Jack Swagger Jacob " Jake " Hager ( March 24 , 1982 ) is an American professional wrestler . He is best known for his time in the WWE , under the ring name Jack Swagger . Hager attended the University of Oklahoma as a two - sport athlete , participating in both football and wrestling . He switched to wrestling full - time in his sophomore year , and in 2006 , set the record for most pins in a season with 30 as an All - American . Following a try - out , Hager signed a WWE contract in mid - 2006 . He made his debut for the WWE developmental territory Deep South Wrestling in September , and was moved to the Ohio Valley Wrestling territory in January 2007 . A few months later , Hager debuted for Florida Championship Wrestling ( FCW ) , where he was the final FCW Southern Heavyweight Champion and the inaugural FCW Florida Heavyweight Champion . In late 2008 , he debuted for the ECW brand under the name Jack Swagger , and in January 2009 , he won his first world championship , the ECW Championship . In 2010 , while a member of the Raw brand , he won the Money in the Bank ladder match at WrestleMania XXVI , and two days later at the April 2 " SmackDown " taping , he cashed in that opportunity and defeated Chris Jericho to become the World Heavyweight Champion . He held the championship until June 2010 . In January 2012 , Swagger won the WWE United States Championship for the first time . Early life and amateur wrestling . Hager has been wrestling since the age of five , and wrestled in high school with Danny Hodge ' s grandson . He is good friends with Hodge , and grew up living two blocks away from him in Perry , Oklahoma . The University of Oklahoma recruited Hager as a two - sport athlete . He played football and was the second - string defensive tackle behind National Football League players Tommie Harris and Dusty Dvoracek . Due to his high - school wrestling background , he was asked to join the wrestling team as a heavyweight in his sophomore year , and switched over full - time . During his junior year , he met Jim Ross , who was then World Wrestling Entertainment ( WWE ) ' s Head of Talent Relations , and Ross encouraged Hager to contact him after graduating . In 2006 , as an All - American wrestler , he made 30 pins , setting the record for most pins in a single season . In 2006 , Hager graduated from the University of Oklahoma with a bachelor ' s degree in finance . Following his graduation , he had a job with a firm in Dallas , but was offered a contract with WWE the day he was scheduled to start . World Wrestling Entertainment / WWE . Developmental territories ( 2006 – 2008 ) . In 2006 , Hager had a WWE tryout in Deep South Wrestling ( DSW ) , and in September 2006 , under his real name , he made his in - ring debut for DSW , defeating Antonio Mestre in a dark match . He competed mainly in dark matches , before being moved to Ohio Valley Wrestling ( OVW ) in January 2007 . He debuted for the promotion by defeating Atlas DaBone , and in the following months began a feud with K . C . James . Hager began teaming with a multitude of opponents to feud with James and his tag team partner Cassidy James . During his time in the developmental territories , he appeared as a security guard during a brawl between John Cena and Umaga on " Raw " . In August 2007 , Hager was reassigned to Florida Championship Wrestling ( FCW ) , where he began a feud with TJ Wilson . On February 15 , 2008 , at the Florida State Fair in Tampa , Florida , Hager and Ted DiBiase , Jr . were the final two men remaining in a 23 - man battle royal to determine the two contenders for the inaugural FCW Florida Heavyweight Champion . Hager then defeated DiBiase to become champion . On March 22 , 2008 , Hager went against the FCW Southern Heavyweight Champion Heath Miller in New Port Richey , Florida to determine the true Heavyweight Champion . Both championships were on the line , and Hager defeated Miller to become the undisputed heavyweight champion in FCW . He later defended the championship against Miller , TJ Wilson , James Curtis , and Gabe Tuft . During this time , Hager had a gimmick of having an undefeated streak in FCW . His first loss came in the form of a " Raw " dark match , at the TV taping on August 18 , 2008 , when he lost to William Regal . He also lost to D ' Lo Brown in a dark match , before defeating Jamie Noble in a dark match prior to a " SmackDown " taping on August 29 . He then lost the FCW Florida Heavyweight Championship to Sheamus O ' Shaunessy on September 18 , after debuting for the ECW brand . ECW and RAW ( 2008 – 2009 ) . On September 9 , 2008 , Hager made his debut on the ECW brand under the ring name Jack Swagger , winning a match against a jobber — a wrestler who consistently loses to make his opponents look stronger . He immediately established himself as a heel ( villainous character ) by starting a feud with Tommy Dreamer . He attacked Dreamer on the September 23 episode of " ECW " , when Dreamer attempted to stop Swagger from attacking jobber Chase Stevens . He later defeated Dreamer in a wrestling match and an " Amateur Wrestling Challenge " competition . After weeks of feuding , their rivalry ended in November in an Extreme Rules match , which Swagger won to extend his undefeated streak in ECW . He then sought