A former WWE superstar who is currently committed to All Elite Wrestling has officially placed Roman Reigns on warning. The challenger was a WWE employee until 2017. During his time with the Stamford-based corporation, he claimed the World Heavyweight Championship as his most notable achievement.
He has also held the titles of United States and ECW Champion. After leaving WWE, Roman’s hater moved on to the realm of mixed martial arts, where he competed in Bellator MMA. In the year 2019, he joined AEW and became a member of Chris Jericho’s Inner Circle and the Jericho Appreciation Society.
The center of discussion here is Jake Hager, formerly known as Jack Swagger. Hager was a WWE employee until 2017. During a K&S WrestleFest interview, a professional wrestler revealed his main objective, which was to go back to WWE and battle Reigns at WrestleMania.
Jake Hager claims that when he left WWE, he eventually planned to go back and wrestle Roman Reigns at WrestleMania…
“When I left WWE, my plan was to go to MMA, get really good, be undefeated and then go back to WWE and wrestle Roman Reigns at WrestleMania. A little slight… pic.twitter.com/rkznTLuIhH
— Wrestle Features (@WrestleFeatures) September 23, 2023
He illustrates that when he left WWE, his plan was to dominate MMA and achieve an undefeated record. Additionally, he pointed out the progress of Reigns, and he further added, “I’d kick Roman’s b*tt. He knows it, I know it”. Jake Hager directed K&S WrestleFest to convey the message to Reigns.
This message from Hager clearly indicates how hungry he is to reign with The Tribal Chief. In 2017 his self-assurance was admirable when it came to his MMA career. Over the course of three victories and one no-contest, he went undefeated. Hager, who hasn’t competed since 2020, declared his retirement from MMA and accused Bellator of mishandling his career.
Why did Jake Hager leave WWE?
Jake Hager departed from WWE in 2017. In an interview with Dutch Mantell, he recounted how going from the wrestling arena to the cage helped him restore the state of his mind. He said, “My son was eight at the time, half of his life I was gone and so I had developed habits, I was drinking way too much, drinking every day”.
Certainly, he acknowledged that his negative habits started to dominate him in WWE, and so he made the decision to pursue a career in MMA. For the past few years, Hager has worked in both wrestling and Mixed Martial Arts. He can currently be seen competing in All Elite Wrestling.
Roman Reigns is rumored to fight Dwayne Johnson at WrestleMania 40
The Rock’s unexpected return to WWE on SmackDown raised the prospect of The Rock vs. Roman Reigns in the future. The match had long been rumored to take place at WrestleMania 39 in Hollywood. Unfortunately, The Rock was unable to commit, resulting in Rhodes taking on Roman in the main event spot.
THE ROCK VS ROMAN REIGNS AT WRESTLEMANIA 39 WAS LOCKED IN??!!!!!! pic.twitter.com/T2NOUis43H
— Humble Wrestling (@WrestlingHumble) September 15, 2023
However, Meltzer reports that Dwayne Johnson formally backed out of the WrestleMania 39 match just before the 2023 Royal Rumble, citing The Rock’s desire to be match-ready and in ring shape. According to reports, The Rock might be willing to compete in the bout at WrestleMania XL. However, if he again declines, Cody Rhodes would have another opportunity to “finish the story”.