Former WWE World Heavyweight Champion Suddenly Announces Retirement at the Age of 43

A former WWE World Champion has just made a huge announcement. He has confirmed that he is stepping away from the ring.

Jake Hager joined AEW during the early days of the company and aligned himself with Chris Jericho. He was part of the Inner Circle for the first few years and was on the receiving end of a major push. However, his career took a downturn after the Inner Circle broke up. Hager was used sparingly on TV before he vanished from television altogether. Hager's time in All Elite Wrestling ended last year. He wrestled a couple of independent matches since then, with his last bout taking place in November 2024.

During a recent appearance on Rulebreakers with Saraya, Jake Hager said that he's trying to get out of wrestling, also confirming that he's retired from the industry.

“I’m getting out of wrestling. I pretty much—I could say I’m retired from it.”

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The former WWE star also announced that he started a new trucking company and has hired drivers to run routes through Tampa and Florida.

“I started a trucking company and so… running routes through Tampa and Florida. I’m not driving—got people driving. But yeah, I’m excited. Something to stick my teeth into. Hard work always pays off.” [H/T Ringside News]

Former WWE manager Dutch Mantell spoke to Jake Hager about his AEW run

During his AEW run, Jake Hager was known to be the muscle of the Inner Circle. He would show up when the group was in trouble and beat up anyone who opposed Chris Jericho at the time. However, this role had its limitations since, when the Inner Circle broke up, AEW had no plans for Hager and didn't involve the former WWE star in any meaningful storyline, eventually leading to his departure.

Speaking on his Story Time with Dutch Mantell podcast, the former WWE manager revealed that he spoke to Jake Hager when he was in AEW, and it was revealed to him that there was no proper communication regarding Hager's booking.

"I actually talked to him a few times when he was in AEW and I asked him, 'When are they gonna do something except just have you show up every now and then behind those other guys or whatever.' And he never had an answer for me so apparently they tell him either... When he got to AEW, it was like he was there but he wasn't there. They would come out and they'd show him but involving him in an angle or something, they never did it and I did not know why." [From 01:30 to 03:13]

We wish Jake Hager the best of luck in this new chapter of his life.

About the author

Sunil is a pro wrestling journalist, covering AEW and WWE news stories at Sportskeeda. He holds an MBA degree in Marketing, and has nearly 7 years of experience. A wrestling aficionado since childhood, Sunil used to imitate his favorite wrestlers as a young kid, and started writing professionally about the sport via Sportskeeda’s revenue-sharing opportunity.

Sunil admires former world champions AJ Styles, Will Ospreay, and Kenny Omega for their ability to consistently deliver great matches as well as entertain crowds with their mic skills.

If ever given a chance to change a storyline, Sunil would have booked Roman Reigns to end The Undertaker’s WrestleMania streak instead of Brock Lesnar. According to him, The Tribal Chief needed the victory more than Brock Lesnar, as the latter was already an established performer when he defeated ‘Taker. He would’ve also made that as Taker’s final match.

Always focused on making his work accurate and reliable, Sunil thoroughly checks his facts before writing his articles. When not writing for pro wrestling, he spends his time watching cricket.

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Edited by Jacob Terrell