to challenge Matt Hardy for the ECW Championship and was named the number one contender on the December 30 episode of " ECW " . In 2009 , on the January 13 episode of " ECW " , Swagger defeated Hardy to win his first title in WWE , the ECW Championship . His undefeated streak in singles competition ended on the February 3 episode of " ECW " when he lost to Finlay in a non - title match . After successfully defending his title against Hardy at the Royal Rumble and Finlay at No Way Out , Swagger began a feud with the returning Christian , to whom he lost the ECW Championship at Backlash , which ended his 104 - day reign as champion . He attempted to regain the championship title in a triple threat hardcore match at Extreme Rules , but was unsuccessful . His attempt to win the ECW Championship at The Bash in a ECW Championship Scramble also failed . On June 29 , 2009 , Swagger was traded to the Raw brand , making his debut as part of a three - on - one gauntlet match against WWE Champion Randy Orton , in which he got himself purposely counted out in order to make an impression on Orton . On the July 13 episode of " Raw " , he won his first match on the brand by defeating Montel Vontavious Porter ( MVP ) . He then feuded with MVP for several weeks , culminating at SummerSlam , in a match that MVP won . After his short feud with MVP ended , Swagger began pursuing the WWE United States Championship . He had his first singles match for the championship on September 21 against Kofi Kingston , but lost the match by countout after stealing the championship and leaving the arena with it , although Kingston later took it back while Swagger was in a physical confrontation with The Miz . Swagger made another unsuccessful attempt at the championship at the Hell in a Cell pay - per - view . Mr . Money in the Bank and World Heavyweight Champion ( 2010 ) . On the March 1 , 2010 episode of " Raw " , Swagger defeated Santino Marella to qualify for the Money in the Bank ladder match at WrestleMania XXVI , where he won , earning a contract for any WWE world championship over the following year . On the first episode of " Raw " following WrestleMania , Swagger tried to cash in his Money in the Bank contract against the WWE Champion John Cena , but changed his mind when he realized that Cena was not incapacitated enough to be defeated easily . As the match had never started , Swagger retained the contract for use at a future date . Swagger cashed in the contract during the " SmackDown " taping on March 30 , 2010 , after the World Heavyweight Champion Chris Jericho had been speared by Edge . Swagger went on to defeat Jericho to win the World Heavyweight Championship for the first time . Following his championship win , Swagger began to develop a more serious persona : previously he had been known for doing pushups and beating his chest during his ring entrance . He successfully defended his championship against Edge and Jericho in a triple threat match on the April 16 episode of " SmackDown " , and against Randy Orton in an Extreme Rules match at the Extreme Rules pay - per - view . At Over the Limit , Swagger retained the title against The Big Show by intentionally disqualifying himself . At the Fatal 4 - Way pay - per - view on June 20 , he lost the championship to Rey Mysterio in a fatal four - way match , also involving CM Punk and The Big Show . In a rematch at the Money in the Bank pay - per - view in July , he failed to regain the championship . Various storylines ( 2010 - 2011 ) . In late 2010 , Swagger began being accompanied to the ring by his mascot , the Swagger Soaring Eagle , who was portrayed by Chavo Guerrero . At the PPV , Swagger competed in a triple threat ladder match for the WWE Intercontinental Championship against Kofi Kingston and Dolph Ziggler , in which the latter went on to win the match . On the February 28 episode of Raw Swagger was announced as Michael Cole ' s trainer for his match at WrestleMania XXVII against Jerry Lawler . On the March 28 episode of " Raw " , Swagger faced Lawler in a singles match , which he won by disqualification after Lawler attacked him with a steel chair . At WrestleMania , Swagger receive a ' Stone Cold Stunner ' from the guest referee Stone Cold Steve Austin when attempting to withdraw Cole from the match . Cole went on to win the match via disqualification . On April 26 , Swagger was drafted to the Raw brand as part of the 2011 supplemental draft . On May 1 at Extreme Rules , Swagger teamed with Cole to defeat Jerry Lawler and Jim Ross in a Country Whipping match . Swagger ended his partnership with Cole on the May 16 episode of " Raw " , after Cole insulted Swagger . Beginning on May 23 , Swagger feuded with Evan Bourne , with both men trading victories on several episodes of " Raw " . At WWE Capitol Punishment , Bourne defeated Swagger to end the feud . Swagger competed in his second Money in the Bank ladder match at the Money in the Bank pay - per - view , which was won by Alberto Del Rio . Alliance with Dolph Ziggler and United States Champion ( 2011 – 2012 ) . On the August 15 episode of " Raw " , after defeating Alex Riley , Swagger suggested to Vickie Guerrero that she should manage multiple clients , in the vein of managers like Bobby Heenan and Freddie Blassie . The