Jack Swagger is starting over. The former WWE Champion is looking to forge his own path on the Independent wrestling circuit after being granted his release from the WWE earlier this year. A 10 year WWE veteran, Swagger is hoping to follow in the footsteps of superstars like Cody Rhodes and John Morrison who have made a career outside of the company that made them famous.
In an interview transcribed by UpRoxx , Swagger spoke with Main Event Radio about the real reason he asked for his WWE release.
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“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 Jake Hager/Jack Swagger to go out and see other opportunities.
“I’m kind of green all over again [outside of WWE]. 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.”
With Swagger’s old “Real Americans” friend and manager, Zeb Coulter, now a member of the Impact Wrestling creative team, many fans expect to see Jack landing in the Impact zone soon after his non-compete clause expires.
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