 Hager in 2014 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | Donald Jacob Hager Jr. (1982-03-24)March 24, 1982 (age 43)[7] Fargo, North Dakota, U.S.[8] |
| Alma mater | University of Oklahoma |
Spouse | |
| Children | 2 |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Jack Swagger Jake Hager[5] Jake Strong |
| Billed height | 6 ft 7 in (201 cm)[6] |
| Billed weight | 275 lb (125 kg)[6] |
| Billed from | Perry, Oklahoma[6] |
| Trained by | Deep South Wrestling[5] |
| Debut | September 7, 2006[5] |
| Retired | August 7, 2025 |
| Mixed martial arts career | |
| Nickname | Rock Hard[1] |
| Height | 6 ft 4 in (193 cm)[2] |
| Weight | 255 lb (116 kg; 18 st 3 lb)[2] |
| Division | Heavyweight (206–265 lbs)[3] |
| Reach | 81 in (206 cm) |
| Style | Wrestling |
| Fighting out of | Tampa, Florida, United States |
| Wrestling | NCAADivision IAll-American[4] |
| Mixed martial arts record | |
| Total | 4 |
| Wins | 3 |
| By submission | 2 |
| By decision | 1 |
| Losses | 0 |
| No contests | 1 |
| Other information | |
| Mixed martial arts record fromSherdog | |
Donald Jacob Hager Jr. (born March 24, 1982) is an American retiredprofessional wrestler,amateur wrestler andmixed martial artist. He is best known for his tenures inWWE asJack Swagger and inAll Elite Wrestling (AEW) asJake Hager. As a mixed martial artist, he was signed toBellator MMA and competed in theheavyweight division.
Hager attended theUniversity of Oklahoma as a two-sport athlete, participating in bothfootball andwrestling. He switched to wrestling full-time in his sophomore year, and in 2006, set the record for mostpins in a season with 30 as anAll-American. Following a try-out, Hager signed a WWE contract in mid 2006 where he performed as Jack Swagger. During his time with WWE, he became a two-timeworld champion, having held the WWE'sWorld Heavyweight Championship and theECW Championship once each and a one-timeUnited States Champion. He left the company in 2017 after he decided to pursue a professional mixed martial arts (MMA) career.
In 2017, Hager signed withBellator MMA. He had his first professional fight on January 26, 2019, against J.W. Kiser atBellator 214, where he won via arm-triangle choke in the first round. In his second fight with the promotion, he faced T.J. Jones on May 11, 2019, atBellator 221, where he again won via arm-triangle choke in the first round. Hager announced his retirement from MMA in September 2023. He was undefeated with a record of 3–0 (1). As a wrestler, he kept working with various promotions before signing with AEW in 2019, including inLucha Underground asJake Strong, where he was the finalLucha Underground Champion.
Hager startedwrestling at the age of five. He wrestled in high school withDanny Hodge's grandson[9] and remained good friends with Hodge as he grew up living two blocks away from him inPerry, Oklahoma.[9]
TheUniversity of Oklahoma recruited Hager as a two-sport athlete in football and wrestling. He was thesecond-stringdefensive tackle behind eventualNational Football League playersTommie Harris andDusty Dvoracek.[9][10] He stopped playing football and concentrated fully onwrestling hissophomore year.[5][9][10] During his junior year, he was introduced toJim Ross, who wasWorld Wrestling Entertainment (WWE)'s Head of Talent Relations at the time, through former OU defensive tackle Dusty Dvoracek, Hager's close friend and college roommate. Ross encouraged Hager to contact him after graduating to see about a career inprofessional wrestling.[11] At the 2005 NCAA Division I championships, he lost to University of Pennsylvania's Matt Feast in the second round, and did not place. As a senior in 2006, Hager had a seventh-place finish in the NCAA championships and also defeated the future national champion, Dustin Fox fromNorthwestern University.[12] Hager was named anAll-American at season's end while setting the Oklahoma record for mostpins in a single season with 30.[9][11]
In 2006, Hager graduated from the University of Oklahoma with aBachelor's degree in finance.[11] Following his graduation, he was going to work with a firm inDallas, Texas, but signed with WWE after they offered a contract the day he was scheduled to start.[9]
In 2006, Hager had a WWE tryout inDeep South Wrestling (DSW), and in September 2006, under his real name, he made his in-ring debut for DSW, defeating Antonio Mestre in adark match.[5][11]
