Jack Swagger On Why He Left WWE, What Name He's Using Now, Possibly Working For Impact Wrestling
Former World Champion Jack Swagger joined Main Event Radio to talk about his departure from WWE and what's next for him. You can download the full episode here, they sent us these highlights:
Departing WWE:
"I had been with the company for 10 years. I'm very fortunate for the career that I had. What it really was is a business decision. I valued myself at a certain price, they valued it at another. I've gotta move forward. It was just time for a change; time for Jack Hager/Jack Swagger to go out and see other opportunities. I'm kind of green all over again on this side. It's so exciting. It's the best time to be a wrestler. Transcending countries, languages. It's really cool to be a part of that movement. I'm grateful for the brand that we created together.
"I'm home more, I have 2 young kids. If I could be Mr. Mom, I would. Packing lunches, I could take my son to school. I'm a big family man. Now we are putting the family first. 200 days a year out there in a car every night it's really gotta be in your heart. Now that I'm on the outside of it I could see where I was making mistakes and how I could've handled things differently. I'm excited to put my nose to the concrete and grind. Independent wrestling is so big and with social media now and the internet we could brand ourselves. I really don't like the term indies, because it's not indies anymore. I'll go anywhere. Japan would work perfectly the way I wrestle. It's a new movement of territories coming up again. People are working together to put on good shows and put on good wrestling."
Did other wrestler's departures influence his decision:
"When you see your co-workers leave and guys like Cody [Rhodes], Drew Galloway, he's amazing. Seeing them leave and go at it definitely makes it easier for someone like me. Do it your way, and work on marketing that."
What name is he using now:
"You Don't Know Jack, 'We the People' worldwide tour, the Ocean of Blonde hair, Listen for the Lisp (yeah I've still got it), and a mean-ass Ankle Lock."
Talking to his former manager Dutch Mantell and if a move to Impact Wrestling is in the cards for him:
"I have no idea at this moment. It's very exciting what they're doing over there. Also very exciting what ROH and Lucha Underground are doing. After the non-compete is up, I'd definitely like to figure that out. It's scary but you could literally go work everywhere. I don't want to limit myself. Find a way to use pro wrestling to make what you want to do work. I'm a superhuman freak athlete I just turned 35 and I've got a lot of years ahead of me. Wrestling is so powerful and it's so cool."