A Gruesome Injury Shows the Sad Fall of Jake Hager

So many professional wrestlers find success early on in their careers only to lose it and never get it back. Jake Hager is a perfect example of this. After a WWE run as Jack Swagger which saw him becoming a World Heavyweight Champion and ECW Champion, Hager fell out of favor in Vince McMahon’s promotion. He later landed in AEW with a run which never came close to his WWE accomplishments. He left the company as a bitter man with a lot of hate for AEW President Tony Khan. These days, he’s a part of the controversial Power Slap, run by UFC’s Dana White. After his latest shocking injury, it’s time for Hager to step away from a career of violence and find peace in his life.

Jack Swagger Never Got Over With WWE Fans

• Swagger became an ECW Champion in WWE’s watered-down version of the company.
• He cashed in Money in the Bank on Chris Jericho to win the World Heavyweight Champion.
• His Real American gimmick and “We the people” catchphrase found moderate success.

After an impressive career as a college amateur wrestler, Jake Hager arrived in WWE in 2007, where he competed for the developmental brands OVW and FCW. Over a year later, in September 2008, he made his big WWE debut as part of their version of ECW, working as a heel renamed Jack Swagger. There, he became ECW Champion, but with the watered-down show disliked by fans, the win didn’t have much prestige.

Swagger had much more success when he was finally called up to Raw and SmackDown, which included a Money in the Bank win and a shocking cash in on Chris Jericho to win the World Heavyweight Championship. The only problem is that fans didn’t really get behind Swagger. He was more of an experiment pushed by Vince McMahon rather than a superstar audiences were calling for more of. Although not a bad wrestler at all, he felt generic and was missing the “it” factor needed for a main eventer. He was better suited for the midcard, where, both as a babyface and heel, he found moderate success with his Real American gimmick and “We the people” catchphrase. Still, the character could only take him so far. In 2017, WWE let Swagger go at his request.

Jake Hager Carries So Much Anger for AEW’s Tony Khan

• Hager joined AEW in 2019 and became part of the Inner Circle.
• He was mostly in the background and never won a single title in AEW.
• Hager has taken his frustrations out on Tony Khan, calling him a communist and cursing him in interviews.

After WWE, Jake Swagger was gone forever and it was back to being Jake Hager. He competed here and there on the indie circuit and had a notable short run in MMA. Wrestling fans quickly forgot about him until he signed with AEW in 2019, showing up on the first episode of Dynamite as part of what would become the Inner Circle. The problem is that Hager didn’t come across as a celebrated former world champion. He sas the background for others. The most exciting thing he ever did in AEW was wear a bucket hat and say “I like this hat” every week. In the spring of 2024, having accomplished little in AEW, and not winning a single title, Hager walked away when his contract ended.

What could have been a fresh start for a new journey saw Hager consumed by anger for Tony Khan. In a 2024 tweet, he called Khan a communist and accused the AEW President of threatening to silence him due to his support of Donald Trump. In an interview with Chris Van Vliet, he let the anger flow, telling the host:

“I’m very jaded from my exit at AEW. Like, I’m very proud of the stuff I did there, but at the same time, I find myself questioning right now. I wish I would have just stayed in MMA at some point. The negotiation process was very one-way. And I could tell that — well, anyways, I always find a way to say this every day, so I think everyone should too: say, ‘F*ck Tony Khan.’ I could tell that he didn’t want me there.” (h/t F4Wonline)

Jake Hager Suffered a Gruesome Eye Injury in Power Slap

• Hager shouted an expletive at Tony Khan after his first Power Slap fight.
• He was knocked out in his second fight.
• In his third fight, a brutal slap resulted in blood leaking from his eyeball.

Despite all he had accomplished in life, Jake Hager wanted to put all of his failures at the feet of one man. This showed up again when he signed with Dana White’s Power Slap, a disgusting fight company where competitors slap their opponent across the face as hard as they can. It’s a vicious sport with plenty of gruesome head injuries which have gone viral online. Hager signed with them in March 2026, winning his debut match. Afterward, he shouted, “F**k you, Tony Khan.” The moment said so much. Hager wants to be in the spotlight still, and he’ll never let go of AEW not giving it to him.

What was already a sad fall only got worse. Months later, at Power Slap 21, the cocky Hager was knocked out. This week it got worse to a very concerning level. On September 17, his opponent, Johnny Magna, slapped Hager so hard across the face that blood trickled from his eyeball. Upon seeing this, the referee immediately stopped the fight, giving Hager another loss by TKO.

If Hager isn’t careful, he’s going to get seriously hurt. His pride, and the anger which fuels it, won’t let him stop. No, Hager’s runs in WWE and AEW didn’t quite go as he wanted. Still, he got to live an incredible dream, winning a world title and working with the best in the business. At some point, that has to be enough. So many wrestlers struggle with the end. Hager’s going through it now. Fingers crossed that he finds his way through it and comes out the other side okay.