Well, it's now official.
Almost two weeks ago, news broke on Chael Sonnen's podcast that Jack Swagger had asked for his release.
We came to find out that WWE had not yet granted that release, and even if they had, he would have a non-compete clause that would bar him from competing elsewhere for 90 days. This led to a panic at WAW in Norwich, as they were already promoting a match between Swagger and Alberto El Patron that was to have taken place last weekend. They ended up replacing Swagger on the card with Chris Adonis, formerly known as Chris Masters.
Now, today, we finally have confirmation of Swagger's release. Per the WWE,com website:
WWE has come to terms on the release of Jack Swagger as of today, March 13, 2017. WWE wishes Swagger the best in all his future endeavors.
Swagger, real name Jake Hager, is a former world champion with an amateur wrestling background. In his interview with Sonnen, he said that he was frustrated with the stop and start booking that plagued his career.
Swagger, who turns 35 next month, hasn't appeared on WWE TV since losing to Baron Corbin at the No Mercy SmackDown PPV on October 9. He made sure to state that he wasn't retiring, and that he looks forward to getting out into the ever-expanding world of professional wrestling. He mentioned Mexico, The UK and Japan as places he'd like to work. He also told Sonnen he wouldn't be opposed to trying his hand at MMA, though Jim Ross, for one, thinks that's a bad idea.
You can listen to his interview with Chael Sonnen below:
