Ross welcomes Jake Hager (Jack Swagger) to the show.
Hager is preparing for his MMA debut at Bellator 214 this coming weekend, and notes that training has been going well thus far. He feels like he’s in the best shape of his life at 36 years old.
Hager admits that it was tough to leave the wrestling business, where he was making hundreds of thousands of dollars each year, in order to pursue MMA. It was a risky decision, but he knows that if he’s successful in MMA that’ll only help his wrestling career.
Hager notes that getting hit in the face sucks, and anyone who tells you otherwise is lying. He mentions that constant head motion is very important along with footwork, and he worked on both those things a lot in preparation for this fight.
Hager says he couldn’t be more excited to see the development of AEW. He really thinks those guys are changing the business, and notes that the rise of this brand is good for the wrestlers, the fans, and the business as a whole. He informs that he had a brief chat with Cody and AEW officials about the possibility of him joining the promotion, but he’s been so busy with his MMA training since September that he hasn’t really pursued more talks.
That sums up this week’s episode of The Jim Ross Report. You can listen to the show yourself anytime here, and I’ll catch ya next week for another recap!
