Jack Swagger/Jake Hager became a World Heavyweight Champion in WWE, but his run as a main eventer was pretty brief in the grand scheme of things.
Shortly after winning the Money in the Bank briefcase, Hager faced John Cena on RAW and lost. Talking to Chris Van Vliet, the former AEW star claimed that Cena "absolutely refused" to put him over, and shared his take on what went down behind the scenes.
"The original plan was I was gonna beat him Monday night on RAW and not do the tease. But I’m a young guy. I’ve been there for a cup of coffee, so what are you gonna do?" Hager recalled. "But I’m not the only guy he’s done that to, he did that throughout his career."
"I was surprised to see what happened with him and R-Truth lately, because usually he tried to take that glory," he continued. "But I feel like this time, he’s the one who said we better go with Truth and get him back here."
Hager was released by WWE in 2017 and signed with AEW shortly after the company launched in 2019. He ultimately left the latter company last year and has since retired from professional wrestling to focus on running his own trucking business.
Addressing his future, Hager blamed AEW for killing his passion for in-ring competition:
"I’m very jaded from my exit at AEW. I’m very proud of the stuff I did there. But at the same time, I find myself questioning right now. I wish I would have just stayed in MMA at some point. Inner Circle was one of my favorite things to do in pro wrestling. I love those guys. JAS, Daddy Magic. I mean, I just really loved working with Chris. He’s number one on my Mount Rushmore, Chris Jericho, because he can just constantly reinvent himself. He can not only do that, but he can see what he has around him, and he knows how to elevate us, bring it up and make it look good. Chris Jericho is the reason why that purple hat was so over."
As for what he's hauling with his trucking business, Hager explained that driving has always been his true love and noted, "It’s like warehouse to warehouse. Crates, palettes, it could be anything. I hauled the forklift the other day. Paper cups are in the truck right now. They’re gonna be dropped off tomorrow. I own the trucks."
It's not clear whether Hager will keep one foot in the professional wrestling business (even if it's just convention appearances), but he does seem to believe that a WWE Hall of Fame induction is on the table.
"Retired baby, Hall of Fame. I used to say before I would go through the curtain in gorilla, 'You want me in the Hall of Fame?' Right before the music would hit," he mused. "That would just be my mentality."
You can hear more from Hager in the player below.