Jack Swagger Reveals Who He Reached Out To After WWE Departure

Former WWE Superstar Jack Swagger recently did an interview with FloSlam where he discussed a number of topics, such as the support from fans, leaving WWE and more. Check out the highlights below:

On support from fans and coworkers, and starting over from scratch:

“I mean, in essence it’s almost like starting all over again,” Swagger said. “To get back your momentum, you have to reach all fans bases and it really did feel like starting again from scratch. But as of now, everything has been exactly what I had expected. A majority of the fans are glad to see me and I have been getting good receptions which I am happy with and it hasn’t deflated my ego.

“The hospitality I have received from every single roster I have been a part of has been amazing. This is a brand new side of things that I am learning and I am having to learn on my feet and it’s awesome. So many of the guys and girls have been so helpful at letting me pick their brains and every show has been so different.”

Jack reveals that the first person he reached out to was Matt Hardy:

“I have been fortunate to work with so many great guys and lot of them have come and gone,” Swagger said. “The first guy that I reached out to was Matt Hardy because I started at WWE with him and we had some great storylines including the ECW one. We became great friends. I also called Konnan and Rey Mysterio who were beyond helpful to me.”

On how it is to work outside of the WWE:

“Being able to work with my wife is one of the main pros and one of the factors why I wanted to leave. It can be a very lonely business at times so it’s nice to be able to be with her and travel with her and also she is one hot momma.

I also like working the smaller shows because they are much more intimate and intense and you can feel that. Everyone is on top of each other and that’s awesome. You can interact with the same so much easier and do stuff right in front of their faces and I enjoy that side of it. I also like the challenge of learning the style of wrestling for these shows and being able to make it my own. I think the only downside to being an independent wrestler that I have noticed so far is making sure you stay healthy. Like I am out there Friday to Sunday and you have to go out there and put on a hell of a match each and every time.

It is definitely a great bonus to be home more and was a big reason to consider when I left,” he said. “On the flip side, now that you are home more you still have to make a living. But my son just turned six and is real big into Disney and we were lucky enough to go there last week. He is big on the entertainment side of things and he can cut promo’s and knows how to stand and all that stuff. My daughter is two and a half and she is just super freakishly strong. Both of them are great swimmers so I love taking them swimming.”

Jack has some advice to others who are looking to work outside the WWE:

“You just have to remember that when you are with the WWE, it is a corporate job so you have certain benefits you need to get in line before you lose them. It’s real important to get stuff like your mortgage and insurance in check before you decide to leave. Stuff like that becomes very difficult when you become an independent star.”

You can check out the interview here.