10 Wrestlers Who Had Their Best Runs In WWE
The grass isn't always greener.
It's no secret that WWE doesn't always make the best use of its talent. Many a wrestler has found themselves trapped under the glass ceilings of WWE headquarters, unable to parlay their workrate or connection with the audience into a rewarding run in Vince McMahon's company.
This list is not about them.
For every Kevin Nash and Scott Hall, who revolutionized the business (and their bank accounts) with their successful jump to WCW in the mid-90s, there have been plenty of other wrestlers who discovered that the grass definitely wasn't greener on the other side. For all the flak WWE gets for the blatant mishandling of its roster, it's equally important to make note of the times it has done its workers justice.
Some of the wrestlers on this list have never really recovered after leaving the WWE, others had careers that only got going once they signed for the company, and others have found their otherwise respectable indie careers completely eclipsed by their accomplishments as WWE superstars. One thing they all have in common: their respective runs under Vince were the finest of their careers...
10. Jake Hager/Jack Swagger
Jake Hager may have revived his career in AEW but he's yet to come close to the heights he hit as Jack Swagger in the WWE.
There's no doubt that Hager's wrestling reputation was tarnished in his last few years as Jack Swagger, his most notable role in that time being a punching bag for Rusev. Despite that, the man racked up an impressive list of accomplishments during his WWE tenure. A former Tag Team Champion, United States Champion, Money in the Bank winner and World Heavyweight Champion (winning the belt off a red-hot Chris Jericho), Jack Swagger was an over-achiever. Jake Hager on the other hand...
Despite a well-executed debut on the first ever AEW Dynamite, Jake Hager has accomplished little of note in Tony Kahn's company. His only world title match to date was also the worstof Jon Moxley's reign as champ, which seems to have started his slide down the card. Since then his most notable moment has been inexplicably believing he beat Cody Rhodes for the TNT championship despite being clearly pinned, a booking move that achieved nothing except make him look like a moron.
Nearly a year on from his debut, Jake Hager still has some work to do to step out of Jack Swagger's shadow.