In 2022, AEW star Jake Hager began inexplicably wearing a purple bucket hat, spending months largely saying nothing on camera except the words “I like this hat.” The angle would grow in popularity online, defining Hager’s last run with AEW, but in line with the previous wrestler, there was more to the concept that never made it to television.
“I feel just like the hat [angle] could’ve been way larger,” Hager said during an interview on “Insight with Chris Van Vliet.” “But [Tony Khan] didn’t like me. Like, I pitched an idea — and I feel that is great — I desired to turn into Groot from ‘Guardians of the Galaxy.’ Where I might say ‘I like this hat’ and everybody within the [Jericho Appreciation Society] would know what I’m saying.” Hager did implement this concept to an extent during an interview with RJ City on AEW’s “Hey! (EW)” show, and it got largely positive responses within the comments.
Hager reportedly left AEW in May 2024 after failing to succeed in an agreement to re-sign with the corporate. He announced his retirement from wrestling earlier in August and confirmed it within the Van Vliet interview. Since his AEW departure he’s called Tony Khan a communist in deleted social media posts; he went after Khan again on “Insight” while also insinuating that FTR had refused to attend a TV taping, which the tag team responded to.
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