Jake Hager is teasing fans.
This past Saturday at Bellator 221, Jake Hager (formerly Jack Swagger in WWE), picked up his second career MMA victory, quickly submitting TJ Jones. Following the bout, Hager went full pro wrestling, holding onto the submission after the referee tried pulling him off and playing to the crowd in his post-fight interview.
While Hager remains focused on his Bellator responsibilities, he has hinted at getting back into wrestling. In an interview with ESPN's Ariel Helwani, Hager teased the idea of joining All Elite Wrestling.
"Those guys are awesome. It's really impressive what they're doing. It's something I can relate to because Cody and the Young Bucks invested and took a gamble on themselves and they bet big. It shows that they were right and they were ahead of the game," said Hager. "It's fun to be a part of, how they're doing their story-telling and really moving the needle of the first time in decades. It's awesome to be a part of this. It's definitely why I left in 2017 because I knew that pro wrestling was going to have such big opportunities and new platforms for young businessmen who are serious to come out and excel and build your brand the way you want to. Whether you're a pro wrestler or pro fighter, you want leverage. This gives me the opportunity to increase leverage for myself."
When asked if he would be appearing at next weekend's AEW Double or Nothing event, Hager hinted that another WWE superstar might show up instead.
"We've spoken. I think that will progress in the future. As of now, I can't tell you (if there's an offer on the table). I don't want to step in Jon Moxley's shadow. That's going to be a great debut him, hopefully. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that's where we see him at."
Hager tried to backtrack, but the tease was obvious. Dean Ambrose (Jon Moxley) has not been advertised to appear at AEW Double or Nothing and Hager has yet to sign with the promotion.
