Plenty of names have come through the doors of AEW, some of them working out and finding success while others have exited from the promotion to pursue other opportunities.
Jake Hager signed with the promotion in 2019 but opted to depart when his contract was up. He had been aligned with Chris Jericho throughout his tenure. He started as part of the Inner Circle (Santana, Ortiz, and Sammy Guevara) before joining the Jericho Appreciation Society.
Hager’s last AEW match was in February on an episode of Rampage, where Roderick Strong beat him. In May, it was reported that Hager’s AEW deal had expired, and he opted not to re-sign.
Earlier this month, Hager made headlines when he accused AEW President Tony Khan of silencing him while in AEW and being a communist. For more on that, click here. While appearing on Stories with Brisco and Bradshaw, Hager confirmed he is no longer with the promotion.
“Yeah, it’s interesting. I’m excited to find out (what’s next). My contract expired with AEW in June, so I just left them. I’m currently working independents but, I’m 42 and I think it’s time to….I don’t know. I wanna find a way to be home more with my kids. I’m looking into more business opportunities, construction, and rental properties, and I’d love to sit down with you, John, and get some pointers about announcing and maybe stay on camera that way. But really, just doing what I can. I had a great career, very blessed to have that career so, now, it’s kind of easier. The pressure’s off, and just try to be a good dad and good example for my kids.”
If you use any portion of the quotes from this article, please credit Stories with Brisco and Bradshaw with an h/t to WrestlingNews.co for the transcription.
