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Getting His Swagger On

Posted: Feb 9th 2012 By: CMBurnham

Jack Swagger cashed out of the world of banking, instead going for the money moves as a professional wrestler.Swagger, 29, did the right thing after graduating from high school, where he was a two-time high school heavyweight state champion: He went to college. He attended the University of Oklahoma, working his gray matter as a finance major and also pumping up his biceps on the football field and as a college wrestler. But when it came time to hit the job market, he was discouraged when he couldn't find much out there.

"I graduated in '06, which was right on the brink of the financial crisis," said Swagger. " ... I did job interviews for a whole year. It got really, really frustrating."

And so Swagger, who eventually dropped football and stayed in wrestling while at OU, remembered an offer a little bird tweeted in his ear his junior year.

"I met (WWE Hall of Famer) Jim Ross ... He said, if you want a chance to be a WWE Superstar, the door is open."

And so, just as he had a job set up in Dallas with a finance firm that would have had him working with mostly small businesses and startups, he decided to go a different way.

He became a WWE Superstar.Swagger will be at Kay Yeager Coliseum at 2 p.m. Sunday on a card that will include such fellow stars as John Cena and Dolph Ziggler as part of the Road to RAW WrestleMania Tour.

Swagger has moved far beyond the world of finance and is the reigning WWE U.S. Champion."I remembered calling them (the WWE) and telling them, 'Hey, let's talk about the opportunities that are in front of me," and after having that talk, he thought that joining the WWE ranks was a "no-brainer."

Not that his family in Perry didn't have their doubts.

"With all the money they spent on my college education ... The look on their face at first was a frustrated look," Swagger said with a laugh.

Not that he doesn't have his family's support. When Swagger wraps up his Wichita Falls stop, he'll be headed for a show in Oklahoma City, and his family is planning to be there.

Swagger is among the new wave of WWE Superstars who are not only superb athletes but are college graduates, as well.

"It really is a testament to the WWE," said Swagger, whose real name is Jacob Hager. " ... Eighty percent of our roster are college graduates. That's a very high, historic number."

But, of course, it's Swagger's physical prowess rather than his prowess in finance that was so impressive to the WWE. He is 263 pounds and 6 feet 7 inches tall. He spends a lot of time keeping in top physical form.

"It's very difficult, because what we do is a high level of performing. It's very tough. We do more than 200 shows a year."He added, "We train about four to five times a week. It's a testament to how hard we work ... We're on the road Friday to Tuesday. Between that and having to find a bite to eat and find a gym ..."Swagger said he likes to do a lot of reps to keep himself ready for the ring at all times.

"They call me the Julienne Salad of Wrestling because I'm so cut," he said with a laugh.

One thing Swagger has loved since joining the WWE is getting the chance to travel around the world. He already has filled three passports.

"It's somewhat surprising, because our international markets are just as big as our U.S. market ... It (the WWE) truly is a global company. It's a powerhouse."

In certain towns in Mexico, he said, he just can't walk around unnoticed. The WWE is huge in Japan, too.

But, of course, he loves other things about the job: "One is stepping out on stage. When you're on stage and the crowd roars for you or boos you, you absolutely love it," he said.

The other thing is meeting the fans.

"When I was young, all I wanted to do was to shake my favorite baseball player's hand," so he said he wants to do the same when a young fan approaches him.

When he stops in town Sunday, he'll be here with such names as Eve Torres, Beth Phoenix, Kofi Kingston, Santino Marella, Brodus Clay and Alex Riley with championship matches between CM Punk and Dolph Ziggler, and John Cena and R-Truth versus Kane and The Miz. The show also will include a special appearance by "Y2J" Chris Jericho.