Dana White Says Jake Hager’s Eye Injury Is ‘Not Good’ After Surgery

Jake Hager’s side gig in the slap-fighting world has taken a scary turn. The AEW star and former WWE Champion suffered a serious eye injury during his Power Slap 23 bout against Johnny Magna, and Power Slap boss Dana White says the situation is serious enough that Hager has already gone under the knife.

Asked for an update on Hager’s condition, White didn’t sugarcoat it, bluntly calling the injury “not good.” The comment lines up with just how significant the damage apparently was — serious enough to require surgery in the aftermath of the bout, which marked just Hager’s second appearance in the Power Slap promotion.

Hager, known to older wrestling fans as Jack Swagger during his WWE run and now a mainstay of AEW’s roster, has spent the last several years branching out into other combat disciplines alongside his wrestling career, including a run in slap fighting under the Power Slap banner. That crossover has clearly come with real physical risk this time around, and an eye injury serious enough to need surgery is no small thing for any athlete, let alone one still competing regularly inside a wrestling ring.

What this means for Hager’s wrestling schedule remains to be seen. No timetable for his recovery has been made public, and there’s been no word from AEW on whether the injury will affect any of his upcoming commitments. Given the nature of eye surgeries, though, it wouldn’t be surprising if Hager needs at least some time away to heal properly before returning to full-contact competition of any kind, wrestling included.

The injury also puts a spotlight on the inherent risk athletes take on when they moonlight in disciplines outside their primary sport. Hager has never been shy about testing himself in other arenas — he’s dabbled in MMA and other combat sports over the years — but slap fighting in particular has drawn scrutiny for the blunt, repeated head trauma involved, with White’s own promotion having faced criticism from medical experts since its launch. An injury of this magnitude to a recognizable wrestling name is likely to reignite some of that conversation, even if nothing beyond Hager’s personal situation has been addressed publicly.

For now, the wrestling world will simply be watching for updates on Hager’s recovery and any word from AEW about how, or whether, this affects his in-ring plans. Given how bluntly White characterized the injury, a full and complete recovery may take longer than a typical bump-and-bruise wrestling injury layoff. PW Exclusive will continue to monitor the situation as more information becomes available.