Jake Hager recently appeared on Talk Is Jericho, where he discussed his WWE run, his success with All Elite Wrestling and more. Here are some highlights:
On his run with the World Heavyweight Championship:
“They had a couple ideas, like I know we went on tour and [Chris Jericho], me and Edge were doing triple threats overseas… And then when we got back, it seemed like all the storylines changed. I first went with Big Show, I feel like, and then I went with Randy [Orton], and so I thought it was fine. I know looking back, I needed to do a lot more as champion, it’s one of those things where it was a learning curve. ”
On leaving WWE:
“In 2017, the company had an option in my contact where they only had the option to pick it up and pay me at the same price, like I was finishing up my second five-year contract with them, and I was a little fed up. And so I finally grew some balls and stood up for myself and said no, we’re gonna renegotiate now.”
“What they offered me was just ridiculous, it was insulting and I knew that’s where I stood with them. And so it was not as insulting as it was, like okay, this is clear to me. We didn’t even make a counter, it was one of those things where okay, I just immediately asked for my release. And two days later, they gave it to me.”
On transitioning to the independent scene:
“[I’d] never been on the indies before, so a part of it was very refreshing to me, to see that level and that love of pro wrestling. And then at times it was tough because you’re used to television shows and big crowds, and so when you go on the indies, it’s not always that.”
“It really was something that kept me going mainly because I had no choice. I had to provide for my family….It really made joining MMA and going down that road a lot easier because I didn’t wanna keep doing this. Nothing against the indies, but it’s tough. At the end of that year, I had an entire month of shows canceled and so when you’re planning on that income and it gets canceled, you’re really scrambling.”
The full interview is available below:
If you use any portion of this transcription, please credit WrestleZone and link back to this post.
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