In the history of decisions pro wrestlers have made, this is certainly one of them.
Former collegiate All-American and WWE World Heavyweight champion Jake Hager, known in WWE as Jack Swagger, told TMZ today (March 2) that he’s signed a six-appearance deal with Power Slap.
As you may be aware and can certainly guess from the name if you’re not, Power Slap is a slap fighting promotion. It was launched by UFC president Dana White to capitalize on the popularity of Russian slap competitions, which took
off during the pandemic. Two similarly-sized competitors stand opposite one another and slap each other in the face as hard as they can. Defense is not allowed. Flinching is penalized. A 2024 study of slap fighting that included Power Slap was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, and concluded it “may be a more grievous combat sport than previously assumed, and strategies to prevent neurological demise among its participants should be pursued.”
Hager, who complained of being silenced by “communist” Tony Khan among many criticisms of his time at AEW, was focused on his trucking business last we heard. That’s still his focus, as he said he’s not watching “a lot of pro wrestling or MMA right now” (Hager also had a brief run with mixed martial arts promotion Bellator about six years ago). He’s been watching enough slap fighting to understand there’s a strong possibility he’ll be concussed multiple times in those six-appearances, but says:
“I mean, you know what you signed up for. You’re signing up to get slapped and trying to slap someone back as hard as you can. So I expect injuries to happen. I know UFC does a great job of covering all expenses related to the injuries. I’m not worried about it, to be honest.”
The 44-year-old Hager will make his Power Slap debut on the eve of WrestleMania 42 in Las Vegas, April 17 live on YouTube. He’ll compete in the heavyweight division. Hager says he was recruited to Power Slap by former wrestler Sinn “Kizarny” Bodhi. No word on if this quote Hager gave TMZ was part of Bodhi’s pitch:
“I’ve been told that I have a very slappable face, so I’m sure the line will be around the corner.”
Give us your reaction to this in the comments, Cagesiders.
