I recently spoke with former WWE star Jack Swagger, and you can check out the entire interview in the video player below. The following are some interview highlights:
On his original goals in WWE:
“I wanted to add my mark, you know? I knew there was going to be ups and downs, as with most jobs in life. I didn’t really think about championships, I didn’t think about the Hall of Fame, I just really wanted to find a way to transcend wrestling generations.”
On the controversial reaction to his Real American gimmick:
“The whole Real American idea was mine – it was an idea I had, and I hired someone to write it for me. It was way more in depth than just the political immigration part of it. Yeah it’s very controversial, saying some things that culturally aren’t the most helpful things to society, but you know there’s no such thing as bad publicity.”
“If you’re looking for a wrestling storyline, you want to send lightning bolts through people. You don’t want comfortable and cosy, so it worked very well.”
On a possible mixed martial arts career:
“I have to consider fighting, because it’s such a game changer. If I can do both then why not? It’s only going to help my pro wrestling career, and I’ve been training now for about four months and working towards something. It’s very exciting, I wish I would’ve started sooner. It’s who I am and it’s something I got away from.”
On regrets from his WWE tenure:
“I wish I would’ve stood up and said ‘hey, don’t break up the Real Americans’ but I didn’t, and then I wish I would’ve said ‘hey this thing with me and Rusev might be bigger than than you guys think’ but I didn’t. Other than that, for the most part I try and go through life without regretting anything because you can’t do anything about it.”
