Jake Hager recently didn’t hold back when reflecting on his AEW run, admitting in an interview with Chris Van Vliet that he became “very jaded” after his departure from the company. His criticism of AEW President Tony Khan’s management style caught attention, and now longtime friend and WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross is weighing in.
Speaking on his Grilling JR podcast, Ross—who first recruited Hager to WWE during his days as Jack Swagger—reacted to the remarks with empathy but also offered a dose of tough love.
“He’s got a lot of pent-up frustration. Yeah, quite honestly, he’s not a bad person. Jake is not a bad person whatsoever, no, but he’s very frustrated, or was very frustrated. Hopefully he’s got that past him and he’s going to focus more on his creative energy to his trucking company.”
Ross emphasized that Hager’s emotional reaction reflects how much he genuinely cared about the business, noting his growth into a real fan of wrestling over the years.
“It shows you how much he loved doing what he did because he became a fan. As I said, he wasn’t born a fan, and I find that ironic, considering he and [Danny] Hodge are from the same hometown.”
When co-host Conrad Thompson suggested Hager’s remarks sounded like sour grapes, Ross didn’t disagree.
“I think you’re right. I think he’s frustrated. He didn’t get it all out of the business that he would like to have at the end of the day… Sometimes it doesn’t end the way that one would like for it to. It’s tough to deal with. You get frustrated, and it’s just a mind game at that point.”
Still, Ross stood by Hager’s potential and character, saying:
“That’s someone which had all the physical tools he needed to be a huge star, an athletic big man. He’s six, five, maybe six, six, I’m not sure… he’s a good dude, and I’m glad he’s doing well, at least. I hope that he’s going to do well.”
Despite calling out Hager’s comments as emotionally driven, JR’s support for his longtime friend remained clear. Whether Hager will return to wrestling or stick to his trucking business remains to be seen—but the door isn’t fully closed.
Do you think Jake Hager was justified in how he aired out his frustrations, or was JR right to call it a case of “sour grapes”? Let us know in the comments.
