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On the most recent episode of Talk Is Jericho, Jake Hager, one of the key members of the Inner Circle, discussed his time with the WWE. Specifically, he spoke about what it was like working with Dutch Mantel and how he got the name "Jack Swagger".
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Jake Hager spoke to Chris Jericho about his time with the WWE and Dutch Mantel, who served as Jack Swagger's manager. Jake Hager fondly remembered his time under Mantel, referring to it as being equivalent to winning the World Hevayweight Championship.
"I'll put working with Dutch up there with winning a World Heavyweight Championship. It really was an honor. One of the first nights we worked together, he was like, 'come on, let's get on the road.' I was like, 'well, they kind of want us to watch the show.' And he was like, 'you can learn more with me driving five minutes down the road than you can watching this little show.' And I was like, 'okay, I'll pack my bags.' I got to drive him for two years." H/t Wrestling Inc
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Jake Hager also recalled the infamous catchphrase that the pairing of Mantel and Swagger were known for. Hager revealed that the storyline revolving around the "we the people" catchphrase was in relation to right-wing Libertarian politics. He even claimed that Donald Trump may have taken some policies from Dutch Mantel.
"So, at first, it started off as a heel storyline, and of course with WWE, there was a lot of facets to it. But they just went with the immigration storyline on it," Hager explained. "And it was pretty much a Libertarian political thing that was very topical at the time, about immigration, and shortly thereafter, [Donald Trump] started talking about building a wall. He was actually at that WrestleMania where I wrestled Alberto [Del Rio]. He was front row for it, and so, who knows? Maybe he took some policies from Dutch Mantel." H/t Wrestling Inc
Jake Hager reveals the "Swagger" name came from his smile
Jake Hager also spoke on the origins of his in-ring name with the WWE, "Jack Swagger". Hager revealed that the name may have come from a conversation he had with Vince McMahon, where the CEO of the WWE commented on his smile.
"It was just from WWE creative. It came after I had a meeting with Vince, and I was smiling too much I guess. He's like, 'see that smile? It pisses me off.' I wipe it off immediately, being a rookie, and he said, 'no, no, it's great. It's going to piss them off too.' So, I think something from that smile, 'Swagger', came out." H/t Wrestling Inc
Jake Hager is currently signed with AEW and is a part of the Inner Circle, who are currently living it up in Las Vegas. Hager showed his excitement via Twitter, as seen above. Regardless of his time with the WWE, Jake Hager has proven that he is a special talent and will continue to impress with AEW.
