Jake Hager doesn’t sound interested in repairing his relationship with AEW—and his feelings about Tony Khan explain why.
During a conversation on the Off the Rails podcast with Jasmine St. Claire, Hager looked back on his time in AEW and made it clear that his run wasn’t entirely negative. He remains proud of his work with Chris Jericho and the Inner Circle, especially after the group received recognition in 2021. Hager said winning Faction of the Year meant a lot because he never felt like wrestling fans gave him much credit during his career.
“I thoroughly enjoyed my time at AEW. We won Faction of the Year for Inner Circle in 2021. I’m very proud of that. I have the plaque on my wall. I never really got a lot of credit from wrestling fans throughout my wrestling career, so winning that meant a lot to me.”
He also enjoyed having the freedom to lean into comedy while still serving as the group’s muscle.
“It was the kind of wrestling that I signed up for. I was the heater, but as the heater, it was known, so I could be more of a silly character. I could do entertaining stuff while being that. I really enjoyed that because I think I have a great sense of humor.”
That appreciation for his AEW run doesn’t mean Hager wants another one. When asked whether he could ever return to AEW and make peace with the company, Hager acknowledged pro wrestling’s “never say never” rule before admitting that the door appears to be closed.
“They always say never say never in pro wrestling, but I think I’ve kind of slammed that door shut.”
The conversation then shifted directly to Tony Khan. Hager was asked whether Khan was a nice or decent person away from the cameras. Hager didn’t dodge the question. He said he never felt like he knew the real Tony Khan and claimed Khan’s treatment of him eventually revealed a different side of the AEW president.
“I would say no. I never got to know the real Tony, and then once I saw his true colors, I would say no. He’s not a decent person, just based on how he treated me and my situation there.”
Hager didn’t provide every detail about the situation that caused the relationship to break down. However, his answer left little doubt that the split went far beyond a wrestler simply reaching the end of his contract. AEW may have given Hager a chance to show a different side of himself, but whatever happened behind the scenes appears to have killed any interest he had in going back.
Could Jake Hager and Tony Khan ever settle their differences, or is his AEW chapter finished for good? Let us know what you think in the comments.
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