After spending many years in the professional wrestling ring, Jake Hager a.k.a Jack Swagger has quietly retired in the face of WWE fans. His absence after quitting AEW in 2024 has created speculation, but formerly world champion has told the actual reason behind his departure.
Jake Hager Addresses Retirement On Podcast
Jake Hager said in an interview with Saraya on her Rulebreakers podcast that his days as a wrestler are gone. The former AEW and WWE superstar revealed that he has now focused on owning a trucking business in Florida and that starts an absolutely new phase in his life.
“I’m getting out of wrestling. I’m pretty much — I could say I’m retired from it. I started a trucking company, running routes through Tampa and Florida. I’m not driving, not me, I got people driving. I’m excited, something to sink my teeth into,” said Jake Hager.
After leaving AEW, Hager did make occasional wrestling appearances with Black Label Pro and Smash Wrestling where he briefly wrestled. His final wrestling appearance was in November 2024 during an independent wrestling promotion in France virtually bringing down the curtain on his twenty year long wrestling career.
Jack Swagger-to WWE Champion
Hager came into the attention of wrestling fans with his wrestling alias of Jack Swagger in WWE Florida Championship Wrestling, a part of WWE developmental brand. He soon became a star, winning FCW Florida Heavyweight Championship and was shortly granted a call up to WWE answer 2 ECW.
During his wrestling career with WWE, he won several championships such as ECW Championship, World Heavyweight Championship and the United States Championship. Along with failures, Swagger was a name that people could associate with WWE before leaving the company in the year 2017.
MMA and Lucha Underground success
After leaving WWE, Hager went by the ring name Jake Strong, and won a Lucha Underground title, a Gift of the Gods Championship. He would eventually cash it in to win the last Lucha Underground Champion title before the promotion shut down following fourth season.
Hager is also involved in MMA; outside wrestling, he is a participant in Bellator Heavweight division. He finished with a record of undefeated 3-0-1 and this was another achievement to the diversified sports history of the athlete.
AEW Run With Chris Jericho
Within the last years, Jake Hager had already gained a common appearance in AEW, and he sided himself with the Chris Jericho. He was an important part of The Inner Circle and later the Jericho Appreciation Society and became involved in some of the most memorable storylines the company has seen before walking away eventually.
Although Hager is certainly finished in the ring, it can be seen that he still has the desire to be successful but within a different environment.
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