following week , Swagger had a " tryout " match , but was distracted by Guerrero arguing with Dolph Ziggler at ringside , and lost the match . Swagger and Ziggler would continue to fight over Guerrero over the next few weeks , which led to a match being for Ziggler ' s United States Championship at Night of Champions , also involving Riley and John Morrison . At the pay - per - view , Swagger was unsuccessful in winning the title . On the September 19 episode of " Raw " , Guerrero agreed to manage Swagger . As a result , Swagger and Ziggler formed an alliance , with Swagger helping Ziggler retain his championship . At both the Hell in a Cell and Vengeance pay - per - views , Swagger and Ziggler unsuccessfully challenged Air Boom ( Evan Bourne and Kofi Kingston ) for the WWE Tag Team Championship . On the January 16 , 2012 , episode of " Raw " , Swagger won the WWE United States Championship by defeating Zack Ryder . At the Royal Rumble , Swagger competed in the Rumble match , entering at number 25 , before being eliminated by Big Show . At Elimination Chamber ( 2012 ) , Swagger successfully defended the title against Justin Gabriel . On the February 27 edition of Raw , Swagger and Ziggler unsuccessfully challenge Primo & Epico for the WWE Tag Team Championship in a triple threat tag team match alson involving Kofi Kingston & R - truth . On the March 5 episode of Raw , Swagger lost the United States Championship to Santino Marella . On the following edition os Smackdown , Swagger failed to regain the United States Championship in a Steel Cage Match after Marella escaped through the cage door . On the March 19 edition of Raw , Swagger announced himself as a member of Team Johnny at WrestleMania XXVIII . On the April 2 edition of Raw , Swagger & Ziggler unsuccessfully challenged Marella for the United States Championship in a triple threat match . In May , Swagger & ziggler unsuccessfully challenged Kofi Kingston & R - truth for the WWE Tag Team Championship , first at Over the Limit ( 2012 ) and second on the May 28 edition of Raw . On the June 11 edition of Raw , Swagger & Ziggle competed in a fatal four way match to determine the number one contender for the World Heavyweight Championship , however he was eliminated when Ziggler pinned him . The following week , Guerrero , finally tired of the bickering between Swagger & ziggler arranged for a match between them ; Ziggler won the match , thus ending their partnership . On the June 25 episode of Raw , Swagger unsuccessfully challenged Santino Marella for the United States Championship . Following this loss , Swagger would go on to a three - month losing streak against the likes of Tyson Kidd , Sheamus , Brodus Clay and Ryback . After again losing to sheamus , Swagger told Raw General Manager AJ Lee that he would be taking time off . Real American ( 2013 – 2014 ) . On the February 1 , 2013 episode of " SmackDown " , Swagger returned , and demanded that " SmackDown " General Manager Booker T put him in the Elimination Chamber match at Elimination Chamber . Later on that night , Swagger made his in - ring return by defeating Kofi Kingston . On the February 11 episode of " Raw " , Swagger ' s character was repackaged as that of a xenophobic heel , now accompanied by Zeb Colter as his manager . Swagger defeated Zack Ryder to qualify for the Elimination Chamber match to determine the number one contender for the World Heavyweight Championship , which he won after pinning Randy Orton . On February 19 , Fox News and various right - wing commentators including Glenn Beck claimed that Swagger and Colter ' s characters were a mockery of the Tea Party movement meant to " demonize " the Tea Party . WWE responded to the criticism by stating that they were incorporating " current events into [ their ] storylines " to " create compelling and relevant content for [ their ] audience " and that " this storyline in no way represents WWE ’ s political point of view " . WWE followed by having Swagger and Colter break character during a video to invite Beck to appear on " Raw " while justifying that the storyline was designed to illicit a crowd response for the protagonist , Alberto Del Rio , and the antagonists , Swagger and Colter . Beck rejected the invitation . During the months of March , April and May , Swagger continued his feud with Del Rio , including injuring Del Rio and Ricardo Rodriguez on different occasions . Eventually the rivalry between Swagger and Del Rio expanded into a three - way storyline involving Dolph Ziggler who joined the feud after his surprise cash - in of his Money - in - the - Bank contract during a title defense match between Swagger and Del Rio . The three went on to involve themselves in each other ' s wrestling affairs , leading towards the pay - per - view Extreme Rules in a triple - threat match for Del Rio ' s World Heavyweight Championship . Before the weekend of the Extreme Rules , the match stipulations for the triple - threat would be decided by the winner of a triple - threat match between the managers and allies of the respective competitors . Zeb Colter represented Swagger in a losing effort against Big E . Langston ( for Ziggler ) and Ricardo Rodriguez ( for Del Rio ) , with Rodriguez being the winner . On the May 10 edition of " Friday Night