He competed mainly in dark matches before being moved toOhio Valley Wrestling (OVW) in January 2007.[13] He debuted for thepromotion by defeatingAtlas DaBone, and in the following months began afeud withK.C. James.[14][15][16] Hager began teaming with a multitude of opponents to feud with James and his tag team partnerCassidy James.[17][18] During his time in thedevelopmental territories he appeared as a security guard during a brawl betweenJohn Cena andUmaga onRaw.[9]
In August 2007, Hager was reassigned toFlorida Championship Wrestling (FCW), where he began a feud withTJ Wilson.[9][19][20] On February 15, 2008, at theFlorida State Fair inTampa, Florida, Hager andTed DiBiase Jr. were the final two men remaining in a 23-manbattle royal to determine the two contenders for theFCW Florida Heavyweight Championship. Hager then defeated DiBiase to become champion.[5][9] On March 22, 2008, Hager went against the FCW Southern Heavyweight ChampionHeath Miller inNew Port Richey, Florida to determine the true Heavyweight Champion.[21] Both championships were on the line, and Hager defeated Miller to become the undisputed heavyweight champion in FCW.[21][22] He later defended the championship against Miller, TJ Wilson,James Curtis, andGabe Tuft.[23][24][25][26]
During this time, Hager had agimmick of having an undefeated streak in FCW.[5] His first loss came in the form of aRaw dark match, at the TV taping on August 18, 2008, when he lost toWilliam Regal.[27] He also lost toD'Lo Brown in a dark match, before defeatingJamie Noble in a dark match prior to aSmackDown taping on August 29. He then lost the FCW Florida Heavyweight Championship toSheamus O'Shaunessy on September 18, after debuting for theECWbrand.[22]
On September 9, 2008, Hager made his debut on theECW brand as aheel under thering name Jack Swagger, winning a match against a local competitor.[28] He immediately started a feud withTommy Dreamer. He attacked Dreamer on the September 23 episode ofECW when Dreamer attempted to stop Swagger from attackingChase Stevens.[29] He later defeated Dreamer in a normal match and an "Amateur Wrestling Challenge" competition.[30][31] After weeks of feuding, their rivalry ended in November in anExtreme Rules match, which Swagger won.[32]
He then sought to challengeMatt Hardy for theECW Championship and was named the #1 contender on the December 30 episode ofECW. On the January 13, 2009 episode ofECW, Swagger defeated Hardy to win his first title in WWE, the ECW Championship, and retained the title against Hardy in a rematch at theRoyal Rumble on January 25.[33][34][35] His undefeated streak in singles competition ended on the February 3 episode ofECW when he lost toFinlay in a non-title match.[36] After successfully defending his title against Finlay atNo Way Out on February 15, Swagger began a feud with the returningChristian. He lost the ECW Championship to Christian atBacklash on April 26, ending his reign at 104 days.[10][37] He attempted to regain the title against Christian atJudgment Day on May 17 and in atriple threathardcore match atExtreme Rules on June 7 also involving Dreamer but was unsuccessful in both attempts.[38] His attempt to win the ECW Championship atThe Bash on June 28 in anECW Championship Scramble also failed.[39]
On the June 29 episode ofRaw, Swagger was traded to theRaw brand, making his debut as part of athree-on-one gauntlet match againstWWE ChampionRandy Orton, in which he got himself purposelycounted out in order to make an impression on Orton.[40] On the July 13 episode ofRaw, he won his first match on the brand by defeatingMontel Vontavious Porter (MVP).[41] He then feuded with MVP for several weeks, culminating atSummerSlam on August 23, in a match that MVP won.[42] After his short feud with MVP ended, Swagger began pursuing theUnited States Championship. He had a title match on the September 21 episode ofRaw againstKofi Kingston but lost the match by countout after stealing the championship belt and leaving the arena with it but Kingston later took it back while Swagger was in a physical confrontation withThe Miz.[43][44] Swagger made another unsuccessful attempt at the title atHell in a Cell on October 4 in atriple threat match against Kingston and The Miz.[45] At theRoyal Rumble on January 31, 2010, Swagger entered at number 26 in the Royal Rumble match, but was later eliminated by Kofi Kingston.
