Usually you have WWE doing their annual releases after WrestleMania, but it looks like one superstar wanted to get out ahead of time.
Former WWE World Heavyweight Champion Jack Swagger went on Chael Sonnen's podcast on Wednesday to announce that he had requested his release from WWE. Swagger, real name Jake Hager, said he requested his release due to the two parties being far apart money-wise on a new deal, as well as Swagger hardly being used at all by the company. Swagger's last appearance on WWE television was back in December, and he hadn't wrestled at all in any fashion in over a month.
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Potential destinations for Swagger include rival promotion TNA Impact, where his former manager Zeb Colter — aka Dutch Mantel — has a hand in creative for the company. Dave Meltzer in his latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter also notes that Swagger could try his hand at MMA, as Swagger was a former All-American wrestler at Oklahoma.
In his WWE career, Swagger won the World Heavyweight title, the WWE version of the ECW Championship, and the U.S. title all once each.