Ex-WWE Star Jake Hager’s Family Shares Health Update After Gruesome Power Slap Eye Injury
What To Know
- Former WWE and AEW star Jake Hager suffered a severe eye injury, including a globe rupture and detached retina, during a Power Slap event and has undergone multiple emergency surgeries.
- Hager’s partner and family has provided updates on his slow recovery and partial vision return, while he remains out of the public eye and may require further medical procedures.
- The incident has drawn widespread concern and support from fans and the combat sports community.
Former WWE and AEW star Jake Hager is facing a long road to recovery after a gruesome eye injury sustained during a recent stint at a Power Slap event.
For those unfamiliar, Power Slap is UFC CEO’s Dana White‘s slap-fighting league where competitors take turns hitting each other with full-force, open-handed slaps to the face while the defender stands completely still with their hands behind their back.
According to an initial report in journalist Dave Meltzer’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Hager is slowly beginning to regain some vision in his left eye after suffering a severe globe rupture during Power Slap 23 in Lubbock, Texas.
While he underwent emergency surgery after the event—where a brutal strike from opponent Johnny Magna caused his eye to bleed and led to a controversial referee stoppage—it was reported that the former world champion may require extra surgeries in the future.
The incident occurred during the second round of his match when Magna landed a devastating blow to Hager’s left eye. Despite protests from Hager’s corner claiming a foul, officials awarded Magna the victory via TKO, prompting shocked reactions from fans and executives alike, with White calling it one of the worst injuries he had ever seen in combat sports.
After the event, official updates on Hager’s condition have been shared primarily through family statements rather than his personal social media accounts, which have remained quiet as he recovers out of the spotlight.
His partner, Patricia Blackburn, previously confirmed that he underwent initial emergency procedures.
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“Jake is currently recovering from an emergency eye surgery,” Blackburn shared in a statement to Slap News and on her official Instagram account. “We’re taking things one day at a time and keeping the details private, but your kindness, support, and genuine concern have meant more than you know.”
Other reports revealed that as the blood cleared during subsequent check-ups, doctors discovered a detached retina, which required an urgent secondary surgery that went better than expected.
Across social media, fans and those in the wrestling community have expressed their support for Hager. Power Slap competitor Jonathan Correa wrote underneath Blackburn’s statement, “Watching it took off my hat and I took a knee for a prayer on my living room.” Retired UFC fighter Alan Jouban wrote: “Hope all the best.”
One user wrote, “This is the part of the sport we never want to have happen, hope you heal up quickly brother,” while another commented, “Prayers to my power slap parents.”
Hager, who performed as Jack Swagger during his WWE tenure and later competed in AEW, retired from traditional pro wrestling in 2025 to operate a Florida-based trucking company, before making brief independent appearances earlier this year.
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