Donald Trump has brushed up against the professional wrestling business for several decades. Trump Plaza is the specific location where the company maintains that WrestleMania 4 and 5 took place in Atlantic City, New Jersey. The historic events occurred back-to-back in the late eighties during a period of significant growth for the promotion.
The former president eventually had a much more prominent role at WrestleMania 23 in Detroit. He was featured in Bobby Lashley’s corner for the famous ‘Battle of the Billionaires’ match. The high-stakes contest ultimately saw Vince McMahon get his head shaved in the middle of the ring after his representative lost.
Trump was officially inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2013 for his various contributions to the brand. This recognition came shortly before he embarked on the political aspirations that have famously taken him to the White House twice. It seems at least one WWE star wanted to take advantage of his meteoric rise to power.
Speaking on TMZ’s Inside the Ring, former World Heavyweight Champion Jake Hager shared a surprising story. Hager, who was known in the company as Jack Swagger, explained that he wanted the billionaire back in the fold. He felt a return would perfectly complement his character when it took on a more political edge on television.
However, the former chairman of the board reportedly said no to the creative suggestion. Hager detailed the specific timing of his proposal and the logic behind it.
“I pitched an idea once – this was in 2015 and the presidential campaign was going on – that Dutch Mantell and I were going to do everything Donald Trump did and come out on stage and be very presidential,” Hager explained.
He even tried to use the personal friendship between the two powerful men as a selling point for the angle. He believed the storyline could have provided the boss with a unique sense of pride.
“I said to him, ‘What if you could tell your friend that you’re the reason why you put him in the White House?’ And he was like, ‘Oh, stay away,’” Hager noted.
The veteran performer eventually moved on to other opportunities following his departure from the organization. Jake Hager infamously labelled billionaire’s son Tony Khan “a communist” in a bizarre social media rant after he left AEW. He has since focused on his mixed martial arts career while making sporadic appearances on the independent wrestling circuit.
While Hager reflects on his past pitches, the current roster is preparing for the fallout of the most recent premium live event. Cody Rhodes is officially scheduled to challenge Drew McIntyre for the Undisputed WWE Championship on the upcoming episode of Friday Night SmackDown. The winner of that massive main event will move on to defend the gold against Randy Orton at WrestleMania 42 in Las Vegas this April.
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