11 Legendarily BAD Wrestling Runs (With One ICONIC Moment)
5. Jake Hager Joins The Inner Circle
Oh, to beam back to the debut episode of AEW Dynamite when everything seemed rosy and pro wrestling had a viably competitive alternative to WWE boredom for the first time in a generation. That 2 October 2019 Dynamite was a fabulous kick off for All Elite's brand new flagship show, and it featured one of the finest debut moments in company history.
Jake Hager, once known as Jack Swagger in WWE, helped Chris Jericho, Sammy Guevara, Santana and Ortiz viciously assault The Young Bucks, Cody Rhodes and Dustin Rhodes. Later, Jericho shot down chants of “We The People” from fans by calling it “a stupid idea from bad creative” over on WWE’s side. Shots were fired, and everything looked promising for Hager.
It was all downhill from there for Jake. The fact he’s best remembered for wearing a purple bucket hat says it all. Since leaving AEW, Hager has gone after Tony Khan for looking past him and refusing to get behind a hat gimmick he reckons could've done monster business. Hmm, not many others in the wrestling fraternity agree with that sentiment.
Hager was on top of the mountain for a short while in AEW though. He was a credible bodyguard for Jericho and the entire Inner Circle, and he seemed like somebody who'd experience a new lease of life on Dynamite. Then came a dull match vs. Jon Moxley and things crumpled into a miserable heap from there.
Suddenly, Jericho taking pot shots at WWE didn't look so clever. AEW and Jake Hager proved to be akin to oil and water.