Former AEW star Jake Hager made headlines recently with some critical comments about his time in the company and his former boss, Tony Khan. Now, WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross, the man who originally recruited Hager to WWE and has known him since his college days, has responded to his comments.
In a recent interview with Chris Van Vliet, Hager stated he became “very jaded” from his AEW exit and was critical of Khan’s management style.
“A Lot of Pent Up Frustration”
Speaking on his Grilling JR podcast with co-host Conrad Thompson, Ross was asked for his reaction to Hager’s comments. He explained that he believes the outburst stems from Hager’s passion for the business and his frustration with how his career has played out.
“He’s got a lot of pent-up frustration. Yeah, quite honestly, he’s not a bad person. Jake is not a bad person whatsoever, no, but he’s very frustrated, or was very frustrated. Hopefully he’s got that past him and he’s going to focus more on his creative energy to his trucking company…It shows you how much he loved doing what he did because he became a fan. As I said, he wasn’t born a fan, and I find that ironic, considering he and [Danny] Hodge are from the same hometown.”
A Case of “Sour Grapes”
Ross agreed with the assessment that Hager’s comments could be seen as “sour grapes,” stemming from a feeling that he didn’t achieve everything he wanted to in the wrestling business. Despite the critical remarks, Ross still spoke very highly of Hager as a person and an athlete.
“I think you’re right. I think he’s frustrated. He didn’t get it all out of the business that he would like to have at the end of the day… Sometimes it doesn’t end the way that one would like for it to. It’s tough to deal with. You get frustrated, and it’s just a mind game at that point, because that’s some of which had all the physical tools he needed to be a huge star, an athletic big man. He’s six, five, maybe six, six, I’m not sure…he’s a good dude, and I’m glad he’s doing well, at least. I hope that he’s going to do well.”
If you use any portion of the quotes from this article, please credit with an h/t to WrestlingNews.co for the transcription.
