Jake Hager has aligned with Chris Jericho’s Inner Circle faction in AEW. Hager even helped Jericho retain the AEW World Championship Wednesday night in Philadelphia. He interfered in the match, hitting Darby Allin in the head while he was going for a top rope move and allowing Jericho to lock in the Lion Tamer.
According to a report from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Hager’s AEW deal won’t allow him to actually compete in a wrestling match until he’s had his next fight for Bellator. His next fight takes place on October 25th, 2019.
“Jake Hager had an agreement that he wouldn’t wrestle until after his fight for Bellator at the Mohegan Sun Casino on 10/25 on a show that will air on Paramount,” wrote Dave Meltzer.
Hager’s next fight for Bellator is against Anthony Garrett in the heavyweight division.
“His agreement was that he’s doing TV every week and taking Tuesday and Wednesdays as his days off training while training the other five days, but wouldn’t wrestle matches until after the fight to avoid the injury risk.”
Jake Hager in AEW
Hager is said to be more motivated than ever now that he’s in AEW. This start of a new period in Hager’s career was addressed recently by Wade Keller of PW Torch.
“People in AEW are telling me he is super-motivated, he’s regained his confidence that he lost in WWE and there’s some powerful people in that company, influential people, who think he is going to be not a support player, a guy standing behind a star, but be a star,” Keller explained. “And if that’s what they think and he can deliver on that, then that will show itself in the next couple months.”