On the March 1 episode ofRaw, Swagger defeatedSantino Marella to qualify for theMoney in the Bank ladder match atWrestleMania XXVI on March 28,[46] where he won, earning a contract for any WWEworld championship over the following year.[47] On the March 29 episode ofRaw, Swagger tried to cash in his Money in the Bank contract against the WWE Champion John Cena, but changed his mind when he realized that Cena was not incapacitated enough to be defeated easily. As the match had never started, Swagger retained the contract for use at a future date.[48]
Swagger cashed in the contract during the April 2 episode ofSmackDown, after thenWorld Heavyweight ChampionChris Jericho had beenspeared byEdge.[49] Swagger went on to defeat Jericho to win the World Heavyweight Championship for the first time and subsequently joined theSmackDown brand.[49][50] Following his championship win, Swagger began to develop a more serious persona: previously he had been known for doingpushups and beating his chest during his ring entrance.[9] He successfully defended the title against Edge and Jericho in a triple threat match on the April 16 episode ofSmackDown and against Randy Orton in anExtreme Rules match atExtreme Rules on April 25.[51] AtOver the Limit on May 23, Swagger retained the title againstBig Show by intentionally disqualifying himself.[52] AtFatal 4-Way on June 20, Swagger lost the World Heavyweight Championship toRey Mysterio in afatal four-way match also involvingCM Punk and Big Show, ending his world championship reign at 79 days.[53] Following the Fatal 4-Way pay-per-view, Swagger began attacking Mysterio in the lead up to his rematch at theMoney in the Bank pay-per-view on July 18. He failed to regain the championship, ending their short feud and Swagger's main event status. The match was called one of the best that year.[54]
Swagger later began being accompanied to the ring by hismascot, the Swagger Soaring Eagle, who was portrayed byChavo Guerrero.[55] AtTLC: Tables, Ladders and Chairs on December 19, Swagger competed in a triple threatladder match for theIntercontinental Championship against Kofi Kingston and championDolph Ziggler, in which Ziggler retained.[56]
On the February 28, 2011 episode ofRaw, Swagger was announced asMichael Cole's trainer for his match atWrestleMania XXVII on April 3 againstJerry Lawler.[57] On the March 28 episode ofRaw, Swagger faced Lawler in a singles match, which he won by disqualification after Lawler attacked him with a steel chair.[58] At WrestleMania, Swagger received aStone Cold Stunner from theguest referee,Stone Cold Steve Austin when attempting to withdraw Cole from the match. Cole went on to win the match via disqualification.[59] On April 26, Swagger was drafted to the Raw brand as part of the2011 supplemental draft.[60] AtExtreme Rules on May 1, Swagger teamed with Cole to defeat Jerry Lawler andJim Ross in aCountry Whipping match.[61] Swagger ended his partnership with Cole on the May 16 episode ofRaw, after Cole insulted him.[62]
Beginning on May 23, Swagger feuded withEvan Bourne, with both men trading victories on several episodes ofRaw.[63][64] AtCapitol Punishment on June 19, Bourne defeated Swagger to end the feud.[65] Swagger competed in his secondMoney in the Bank ladder match at theMoney in the Bank pay-per-view on July 17, whichAlberto Del Rio won.[66]
On the August 15 episode ofRaw, after defeatingAlex Riley, Swagger suggested toVickie Guerrero that she should manage multiple clients, in the vein of managers likeBobby Heenan andFreddie Blassie.[67] The following week, Swagger had a "tryout" match, but was distracted by Guerrero arguing with Dolph Ziggler at ringside, and lost the match.[68] Swagger and Ziggler continued to fight over Guerrero for the next few weeks,[69] which led to a match being for Ziggler'sUnited States Championship atNight of Champions on September 18, also involving Riley andJohn Morrison. At Night of Champions, Swagger was unsuccessful in winning the title as Ziggler retained.[70] On the September 19 episode ofRaw SuperShow, Guerrero agreed to manage Swagger.[71] As a result, Swagger and Ziggler formed an alliance, with Swagger helping Ziggler retain his championship.[72] At bothHell in a Cell on October 2 andVengeance on October 23, Swagger and Ziggler unsuccessfully challenged Air Boom (Evan Bourne and Kofi Kingston) for theWWE Tag Team Championship.[73][74]
