Jake Hager Says He's 'Jaded' After AEW Departure, Praises Chris Jericho & Inner Circle

Jake Hager is clearly not pleased with how his stint in AEW ended, and he has discussed feeling jaded after his run with AEW.

Hager, who returned to pro wrestling with AEW in 2019 after the end of his WWE run, has some regrets about joining AEW and wishes he had stayed in MMA. In his recent interview with Chris Van Vliet on "Insight," he stated that he is proud of his work in AEW, but feels like he should've continued his MMA career.

"I'm very jaded from my exit at AEW. Like, I'm very proud of the stuff I did there, but like at the same time like I find myself questioning right now. Like, I wish I would have just stayed in MMA at some point," he said.

However, he also admitted that he enjoyed his time in AEW, especially working with Chris Jericho and the factions that he headed in the promotion. He praised Jericho's ability to reinvent himself as something he admires, while also crediting him for getting the hat gimmick over.

"Like Inner Circle was one of my favorite like favorite things to do in pro wrestling. I love those guys. JAS, Daddy Magic, I mean, I just really loved working with Chris [Jericho]. I think he's like number one on my Mount Rushmore. Chris Jericho, like, he can just constantly reinvent himself, and he can not only do that, but he can, like, see what he has around him, and he knows how to elevate us and like to bring it up and like make it look good. Like, Chris Jericho is the reason why that purple hat was so over."

Hager was a part of two of Jericho's AEW factions, Inner Circle and Jericho Appreciation Society, and was a key component of both factions.