Jake Hager Says He Pitched ‘Groot’-Like Character In AEW Around His Hat Catchphase

Jake Hager says that he pitched turning his AEW character into a Groot-like persona build around his “I like this hat” catchphrase. Hager’s purple hat got over during his time with the Jericho Appreciation Society, and he revealed on Insight With Chris Van Vliet that he pitched the notion of his character just delivering that one phrase at at point similar to the Marvel Cinematic Universe fan-favorite character.

“That’s really what I (had) come to realize, too, with pro wrestling, which I love it,” Hager said (per Fighful). “I had a great career. I was very blessed to have the opportunities that I had in it. But in pro wrestling, your hard work doesn’t always determine your success, right? This is why I kind of wish I would have stayed with MMA because my hard work would have a hundred percent directly contributed to my success. There’s politics (in wrestling), the audience of one.”

He continued, “I feel like the hat could have been way bigger. But he (Tony Khan) didn’t like me. Like I pitched an idea. I think this is great. I wanted to turn into Groot from Guardians Of The Galaxy where I would say, ‘I like this hat’, and everybody in JAS would know what I’m saying. I’m not saying I like this hat. I’m not saying I am Groot. You know, they would just play off of it.”

Hager left AEW when his contract expired in May of 2024. He has retired from the business and owns a trucking company.