On the January 16, 2012, episode ofRaw SuperShow, Swagger won the United States Championship for the first time by defeatingZack Ryder.[75][76] AtElimination Chamber on February 19, Swagger successfully defended his title againstJustin Gabriel.[77] On the February 27 episode ofRaw SuperShow, Swagger and Ziggler unsuccessfully challengedPrimo & Epico for the WWE Tag Team Championship in a triple threat tag team match, also involving Kofi Kingston andR-Truth. On the March 5 episode ofRaw SuperShow, Swagger lost the United States Championship to Santino Marella, ending his reign at 49 days. On the following episode ofSmackDown, Swagger failed to regain the United States Championship in a steel cage match, after Marella escaped through the cage door.[78] On the March 19 episode ofRaw SuperShow, Swagger was announced as a member ofTeam Johnny atWrestleMania XXVIII on April 1, a match Team Johnny won. On the April 2 episode ofRaw SuperShow, Swagger and Ziggler unsuccessfully challenged Marella for the United States Championship in a triple threat match.[79] In May, Swagger and Ziggler unsuccessfully challenged Kofi Kingston and R-Truth for WWE Tag Team Championship, first atOver the Limit on May 20 and second on the May 28 episode ofRaw SuperShow.[80][81] On the June 11 episode ofRaw SuperShow, Swagger and Ziggler competed in a fatal four-way elimination match for a number one contenders spot to the World Heavyweight Championship; he was eliminated when Ziggler pinned him.[82] The following week, Guerrero, finally tired of the bickering between Swagger and Ziggler, arranged for a match between them; Ziggler won the match, thus ending their partnership, and also ended his clientele association with Vickie Guerrero.[83]
On the June 25 episode ofRaw SuperShow, Swagger once again unsuccessfully challenged Santino Marella for the United States Championship.[84] Following this loss, Swagger went on a three-month losing streak against the likes ofTyson Kidd,Sheamus,Brodus Clay, andRyback.[85][86][87] After again losing to Sheamus on the September 3 episode ofRaw, Swagger told Raw General ManagerAJ Lee he would take "extended time off".[88]
Swagger returned in February 2013, and was paired withZeb Colter as his manager, changing his character to a self-proclaimed great American hero who strongly advocatedanti-immigration beliefs; Swagger's character was influenced by Colter to display similar traits.[89][90] AtElimination Chamber on February 17, Swagger won anElimination Chamber match againstRandy Orton,Chris Jericho,Mark Henry,Kane andDaniel Bryan to become the number one contender for the World Heavyweight Championship.[91]Fox News and various conservative commentators includingGlenn Beck claimed that Swagger and Colter's characters were a mockery of theTea Party movement meant to "demonize" the Tea Party.[92][93] WWE responded to the criticism by stating that they were incorporating "current events into [their] storylines" to "create compelling and relevant content for [their] audience" and that "this storyline in no way represents WWE's political point of view".[94] WWE followed by having Swagger and Colter break character during a video to invite Beck to appear onRaw while justifying that the storyline was designed to elicit a crowd response for the protagonist, Alberto Del Rio, and the antagonists, Swagger and Colter, while remaining within a PG rating, unlike several high-rated scripted dramas that usemurder andrape in their storylines. Beck rejected the invitation.[95]
Swagger challenged Del Rio for the World Heavyweight Championship atWrestleMania 29 on April 7, where he was defeated.[96] Swagger would then feud with both Del Rio and Ziggler over the World Heavyweight Championship, with Swagger defeating Ziggler in a non-title match the following week and Del Rio attacking him afterwards.[97][98][99] Swagger was originally booked to face Ziggler and Del Rio in three-way ladder match for the World Heavyweight Championship atExtreme Rules on May 19.[100] Swagger legitimately concussed Ziggler with a kick at aSmackDown taping, stopping that plan.[101][102] As a result of Ziggler's injury, Swagger instead would be booked to face Del Rio in a number one contenderI Quit match at the pay-per-view on May 19,[103] which Del Rio won.[104] In June, Swagger took a leave absence to undergo surgery on his hand, which sidelined him for the remainder of the month.[105]
When Swagger returned, he and Colter were paired withAntonio Cesaro as the tag team The Real Americans.[106] They feuded with Santino Marella[107][108][109][110] andLos Matadores,[111][112][113] culminating in a tag team match on October 27 atHell in a Cell, which Los Matadores won.[114] AtSurvivor Series on November 24, Swagger teamed with Cesaro,Roman Reigns,Dean AmbroseandSeth Rollins in a 5 on 5 traditional Survivor Series tag team match in which their team was victorious. AtTLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs on December 15, they also challenged for the WWE Tag Team Championship again in a losing effort in a fatal four-way match also involving RybAxel and the team ofBig Show andRey Mysterio. On the February 14, 2014 episode ofSmackDown, Swagger became the #1 Contender for the Intercontinental Championship after winning a Fatal 4-Way match, defeating Kofi Kingston, Rey Mysterio andMark Henry.[115] Swagger advanced toElimination Chamber on February 23, where he lost to Intercontinental Champion Big E.
