By: Mad Dog Gil Guillory
Excerpts from article by Jonathan Snowden who covers combat sports for Bleacher Report.
Jack Swagger/Jake Hager can still remember the roar of the crowd, more than 80,000 strong, when he challenged Alberto Del Rio for the WWE championship at WrestleMania 29. As Jack Swagger, he had polarized the WWE audience with his strong anti-immigration views, employing the catchphrase "we the people" and eventually ending up in a brief online feud with political commentator Glenn Beck.
Unfortunately for Hager, that was back in 2013 and, in the world of wrestling, four years might as well be an eon. He'd spent most of his time since in seemingly pointless feuds or, worse in his mind, aimlessly drifting on WWE's B-programming, present but not taking part.
It was time for something new. But what? While trading wins back and forth on the deep undercard (Jack Swagger compiled a record of 63-62 in 2016, according to the Internet Wrestling Database), Hager found himself returning again and again to a fantasy he'd harbored for years. As a college wrestler at the University of Oklahoma, he'd competed against the likes of Cain Velasquez and Cole Konrad. Heck, he'd even beaten Velasquez, a future UFC champion, in a grueling overtime preseason match.
Why couldn't I, Hager wondered, have just as much success in the cage as my contemporaries? He'd been competitive against men who went on to championship glory in both Bellator and UFC and was even an NCAA All-American in his senior year back in 2006. His fiercest rival, Steve Mocco, had represented America in the Olympics. Why couldn't he, even years removed from athletics, compete with just about anyone out there?
Much like fellow amateur standouts-turned-WWE stars such as Lesnar, Bobby Lashley and even Kurt Angle, it was hard for Hager to accept a career solely competing in staged fighting. In March 2017, he and WWE agreed to terms for his release. His MMA training, with former Ultimate Fighter cast member Josh Rafferty, began almost immediately. So did negotiations for his first MMA fight.
Though Hager and manager Daniel Rubenstein had preliminary discussions with UFC, Bellator was the perfect, obvious fit. It's an organization capable of both maximizing his pre-existing celebrity and finding him the right fights to thrive over a multiyear, six-bout deal, which starts in 2018.
CM Punk had made the jump with devastating results. Hager is no CM Punk, something that's both a blessing and bane for Bellator. Punk, Hager readily points out, was a much bigger star than he ever was. Punk also had no athletic pedigree of any kind outside of pro wrestling. It quickly showed in a one-sided bout with Mickey Gall, where he was immediately taken to the mat and decimated. He failed to land even a single blow, per FightMetric.
Hager isn't willing to proclaim himself a future world champion. Not yet. But his body feels good after months of training with Rafferty at the Ybor City Jiu-Jitsu Club in Tampa, Florida. He's looking forward to testing himself again, in a venue where his own talents, and not a writers' room or booker, will decide how far he can go.
Do you think he will succeed? I for one believe he will. Jack Swagger is a tremendous athlete with championship pedigree. I hope he can make his mma dreams happen.
Let me know what you think below!
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