WWE Boss Vince McMahon Offered Jack Swagger Advice Before MMA Debut

Another former professional wrestler is gearing up to jump into the mixed martial arts (MMA) cage.

That wrestler being former WWE World Heavyweight Champion Jack Swagger (real name Jake Hager). Hager will be fighting at tomorrow’s (Sat. January 26, 2019) Bellator 214 event from The Forum in Inglewood, California. He’ll face J.W. Kiser on the main card. Speaking to media recently, Hager discussed his upcoming debut.

He spoke about fellow professional wrestlers such as Rey Mysterio, Roman Reigns, and Vince McMahon all having shown support recently. More specifically, McMahon – the billionaire behind the WWE operation – had some good advice for Swagger ahead of his fight:

“Don’t lose.”

Hager joins the likes of fellow professional wrestlers like CM Punk, Brock Lesnar, and Bobby Lashley who have tried their hand at MMA. However, Hager is one of the few to have a legitimate athletic background. He is a former NCAA Division I wrestling competitor. This will certainly serve him well in MMA.

Hopefully Hager sees more success than Punk did in his UFC venture. Punk was defeated in both his UFC fights via lopsided fashion. As for Lesnar, he is a former UFC heavyweight champion who has been very successful in the sport. His return has even been teased as recently as this past summer.

Bobby Lashley hasn’t fought since October of 2016. However, he is currently on an eight-fight win streak. Lashely is back with the WWE for now, so don’t expect him to be fighting anytime soon. If he does, perhaps he’s matched up with Hager for a fun WWE star vs. WWE star fight.