During the pre-show ofWrestleMania XXX on April 6, the Real Americans were the final team eliminated during a fatal-four-way match for the WWE Tag Team Championship. Swagger blamed Cesaro for the loss and put Cesaro in the Patriot Lock before Colter demanded that the duo shake hands. Cesaro instead retaliated with a Cesaro Swing on Swagger.[116] Later during the pay-per-view, Cesaro was a surprise entrant in theAndré the Giant Memorial Battle Royal, which he won by last eliminating Big Show by body slamming him out of the ring, which mirroredHulk Hogan's momentous body slam of André.[117] Swagger retaliated by attacking Cesaro on the followingRaw and then destroying the trophy, thus ending the stable.
Following the dissolution of their team, Swagger would feud with Cesaro, withRob Van Dam also being drawn into the feud, with the three competing in atriple threat elimination match atExtreme Rules on May 4, which Cesaro won.[118] On the June 30 episode ofRaw, Swagger turnedface for the first time in WWE, after he and Colter would confrontRusev andLana about them disrespecting America.[119] This would lead to a number of matches between the two, with Swagger being defeated by Rusev at bothBattleground on July 20[120] andSummerSlam on August 17.[121] On the December 1 episode ofRaw, Swagger would find Colter assaulted backstage, with Rusev later admitting to the attack.[122] AtTLC: Tables, Ladders and Chairs on December 14, Swagger would challenge Rusev for the United States Championship, in a losing effort and ending their feud.[123]
Following his match with Rusev at TLC, Swagger began to appear on television less frequently. At theRoyal Rumble on January 25, 2015, Swagger competed in the Royal Rumble match, lasting a while before he was eliminated by Big Show. AtWrestleMania 31 on March 29, Swagger participated in the 2nd Annual André the Giant MemorialBattle Royal, in which he was again eliminated by Big Show.[124] Swagger appeared on the November 2 episode ofRaw, encountering his former manager Zeb Colter, only to be interrupted by Alberto Del Rio, Colter's new client.[125] This started a feud between the two, which culminated atTLC: Tables, Ladders and Chairs on December 13 with Swagger challenging Del Rio for the WWE United States Championship in aChairs match, which Del Rio won.[126] At the2015 Tribute to the Troops event, Swagger defeated Rusev by submission in a "Boot Camp" match.[127]
On January 24, 2016, at theRoyal Rumble, during the kick-off show, Swagger teamed with Mark Henry in a winning effort against the teams of Darren Young and Damien Sandow, TheDudley Boyz andThe Ascension.[128] As a result of the win, Swagger qualified for the Royal Rumble match itself during the main show; entering as the 24th entrant, only to be quickly eliminated byBrock Lesnar lasting only 16 seconds.[129] AtRoadblock on March 12, Swagger would be defeated by Chris Jericho. AtWrestleMania 32 on April 3, Swagger would compete in the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal, which was won byBaron Corbin. On the June 6 episode ofRaw, Swagger faced long-time rival Rusev in Swagger's home state of Oklahoma in a losing effort via count-out. After the match, Swagger attacked Rusev before leading the crowd in a "We the People" chant.[130] On the July 4 episode ofRaw, Swagger was part of the main-event, where he teamed with "Team USA", which consisted of himself, Big Show,Kane,Apollo Crews, Mark Henry, Zack Ryder and the Dudley Boyz, in a 16-man elimination tag team match, in which their team was victorious over "The Multinational Alliance", which consisted ofKevin Owens, Chris Jericho,Sami Zayn, Cesaro, Sheamus, Alberto Del Rio and theLucha Dragons (Kalisto andSin Cara).[131]
In the2016 WWE draft, Swagger was drafted to the Raw brand.[132] On the September 12 episode ofRaw, Swagger facedJinder Mahal in a losing effort. After the match,Tom Phillips revealed to Swagger that his "Raw contract" expired soon, in which Swagger ignored Phillips and walked away.[133] The following night, he switched brands onSmackDown, interrupting Baron Corbin and stating that he has signed exclusively to the brand.[134] Swagger defeated Corbin on the October 4 episode ofSmackDown after the referee thought he submitted when he was actually trying to reach the bottom rope.[135] Corbin would then defeat Swagger twice, at theNo Mercy pay-per-view on October 9 and again on the October 18 episode ofSmackDown, ending the feud, this would be Swagger's last televised match in WWE.[136][137]
