Former WWE star Jake Hager recently revealed the unscripted origin of "We the People" — one of WWE's most resonant catchphrases — and shared a pitch to Vince McMahon that tied the Real Americans gimmick to Donald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign. Both stories came during his appearance on TMZ's Inside The Ring.
The Nashville Session That Started It All
Hager explained that Dutch Mantel (Zeb Colter) was brought in to audition as the mouthpiece for the Real Americans in Nashville. The phrase that defined the act was never written down in any script.
We were in Nashville — Dutch lived there — so we brought him in to cut a couple promos and see if he'd be a good fit for the mouthpiece of the group," Hager recalled.
He cut about two [promos], took some notes, and then at the end of the third one, he finished with 'We the people.' Everybody in the room was just like, 'Oh, that's so cool.' That was the beginning of it.
The gimmick began as an anti-immigration heel act — but the crowd gradually turned it into something else entirely.
People kind of took it over. 'We the people' became theirs. It was no longer the Real Americans' catchphrase. It was kind of unifying in a way.
He added that he believes the phrase would still get enormous reactions today. The gimmick was cut short partly due to media scrutiny over its political content.
The heel paradox wasn't lost on Hager. Dutch would insult the audience to their faces, yet they'd still rise and chant along at the end.
Dutch, you said THIS and THIS and THIS about them — and they still cheered us when we said 'We the people,'" Hager said. "We were on to something for sure.
The Trump Pitch Vince Buried
In 2015, with Trump's presidential campaign underway, Hager pitched an idea to McMahon that would have tied the Real Americans storyline directly to the political moment.
Dutch and I were going to do everything Donald Trump did and come out on stage and be very presidential," Hager explained.
He said he framed it to McMahon as a unique opportunity:
What if you could tell your friend that you're the reason why you put him in the White House?" The response was immediate. "And he was like, 'Oh, stay away.'" Hager laughed recounting it, calling it one of the more prescient moments from his WWE tenure in hindsight.
Hager said he believes "We the People" would land just as hard with today's audiences. "It doesn't mean it can't morph for change," he noted — leaving open the possibility that the catchphrase has more chapters left to write.
