Jake Hager has undergone an additional surgery to repair a detached retina, according to updates shared by his fiancee Patricia Blackburn with Slap News, as the former WWE and AEW star continues a difficult recovery from a horrific eye injury suffered in Power Slap competition.
Hager, who competed in wrestling for years as Jack Swagger in WWE and later as part of the Inner Circle and Jericho Appreciation Society in AEW, suffered the injury during a Power Slap bout on September 17, when he lost by TKO to Johnny Magna. The fight was stopped after Hager began bleeding from the eye following a series of brutal slaps, prompting immediate concern for the extent of the damage.
Following the stoppage, Hager required emergency surgery and was subsequently referred to a specialist for further evaluation, according to reports from Fightful, F4W Online, Wrestling Headlines, and Ringside News. Slap News, which has remained in direct contact with Blackburn throughout Hager’s recovery, reported on October 23 that doctors discovered a detached retina during follow-up care and that Hager underwent a second surgical procedure to reattach it.
Multiple outlets reported that Hager has been attending weekly follow-up appointments as part of his ongoing treatment and monitoring. The precise long-term prognosis for his vision has not been detailed in the available reporting, and no outlet has indicated whether Hager will require further surgery or additional specialist care beyond the weekly appointments already confirmed.
The injury has drawn significant attention within combat sports and wrestling media given Hager’s long history in both industries. He built his profile in WWE as a former World Heavyweight Champion under the Jack Swagger name before transitioning to AEW, where he became a recognizable figure alongside Chris Jericho’s stable. His move into Power Slap, a slap-fighting promotion, placed him in a different kind of physical risk, one that has now resulted in two separate surgical interventions on his eye within roughly a month of the original incident.
As of the latest reporting, no promotion, including Power Slap, has issued its own independent statement beyond the updates relayed through Blackburn via Slap News. We Are Wrestling will continue to monitor developments regarding Hager’s recovery and any further medical updates as they become available.
