10 Things You Didn't Know About Jack Swagger
Delving into The All-American American's past...
"You don't know Jack!" was the tagline to WWE's latest, quickly-retconned Jack Swagger character repackage.
Though the All-American American hasn't quite suffered from schizophrenia to the extent that Ed "Brutus The Barber Beefcake/The Booty Man/The Disciple/The Zodiac" Leslie* did, he's been through the wringer so often that we actually don't know Jack. For once, WWE were telling the truth. And, given that he has successfully sought his WWE release, it appears we never will. Not that WWE had any intentions of following through on his pun-based non-push, mind - he wrestled once on SmackDown in 2016 before he was banished back to the outer reaches of WWE. He ended his stint in WWE by putting over Baron Corbin on the house show circuit.
Swagger has been a collegiate athlete, a Tea Party sympathiser and another of Vickie Guerrero's many paramours, but one paradoxical constant has anchored his career: complete and utter inconsistency.
You didn't know Jack - how could you, given that WWE didn't know what to do with him? - but, in about twenty minutes, you will.
*Incidentally, and hilariously, Leslie also went by "The Man With No Name" for a brief time. He had 16!
10. Even Before College, He Was An Accomplished Athlete
When Jack Swagger was a heel, he loved to brag about his accomplishments in collegiate sports. However, even before graduating from high school, he had already proven himself quite the athlete.
Swagger started amateur wrestling at the age of 5, and continued to do it through high school. In 1999, USA Wrestling ranked him as the country's number five 215-pounder, and he soon realized his potential by capturing the Oklahoma state title in his division as a junior. Following that, he joined the Junior National USA team as a heavyweight.
Wrestling wasn't all Swagger did, though - he was also an accomplished football player. During his career playing for Perry High School, the future World Heavyweight Champion racked up some impressive numbers. As a junior, he recorded 45 tackles and six sacks in just three games before a broken ankle ended his season. The next year, he scored 75 tackles and 3 fumble recoveries en route to a 10-3 season.