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Jake Hager will return to the cage at Bellator 250 to face Brandon Calton. Ben Kiely had the opportunity to ask the AEW Star a few questions for Sportskeeda ahead of the heavyweight fight.
The world of sports has settled into the pandemic era by running shows without any crowds. Jake Hager was asked about the unique experience of wrestling without the fans despite an audience being one of the most critical aspects of the business.
Jake Hager admitted that fans are needed to ascertain who is getting over and whether an idea is yielding the required outcome.
Jake Hager feels that fighting without a crowd would work in his case
Jake Hager did add that when it comes to MMA, he wouldn't mind fighting without a single fan in attendance as it would take away an added distraction. Jake Hager is still new to the fight game, and competing without an audience isn't a problem for him.
Ben Kiely: You've been wrestling without a crowd in AEW due to the pandemic. I'm just wondering, a big part of wrestling is the performance and how the crowd reacts. So, how do you gauge your success as a wrestler without a crowd, and your next fight in Bellator will be without a crowd as well. So how do you think that will impact your fight?
Hager: Yeah, it's definitely been a new experience wrestling without a crowd. I'm very eager to see how it is going to be this Thursday at Bellator 250, fighting without a crowd. I think it's definitely more necessary with pro wrestling to have an audience because they are part of the show, and it is show business what we're doing with pro wrestling, and we need them to react and, like you said, tell us who they like and who they don't like and for the most part, have a good feel for those types of things. The only thing you have to worry about is when no one is reacting, and that's time to move on to the next idea. I'm really excited to go in there this Thursday night for Bellator 250 and fight without a crowd because I'm still very new to this sport, and any less distraction for me is warranted. It never really bothers me because I have so much experience on live television, but I look forward to not having the crowd this week.
Jake Hager also spoke about his experience of working with Chris Jericho and the unselfish nature of his fellow Inner Circle member. Hager even shed some light on what he thinks about WWE underutilizing him and if that still affects him.
