AEW had no plans for former WWE star before his shock exit; he already has interest from another company - Reports

AEW has already seen the departures of several talents throughout the first half of 2024, and the trend doesn't look to be slowing, as many of the contracts signed during the pandemic era have ended or are nearing it. A new report has revealed that Tony Khan had no plans for former WWE Superstar Jake Hager before his deal expired.

Jake Hager exited WWE in 2017 and debuted for All Elite Wrestling two years later on the inaugural episode of Wednesday Night Dynamite. The former World Heavyweight Champion was tied to Chris Jericho for much of his run in the young promotion but ended up somewhat aimless toward the end.

Reports emerged late last month that the 42-year-old's contract had expired, making him a free agent. Fightful reached out to Hager, and while no comments have come from the man himself, it's now been reported that AEW had no plans to use the former WWE Superstar.

Fightful also noted that although Hager officially retired from MMA in September 2023, at least one promotion is interested in his services. Hager competed for Bellator after departing WWE but hasn't had an official match since October 2020.

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Dutch Mantell believes WWE could bring Jake Hager back after AEW departure

Before he was a member of Chris Jericho's Inner Circle, Jake Hager was managed by Dutch Mantell (then known as Zeb Colter) in WWE. The former Jack Swagger had a patriotic gimmick that worked well with Mantell's promo style.

On a recent episode of Story Time with Dutch Mantell, the veteran claimed that now would be a good time for WWE to bring Jack Swagger back with a similar gimmick looking at the current political climate.

"I think the WWE creative... I don't think it's lost on them how it was over, and with the current political environment going on in the United States now, I think they would like to maybe resurrect the character. If they look at me, I can't do it, but they could find somebody else and it would be the same thing," Dutch Mantell said.

With his resume, Hager likely has many options open to him now that he's no longer part of AEW's roster. Only time will tell where the 42-year-old decides to go next.