On March 1, 2017, Hager announced onChael Sonnen's podcast that he had requested his release from WWE.[138] Two days later, WWE issued a statement saying that Hager had not been granted his release. This was in response to Hager already having been announced for an independent date.[139] On March 13, 2017, it was announced that WWE had officially granted Hager his release.[140]
Hager returned to professional wrestling on theindependent circuit in 2017. He announced (using his Jack Swagger ring name) that he would be joining theHouse of Hardcore 2017 Australian tour.[141] The Australia tour consisted of four events between June 16 and 24, 2017.[142] In February 2018, Hager joined5 Star Wrestling and won the heavyweight title, defeatingJohn Morrison. The promotion closed in March 2018 with Hager being the second and final champion. Jack Swagger also wrestled for PPW and became the PPW Heavyweight Champion on PPW High Voltage, February 11, 2018.
On April 20, 2018, Hager defeatedMVP to become the Imperial Wrestling Revolution champion. On November 24, 2018, Hager unsuccessfully challengedNick Aldis for theNWA World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleCade: SuperShow[143]
On the second episode ofseason 4 ofLucha Underground on June 20, 2018, Hager made his debut as a heel. Under the name of "The Savage" Jake Strong, he joined Infamous Inc. withSammy Guevara and Big Bad Steve, facing the Trios Champions The Mack, Son of Havoc and Killshot. After his team lost, Strong attacked every member, including Infamous Inc manager, Famous B. Strong then started a feud withDrago andAerostar, defeating both in singles matches and in a handicapNunchaku match. On October 17, Strong won a 7-man battle royal by last eliminatingA. R. Fox and that same night, he defeated Johnny Mundo. The next week, Strong won a seven-to-seven survive elimination match to win theLucha Underground Gift of the Gods Championship. On the final day ofUltima Lucha Cuatro, which was also the final episode of season 4, Strong cashed his Gift of the Gods Championship onPentagon Dark, who had just defeatedMarty Martinez to win theLucha Underground Championship, and proceeded to defeat Pentagon Dark to become the new Lucha Underground Champion.Lucha Underground was discontinued after the season four finale, therefore making Strong the final Lucha Underground Champion.[144]
On May 3, 2018, Hager made hisMajor League Wrestling debut against Jeff Cobb.[citation needed]
On October 2, 2019, Hager debuted inAll Elite Wrestling (AEW) on the inaugural episode ofAEW Dynamite, aligning himself withChris Jericho,Santana and Ortiz, andSammy Guevara by helping them take outThe Young Bucks,Cody, andDustin Rhodes in the aftermath of the main event.[145] Led by Jericho, he subsequently formed a new faction with Guevara, Santana, and Ortiz calledthe Inner Circle. His in-ring debut match for AEW occurred on February 29, 2020, atRevolution, where he defeated Dustin Rhodes.[146][147] On the March 25, 2020, episode ofDynamite,Jon Moxley attacked Hager after a match with Chico Adams.[148] Following this, on the March 31, 2020 episode ofAEW Dark, Hager attacked Moxley as revenge.[149] The rivalry resulted in anEmpty ArenaNo Holds Barred match for theAEW World Championship on the April 15, 2020 episode ofDynamite, which Hager lost to Moxley, marking his first loss in AEW.[150] On the February 9, 2022 episode ofAEW Dynamite, the Inner Circle had a team meeting that ended with Sammy Guevara throwing his vest down and walking out. It was later announced that Jericho and Hager would face Santana and Ortiz in a tag team match the following week, with it being billed as theInner Circle Implodes match.[151]
On the March 9, 2022 episode ofDynamite, the Inner Circle was disbanded after Hager assisted Jericho in attacking Santana and Ortiz and joined a new stable with Jericho,Daniel Garcia and2.0 called theJericho Appreciation Society. Starting with the October 5 episode ofDynamite, Hager began wearing a purplebucket hat that had been rejected by Garcia as a gift from Jericho the week before and not wanting the gift to go to waste. The absurd gimmick proved to be popular with fans onsocial media, leading to Hager to officially adopt it as his persona and tell everyone that he "liked this hat". This included pictures of Hager wearing the hat everywhere including during wrestling matches.[152] At theThanksgiving Evespecial episode on November 23, Hager challenged Orange Cassidy for theAEW All-Atlantic Championship but was defeated.[153]
