What’s the story?
According to an interview during the first ten minutes of episode 96 of Chael Sonnen’s Beyond the Fight podcast, Jack Swagger asked for and has been granted his release from WWE.
In case you didn’t know...
Swagger is a former ECW Champion and WWE World Heavyweight Champion. His World Title push was reportedly scrapped due to his marijuana dependencies. He was a guest on episode 95 of the same podcast last week but seemed tentative during his interview.
The heart of the matter
Jack Swagger announced on the Beyond the Fight podcast this week that he has asked for his release from WWE, as of yesterday. Swagger said that the process is ongoing right now, and admitted that it came down to contract negotiations. He felt that WWE didn’t value him as he valued himself.
Swagger said that the decision was a business related one on his part, as felt that WWE was not allowing him to make the right amount of income that he is capable of making in professional wrestling.
Sonnen discussed several instances of the start and stop pushes that Swagger has received over the years, going over how quickly Swagger won the World Heavyweight Championship. Swagger admitted that it was very frustrating to be given those opportunities and have them taken away so quickly.
Swagger jokingly said he was going to retire, but then went on to say that he’s young. He’ll be 35 next month. The world of wrestling is broadening and he’s excited about going to Mexico, Japan, and the United Kingdom and just wants to continue wrestling.
He even intimated to Chael that he would possibly consider a foray into MMA if someone wanted to pay him to get into a cage and fight. Swagger finished the interview by saying that his fans should be happy and that he’s as hungry to succeed as he has been in years.
What’s next?
We will keep you up to date on this situation as it progresses.
Sportskeeda’s Take
All we can say is, “wow.” Swagger is an immensely talented professional wrestler, but as was taken away from the spotlight more and more, he became complacent in his performances.
With all of the major companies outside of WWE that are looking for talented wrestlers to work for them, we have no doubt that Swagger will easily find another place of employment. Imagine all of the possibilities that are out there for him to work with guys such as Kenny Omega, Kazuchika Okada, Zack Sabre, Jr., among others.
We wish Swagger the best in all of his future endeavours.
