Jake Hager On His WWE MITB Ladder Match Victory
Once upon a time, over a decade ago, Jake Hager, known as Jack Swagger in WWE, won the Money in the Bank briefcase at WrestleMania 26 in what was and still is, to this day, the most enormous Money in the Bank match in history with a record 10 participants.
"It was so much fun," Hager said on Captain's Corner. "It was cool, and it had so many good wrestlers in there that like all worked to make me look great in it ... Little known secret, I was terrified at the top of the ladder, yeah. I wouldn't take another step."
Hager defeated Christian, Evan Bourne, Shelton Benjamin, Matt Hardy, Kofi Kingston, Dolph Ziggler, Kane, and MVP to win the Money in the Bank ladder match, unhooking the briefcase for the win.
The All-American American did not waste much time with the briefcase, as he tried to cash in on John Cena the night after WrestleMania 26 on "Monday Night Raw." Ultimately, plans went awry, and Hager could not cash in, but Hager's plan did not stop there, as just a few days later, Hager would successfully cash in his Money in the Bank on the "Friday Night Smackdown" following WrestleMania 26, defeating Chris Jericho for the World Heavyweight Championship.
Hager defended the World Heavyweight Championship successfully against Edge, Jericho, Randy Orton, and The Big Show before losing the title to Rey Mysterio after 82 days in a fatal four-way match involving Show and CM Punk. As fate would have it, Hager would once again eventually wind up in the same company as the man he beat for the World Championship, only this time, he is a stablemate of Jericho. He has been in two factions in AEW: the Inner Circle and the Jericho Appreciation Society. Hager took part in the first Blood and Guts Match in AEW, losing alongside Inner Circle mates to the Pinnacle, a group led by MJF.
The first Blood and Guts was a big event for AEW as they brought back more fans after the COVID-19 pandemic hit. Hager discussed his experience making his entrance at the first Blood and Guts.
"I remember the entrance," Hager said. "We just come back to having people in the audience, and it was the first live televised having people. We came out on the stage, huge babyfaces, and like, I was trying to look tough. I had tears in my eyes, and I was trying to scream and be an animal, but it was just so powerful. It was very cool."
Hager has since competed in a second Blood and Guts Match; however, his record inside of the two-ring structure has not improved as he and his Jericho Appreciation Society teammates lost to the team of Claudio Castagnoli, Eddie Kingston, Jon Moxley, Wheeler Yuta, Santana, and Oritz, leaving Hager 0-2 in Blood and Guts Matches.
If you use any quotes in this article, please credit Captain's Corner with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.