Former WWE Friday Night SmackDown Champion Leaves AEW After Contract Expires

A former WWE Friday Night SmackDown champion has departed from AEW.

The AEW Collision stage during a show that aired on TNT. / (via AEW)

A former WWE champion on the Friday Night SmackDown brand has made an exit from AEW.

It's been a wild year in the land of pro wrestling with many talents making moves to other promotions. Now, Cassidy Haynes of Bodyslam.net is reporting that Jake Hager, formerly known as Jack Swagger in WWE, is no longer a member of the AEW roster. Haynes noted that Hager has not re-signed with the company and the parting of ways was mutual.

It's another AEW departure in the midst of negotiations for a new TV rights deal.

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Ex-WWE Star Jake Hager Departs From AEW

Jake Hager poses on the middle rope before a match on AEW TV. / (via AEW)

Earlier this month, Ethan Page left AEW and he recently appeared on an episode of WWE NXT. Wrestling legend Arn Anderson has also revealed that his contract with AEW is expiring this Friday (May 31st) and he will not be renewing the deal.

Of course, speculation has already run rampant on whether or not WWE would be interested in the services of Jake Hager and Arn Anderson. Hager was a World Heavyweight Champion on the SmackDown brand, while Arn had worked as a road agent for WWE previously.

Hager had been with AEW since October 2019. He aligned with Chris Jericho as a member of the Inner Circle faction. Time will tell what's next for the former Jack Swagger.

Before the recent departures, numerous reports had indicated that AEW wouldn't be renewing several deals as opposed to cutting talents. It'll be interesting to see if there are more expiring deals to come within the next few days and weeks.

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