Jake Hager on whether he harbors any ill will toward WWE following his run as Jack Swagger, whether MLW Is an independent promotion now that it has a television deal, his Bellator fighting training and first fight plan

By Jason Powell, Prowrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)

CBS Sports Local interview with Jake Hager
Host: Chuck Carroll
Full interview available at Sports.cbslocal.com

Hager on whether he harbors any ill feelings about your time in WWE: No. I look back at my career and I’m very thankful. Successful people don’t look back and waste energy on what could have been and all the stuff that didn’t happen. … If my fans want to see me back in the WWE, you know, never say never, but we got a big agenda ahead of us for 2018 that we’re pretty excited about.

Whether he considers MLW to be an independent promotion with the national TV deal: Personally, I hate the terms indies or independent promotion when it comes to professional wrestling. I feel like it’s a stigma that’s attached to it that no longer exists. Of course, there are the bad ones, but I think these promotions are just like self-run businesses now. I think a promotion like MLW which has really built a name and a brand and has a TV deal is definitely not an independent promotion. I look at them as a promotion with a television show with great opportunities. [If you look at who’s there], Tony Schiavone is just one, but the roster is incredible here and it’s just going to be so exciting to see the product.

On his training for a fight with Bellator at some point this year: The hard work’s paying off and the hard training is only making my body feel better. It’s crazy. When I left [WWE] last year I was pretty banged up and not in that good of shape. And this crossing over into a new world has really forced me to focus on my body and I feel 24 again.

Whether he’s still on track to fight this year: We’re looking at end of 2018. I got really busy with pro wrestling so we pushed the date back, but at the end of 2018 I’m going to come out and I will make a statement.

Other topics include CM Punk returning to the octagon, the opponents he’d like to face in MLW, and whether his pairing with Col. Robert Parker in MLW will evolve into a Zeb Colter type of relationship.

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