Jake Hager isn’t pretending he can take unlimited shots to the head. The former WWE World Heavyweight Champion plans to keep competing in Power Slap, but another knockout like the one he just suffered could change everything.
During a conversation on the Off the Rails podcast with Jasmin St. Claire, Hager was asked when “enough is enough” with Power Slap. The question came after he discussed his knockout loss to Amanpreet Singh, which Hager described as a severe knockout caused by a defensive mistake.
Hager said he didn’t experience any lingering symptoms from the loss and believes his body will tell him when it’s time to stop. He also expects to become better at protecting himself as he gains more experience.
“Yeah, that’s a great question, and it’s definitely something that you need to ask yourself going into this. I think my body will tell me. I didn’t have any symptoms from this last fight, honestly. This is where I got hit. You can’t even really tell.”
“I feel like my body will tell me, and I feel like I’m only going to get stronger as I do it, with more experience.”
That doesn’t mean Hager is ignoring what happened. He openly called it a hard knockout and admitted another one could force him to seriously question whether continuing in Power Slap is worth the risk.
“But like I said before, it was a hard knockout. If another one should happen—it won’t—but if it should, I would really have to ask myself, ‘Hey, what are we doing here?’”
Hager compared the amount of punishment a fighter can absorb to the limited number of bumps a professional wrestler has in his body. At some point, those shots begin adding up, no matter how tough somebody is.
“Your chin is like your bump card. You only have so many bumps in pro wrestling, and you only have so many hits in professional fighting. You just have to be honest with yourself.”
Hager isn’t ready to walk away yet. He believes athletes have to attack opportunities while they’re available because fame and fighting careers can disappear quickly.
“Attack the opportunity and get what you can out of it. Know that this isn’t going to be around forever. Know that people are going to not know your name in a couple of years. You have to go at this with all you can and let the chips fall where they may.”
Hager plans to return after his medical suspension ends, but he clearly understands there is a line. One knockout didn’t scare him away, but another severe one could force him to make a decision that has nothing to do with pride.
Should Jake Hager keep competing in Power Slap, or is one brutal knockout already enough? Leave your feedback in the comments.
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