What’s the story?
After being been granted his release back in March of this year, Jack Swagger has allegedly settled upon his next big career move post-WWE. In an interview with Clickon, the former world champion has been training MMA and is considering to pursue the sport alongside a career in pro-wrestling.
In case you didn’t know…
Swagger was officially released from his WWE contract on March 13, some four months after his last televised appearance for the company. Since then, he’s been keeping busy with a number of dates for various independent promotions all across the globe.
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On top of a host of shows in the US, he’s appeared in Mexico, South Africa and the UK, as well as on the House of Hardcore Australian tour. That kind of schedule sounds pretty hectic but apparently, it isn’t quite busy enough if this MMA talk is anything to go by.
The heart of the matter
This latest news of Swagger’s MMA intentions shouldn’t necessarily come as a great surprise. Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer has previously noted that Swagger was considering taking up the sport as far back as last year.
Plus, his collegiate wrestling background means he’s no stranger to the world of legitimate sports. In his senior year, he was an All-American scoring a record 30 pins in a single season, suggesting he certainly has the credentials to make the transition.
Parallels from history
Swagger wouldn’t be the first to transition from MMA to pro wrestling. Nor would he be the first to try juggling the two. Brock Lesnar most famously dabbled in the double-act, but that was only for a brief couple of months.
Bobby Lashley, on the other hand, has been competing for both Bellator and TNA for the better part of three years. And with a career record of 15-2, plus four TNA world titles to his name, he’s certainly proved that it isn’t beyond the realm of possibility to balance the two.
Author’s take
In Lashley, the blueprint is there for cross-sport success, while Swagger’s own legitimate collegiate wrestling pedigree seemingly puts him in good stead. However, that pedigree isn’t particularly recent—it’s been eleven years since he last competed. And at 35 years of age, he’s fairly old to be getting into MMA.
As a point of comparison, Lashley was already 6-1 from his seven MMA bouts by that age, so Swagger has ground to make up. Still, hats off and all the best to a guy trying to break the mould and make it outside of WWE.
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