by Hager\’s exit from MMA. The former Bellator competitor — who went 3-0 (1 NC) in his pro career — admitted that his body can no longer handle the demands of cage training now that he\’s approaching 44.

    \”If you\’re not training with your back against the wall, giving it everything you got, you\’re going to go into the octagon and get hurt,\” he said.

    Power Slap, by contrast, requires a different but demanding kind of physical preparation. Hager acknowledged the sport carries real risks but expressed confidence in the UFC\’s infrastructure.

    \”You know what you sign up for. I expect injuries to happen. I know UFC does a great job of covering all expenses related to the injuries,\” he said. \”I\’m not worried about it, to be honest.\”

    He also noted an unlikely physical advantage in his build.

    \”There are certain exercises — a lot of shoulder techniques — and you definitely want your neck strengthened to absorb the blow,\” Hager said. \”Luckily, I don\’t have a neck, so it just goes shoulder to head. Hopefully that\’s an advantage for me.\”

    Hager will also be appearing at WrestleCon in Las Vegas that same weekend alongside fellow wrestling veterans. His Power Slap debut falls on the same night, making for a packed few days in Vegas for the former WWE and AEW star who departed All Elite Wrestling in 2024.