Jack Swagger is an American mixed martial artist and professional wrestler. He is best known for his time with WWE, the biggest wrestling promotion in the world. Jack has won the ECW, World Heavyweight and WWE United States Championships.
After 9 years as a WWE star, Jack Swagger was released from the company in March 2017. He currently competes in the independent wrestling circuit under his real name Jake Hager. In November 2017, the ex-world heavyweight champion also signed a deal with Bellator MMA, a mixed martial arts promotion.
Youth and rise to fame
Better known by his stage nickname “Jack Swagger”, the WWE star was born Donald Jacob “Jake” Hager Jr on March 24, 1982 in Perry, Oklahoma. He started wrestling at the age of 5. In high school, he competed as a dual-sport athlete, participating in both wrestling and American football. Jake Hager continued his pursuits as a dual-sport athlete at the University of Oklahoma. However, he finally decided on wrestling in his second year. In his senior year, he was named to the USA wrestling team. He set a school record for most pins (30) in a season for the 285 lb (129 kg) weight class. Jack Hager graduated from the University of Oklahoma in 2006, having majored in finance.
He joined WWE in 2006 after a successful trial with the company. During his first two seasons, he performed/trained in several WWE developmental territories including Deep South Wrestling (DSW), Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW), and Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW). He also served as a security guard during a John Cena vs. Umaga match on WWE Raw. In March 2008, Jack Hager won the FCW Florida Heavyweight Championship, his first professional title.
This guy adopted the stage moniker ‘JackSwagger’ when he debuted for the ECW WWW brand on September 9, 2008. He lost his FCW Championship title after a loss to Sheamus on September 18, 2008. In January 2009, he defeated Matt Hardy to win his first WWE title, the ECW Championship.. Jack successfully defended his defense against Hardy at the Royal Rumble (2009) before finally losing the ECW title at Backlash (2009) on April 26. All subsequent attempts by Jack Swagger to reclaim the ECW Title were unsuccessful.
In June 2009, Jack Swagger was traded from ECW to WWE. Gross. On March 1, 2010, he won the “Money in the Bank” match at the WrestleMania XXVI event. At the end of the same month, he defeated Chris Jericho who was the world heavyweight champion and He successfully defended the title against Jericho and other big name wrestlers such as Edge, Randy Orton and Big Show before succumbing to Rey. Mysterio on June 20.
Jack Swagger won the WWE United States Championship in January 2012 and his reign lasted 50 days. He lost the title on March 5 to Santino Marella and several attempts to reclaim it were unsuccessful. His contract with the Raw brand expired in September 2016 and as a result, he transferred to SmackDown Live. Swagger remained with WWE until he was released from his contract in March 2017.
Upon leaving WWE, the star joined the independent professional wrestling circuit. In June 2017, he performed on the Australian ‘House of Hardcore’ 2017 tour. In February 2018, he captured the heavyweight title as part of Scotland-based professional wrestling promotion titled ‘5 Star Wrestling’ . A few days later (in April), Swagger won the Imperial Wrestling Revolution Championship. He also signed with Major League Wrestling (MLW) and made his debut for the brand on May 3, 2018.
Jack Swagger wife (Catalina White) and children
The former WWE star is currently married to a model, designer, entrepreneur and former WWE Diva Catalina White. The two met while training at WWE FCW’s developmental territory in Tampa, Florida, and they linked in December 2010.
Just like her husband, Catalina White is a former WWE Wrestler; she performed under the nickname – Saylor James. Her stint as a WWE star lasted from October 2008 to March 2009. As a model, Catalina White was featured in Maxim, Complex, and FHM
The couple have 2 children together. a son and a daughter. On October 16, 2011, they welcomed their first child, a son named Knox Stribling, after WWE star Mike Knox. On May 20, 2015, they welcomed their daughter named Presley Pearl.
Height, weight and other body measurements
Jack Swagger is believed to be 6ft 7in tall. However, the former WWE Superstar’s actual height is 196cm (6ft 5in). The professional wrestler weighs an incredible 120 kg. Despite his gigantic size, the former world heavyweight champion is extremely athletic.