Ex-WWE champion brutally knocked out on second Power Slap appearance

Jake Hager, formerly known as Jack Swagger during his WWE days, was knocked out in Las Vegas during his second Power Slap fight.

The undefeated Bellator MMA fighter made his debut in April as part of a six-appearance agreement.

Hager started positively as he scored a knockdown with his first strike at Power Slap 21.

He even used his old WWE catchphrase as he declared ‘We the people’ before his clash against former TNA wrestler Amanpreet Singh.

Things looked promising for Hager as he staggered his opponent, forcing him to fall to his knee.

However, after he took two big shots in the opening exchanges, he was hit with a massive third slap that saw him knocked out cold.

The former WWE World Heavyweight Champion was left lying on his back, with his arms spasming on the ground.

The contest was immediately stopped by the referee, and Hager had to be helped up as Singh celebrated.

The American managed to stand, but the referee had already waved the contest off.

Prior to the event, Hager said: “Look at my resume, I don’t lose. When I come on the stage at Power Slap on July 10th, I’m going to flip a switch.

“You’re not going to see this guy right here, you’re going to see the guy I like to turn into and then I’ll go back to it.

“You have to be dangerous to be a man, you don’t have to be violent, but you have to be f****** dangerous.

The former WWE champion signed with Dana White‘s slap-fighting experiment in March.

After the announcement, he joked: “I’ve been told that I have a very slappable face, so I’m sure the line will be around the corner.”

He added: “You know what you signed up for, you’re signing up to get slapped and trying to slap someone back as hard as you can.

“So I expect injuries to happen. I know UFC does a great job of covering all expenses related to the injuries. I’m not worried about it, to be honest.”

Previous success

Last time out, the 44-year-old clashed with fellow American Devin Jenkins in April during his first bout.

He slapped Jenkins’ cheek with a thunderous left hand, causing his opponent’s knees to collapse as he crashed to the canvas.

WWE

‘Big Jinx’ was unable to regain his feet, prompting the referee to end the match and resulting in the fighter needing to be carried off stage.

After Hager’s tenure ended in WWE, he had a notable stint in wrestling and joined Chris Jericho and Sammy Guevara as part of the Inner Circle.

However, the American has stepped away from pro wrestling after he had major differences with the All Elite Wrestling President Tony Khan. He felt the company changed after Cody Rhodes left in 2022.

The 44-year-old recently came out of retirement to compete in a match for the World Wrestling Council.

He returned after a two-year break to face John Hawking in June, and even used his Power Slap experience by slapping his opponent off his feet.

His recent ring return raises questions over whether it was merely a one-off appearance.