Smackdown " , Swagger wrestled Big E . Langston in a match that eventually broke down into a chaotic brawl between Del Rio and Dolph Ziggler who both entered the ring at various stages . Swagger was armed with a ladder and assaulted both his rivals and inadvertedly injured Ziggler causing him to sustain a concussion . After Ziggler ' s concussion forced him out of his pay - per - view match , the championship match for " Extreme Rules " was changed to an " " I Quit Match " " between Del Rio and Swagger . After Extreme Rules , Swagger disappeared from the storyline , reportedly injured . This prompted an impromptu alliance between Zeb Colter and Antonio Cesaro , whom Swagger had partnered with in the past and received positive remarks from Colter during his commentary at ringside . Cesaro essentially filled in the role of Swagger , even using the phrase " " We the People " " , which has become a villainous catch - phrase for Swagger . Colter would later go on to name the group " " Coltersmilitia " " . On July 3 , during the second half - hour of " WWE Main Event " , Swagger returned to in - ring action after nearly two months recovering from injury . He faced Sin Cara in a " squash match " , preparing for his participation in the " Money in the Bank Ladder Match " at the July 14 pay - per - view of the same name . At Money in the Bank , Swagger faced fellow heel wrestlers , Dean Ambrose , Fandango , Wade Barrett , Antonio Cesaro , Damien Sandow and Cody Rhodes in the ladder match eventually won by Sandow . The following night on Raw , Swagger and Cesaro , now billed as The Real Americans , teamed together for the first time , but ended up being defeated by The Usos . During the Night of Champions pre - show , the Real Americans competed in a number one contender Tag Team Turmoil match for the WWE Tag Team Championship , in which they were the last team eliminated by The Prime Time Players ( Darren Young and Titus O ' Neil ) . Simultaneously , the Real Americans began a feud with the returning Santino Marella after he defeated both of them in singles competition . On October 6 at WWE Battleground , the Real Americans defeated Marella and The Great Khali in a tag team match . The Real Americans moved onto feuding with Los Matadores , culminating in a tag team match on October 27 at Hell in a Cell , which Los Matadores won . The following night on Raw , The Real Americans defeated WWE Tag Team Champions Cody Rhodes and Goldust in a non - title match . On the February 14th episode of SmackDown , Swagger became the # 1 Contender for the Intercontinental Championship after winning a Fatal 4 - Way match , defeating Kofi Kingston , Rey Mysterio and Mark Henry . However , Swagger would advance to Elimination Chamber , where he would face the current Intercontinental Champion , Big E , and would lose the match . Singles career ( 2014 - 2017 ) . During the pre - show of WrestleMania XXX , the Real Americans were the final team eliminated during a fatal - four - way match for the WWE Tag Team Championship . Swagger blamed Cesaro for the loss and put Cesaro in the Patriot Lock before Colter demanded that the duo shake hands . Cesaro instead retaliated with a Cesaro Swing on Swagger . Later during the pay - per - view , Cesaro was a surprise entrant in the André the Giant Memorial Battle Royal , which he won by last eliminating Big Show by body slamming him out of the ring , which mirrored Hulk Hogan ' s momentous body slam of Andre . Swagger retaliated by attacking Cesaro on the following RAW and then destroying the trophy , thus ending the stable . Swagger would feud with Cesaro , which also involved Rob Van Dam , resulting in the three men competing in a triple threat elimination match at Extreme Rules , which Cesaro won . The next night after Raw , Colter and Swagger would rant about foreign superstars in the WWE , when Adam Rose would make his WWE debut and interrupted the two men . The next night on Main Event , Swagger would lose to Dolph Ziggler with the distraction by Rose . Six days later on Raw , Swagger would lose to Rob Van Dam with another distraction by Rose . Six days later on " Raw " , Swagger would lose to Rob Van Dam with another distraction by Rose . Their feud would culminate on the June 2nd episode of " RAW " where Rose defeated Swagger . On the June 23 episode of " Raw " Swagger would be named to compete in the Money in the Bank ladder at Money in the Bank 2014 . Swagger would not win the match , but would lose it to Seth Rollins . On the June 30 episode of " Raw " , Swagger would turn Face for the first time since debuting in the WWE after he and Zeb Colter confronted Rusev and Lana stating their actions of taking advantage of America ' s freedom which led to Swagger attacking Rusev . On March 1 , 2017 , Hager announced that he had requested and received his release from WWE . Personal life . Hager married Catalina White in December 2010 . The couple had their first child on October 17 , 2011 , a son named Knox Stribling Hager . On February 19 , 2013 , Swagger was arrested in Gulfport , Mississippi after a SmackDown taping . He was charged with driving under the influence , marijuana possession , and speeding . Swagger was released after the arrest , and scheduled to appear in court on March 12 , 2013 .