"They're trying to make him funny" - Konnan slams AEW for former WWE World Heavyweight Champion's character assassination on TV
Konnan has serious reservations with the way AEW has presented former WWE World Heavyweight Champion, Jake Hager.
Since his arrival in AEW, Hager has worked alongside Chris Jericho first in the Inner Circle and now in the Jericho Appreciation Society. This year, he has served the JAS in Anarchy in the Arena and Blood & Guts against the Blackpool Combat Club. Hager also recently challenged for the All-Atlantic title.
Hager recently adopted a new gimmick centered around an obsession with a purple bucket hat. It serves to add a layer to the usual silent and domineering character but hasn't endeared everyone, including wrestling veteran Konnan.
K-Dawg slammed the way he was being presented during an episode of Keepin' it 100. He opined that the Bellator fighter should be facing fellow MMA fighters rather than attempting comedy:
"Hager may be too late bro. Here's the problem with Hager they're trying to make him funny with 'I like this hat,' he's not funny he has no comedic timing. He's an MMA guy they should bring in guys from MMA like [Dan] Lambert's guys to fight him you know what I'm saying." (3:06-3:17)
Prior to his AEW run, Hager was better known for his time as Jack Swagger in WWE. He reached the top of the mountain twice as World Heavyweight Champion as well as enjoying reigns with the US, Tag titles, and Money in the Bank.
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Konnan praised Chris Jericho for trying to make stars in AEW
#Absolute @starkmanjones responds to @IAmJericho's offer of joining the #JerichoAppreciationSociety, with an offer of his own: Jericho vs. Starks on January 4th, 2023 LIVE at the @ClimateArena in Seattle, WA! | #AEWDynamite https://t.co/StCwMaWen8
While he sees little of Jake Hager's character, at the very least Konnan praised Chris Jericho for his efforts to turn other wrestlers into stars. He used two-time TNT Champion Sammy Guevara, Daniel Garcia, and Action Andretti as examples.
He also pointed to the current program with Ricky Starks, where 'Absolute' had the chance to carry their Dynamite segment while the JAS took a backseat:
"Jericho, I gotta give him credit because he's into making people right now. When he first got in there with Sammy [Guevara] and now he's trying to make Daniel Garcia and that Action Andretti guy, and Ricky Starks because he could have gotten on the mic with him and gone back and forth but he let him shine." (2:46-3:06)
Jericho suffered an upset loss to Action Andretti, making his own AEW Dynamite debut two weeks ago. He had only lost the ROH world title the weekend prior so it was a major upset for the WWE legend.
What have you made of Jake Hager's presentation? Let us know in the comments section below.
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