On the February 21, 2024 episode ofRampage, Hager was defeated byRoderick Strong in what would be his final AEW appearance as on May 28, it was reported that his contract had expired and he had elected not to re-sign.[154] After leaving AEW, Hager was critical of AEW presidentTony Khan, accusing Khan of being acommunist after claiming that Khan threatened to fire him due to his support ofDonald Trump and called Khan "unprofessional" for interrupting a talent meeting. The latter story has been disputed by AEW wrestlersFTR (Cash Wheeler andDax Harwood).[155][156]
After leaving AEW, Hager returned to working on the independent circuit. On November 2, 2024, Hager was defeated byConnor Mills at Banger Zone Wrestling (BZW) in what would be his final match.[157] On August 7, 2025, Hager announced his retirement from professional wrestling ending a near 19-year career and focusing on new business ventures in logistics and trucking having established his own company.[158][159][160]
On November 13, 2017, Hager announced that he had signed to fight forBellator MMA as part of their heavyweight division.[3]
On December 3, 2018, it was announced that Hager would be making his debut against J.W. Kiser atBellator 214.[161] Hager won the fight via submission at 2:09 of the first round.[162]
In Hager's second fight with the promotion, he faced T.J. Jones on May 11, 2019, atBellator 221.[163][164] He again won the fight via an arm-triangle choke in the first round. Controversy arose as Hager held on to the choke for several seconds after Jones had tapped. This caused referee Mike Beltran to pull Hager off of Jones amid boos.[165]
For his third fight with the promotion, Hager faced Anthony Garrett atBellator 231 on October 25, 2019.[166] The bout ended in a no contest early into the first round after Hager landed two unintentional groin strikes to Garrett, the latter one rendering Garrett unable to continue.[167]
Hager faced Brandon Calton atBellator 250 on October 29, 2020.[168] He won the bout via split decision.[169]
Hager retired from MMA in September 2023.[170]
| 4 matches | 3 wins | 0 losses |
| By submission | 2 | 0 |
| By decision | 1 | 0 |
| No contests | 1 | |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 3–0 (1) | Brandon Calton | Decision (split) | Bellator 250 | October 29, 2020 | 3 | 5:00 | Uncasville, Connecticut, United States | |
| NC | 2–0 (1) | Anthony Garrett | NC (accidental groin strikes) | Bellator 231 | October 25, 2019 | 1 | 1:56 | Uncasville, Connecticut, United States | Repeated inadvertent groin strikes from Hager rendered Garrett unable to continue. |
| Win | 2–0 | T.J. Jones | Submission (arm-triangle choke) | Bellator 221 | May 11, 2019 | 1 | 2:36 | Rosemont, Illinois, United States | |
| Win | 1–0 | J.W. Kiser | Submission (arm-triangle choke) | Bellator 214 | January 26, 2019 | 1 | 2:09 | Inglewood, California, United States |
Hager resides inTampa, Florida. He married Catalina White in December 2010. The couple met in FCW, where White wrestled under the name Saylor James.[171] They have two children.[172] They have since divorced.[173]
In March 2019, Hager released the first issue of his biographical comic book series,You Don't Know Jack: The Jake Hager Story, through the publisher of Squared Circle Comics.[174]
In August 2025, Hager revealed that he had founded his own trucking company calledHaulin' Oates Trucking.[160]
On February 19, 2013, Hager was arrested inGulfport, Mississippi, after aSmackDown taping. He was charged withdriving under the influence and possession ofmarijuana. Hager was released from custody after the arrest[175] and was ordered to appear in court on March 12, 2013.[176] He was then scheduled to stand trial on June 25, 2013, in Mississippi.[177] The marijuana charge was dismissed after he was fined $500, and sentenced to six months probation with his two-day jail sentence being suspended.[178]
1:00 onwards, Swagger says, "I was born in 82 at Fargo Hospital..."
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