Recently Retired Ex-WWE World Champion Got Sick Of Wrestling Business

A former WWE Champion might have retired after getting sick of the wrestling industry.

Jake Hager, who wrestled as Jack Swagger in the Stamford promotion, dropped a bombshell recently when he revealed that he had retired from wrestling.

He further shared that he had started a trucking company in Florida.

The 43-year-old broke the news when he recently appeared on the Rule Breakers with Sayara podcast.

I’m getting out of wrestling. I pretty much—I could say I’m retired from it.

I started a trucking company and so… running routes through Tampa and Florida. I’m not driving—got people driving. But yeah, I’m excited. Something to stick my teeth into. Hard work always pays off.

Hager debuted in 2008 on the ECW brand, where he won the ECW Championship. He also later won the WWE World Heavyweight Championship by defeating Chris Jericho.

On the same podcast, he shared that he felt disrespected by WWE during contract negotiations, which led him to leave in 2017.

Hager joined All Elite Wrestling in 2019, where he remained till 2024.

Jake Hager’s Ex-WWE Manager Discusses His Retirement

Jake Hager’s ex-manager discussed his retirement on a recent podcast, claiming that the North Dakotan probably got sick of the business.

On Story Time with Dutch Mantell, he said:

I think he was getting sick of the business, even when I was with him. And then he went to AEW and they did absolutely zip with him. They did nothing with him. I guess he made pretty good money. He made money, which is the purpose. But I think he was getting tired of it when I was with him in WWE. [0:23 onwards]

For the personality and in-ring skills he possessed, Jake Hager was a polarizing figure, always known to speak his mind. His rant against AEW President Tony Khan ended with him being pulled from various shows.