Jack Swagger recently spoke with FloSlam; you can read the highlights below:
Jack Swagger on reinventing himself and learning new things on the independent scene:
“I mean, in essence it’s almost like starting all over again. 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.”
Swagger comments on which indie stars he follows to try and improve his own skills:
“You have to have a different type of match in front of these crowds. For me to learn that you can only do so by watching. So I have been watching as much video and internet stuff as I can to see what everyone is doing. When I was in What Culture, I was watching guys like Will Ospreay and that dude is amazing in the ring. He can do a handstand without using his hands.
“Then guys like Zack Sabre Jr, Big Grizzly and Dave Mastiff were instrumental to me when I was in the UK. In America, I like to watch guys like Ricochet. Also Warbeard Hanson is one of my favourites, it’s just phenomenal to see what he does and how he brings everyone else’s game up around him.”
Swagger comments on the benefits of leaving WWE to be closer to his family and the fans:
“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.”
