Johnny Magna is back, and this time the stakes feel even bigger.
After suffering a setback against Wes Mena, Magna gets an immediate opportunity to rewrite the narrative when he faces former WWE and AEW star Jake Hager at Power Slap 23 in Lubbock, Texas.
For Magna, the matchup represents more than another fight.
It is a chance to prove that his loss was a learning experience rather than the beginning of a decline, while simultaneously earning a victory over one of the biggest crossover stars Power Slap has ever featured.
And Magna believes the experience gap between himself and Hager could make all the difference.
Power Slap 23 Feels Like A Massive Moment For Johnny Magna
Magna believes several factors make Power Slap 23 a particularly meaningful event.
The card will take place in Texas, Wolverine is expected to make his final appearance, and the promotion continues adding increasingly significant matchups.
Then Magna received his own opponent.
Jake Hager.
“Here I am with Jake Hager of all people.”
As someone who also comes from professional wrestling, Magna understands how valuable sharing the stage with someone of Hager’s profile can be.
“Being a professional wrestler back home, that’s gonna put me over like a motherfucker, whether I win or lose.”
Still, Magna made his intentions clear.
“But obviously I’m gonna win.”
Redemption Comes Before Everything Else
Magna’s rise through the heavyweight division came quickly.
He generated attention, climbed the rankings and began building momentum before Wes Mena brought that run to an abrupt halt.
Magna does not hide from what happened.
“I got my shit rocked.”
But rather than dwell on the defeat, Magna says he immediately began analyzing what went wrong.
“I know exactly why I lost.”
That is why his matchup with Hager is less about stealing someone else’s spotlight and more about rebuilding his own.
“I just want to go up there and write my redemption story.”
Magna understands that defeating a recognizable name like Hager will naturally generate attention, but he does not expect Hager’s existing audience to suddenly become his fans.
“This is more of me building myself.”
Johnny Magna Believes He Should Be The Favorite
Magna does not lack confidence heading into Power Slap 23.
When asked whether he believes he should be favored against Hager, his response was immediate.
“A thousand percent.”
Magna pointed to his recent loss to Mena as proof of the level of opposition he has already faced.
He has nothing but respect for Mena.
“I’ll give Wes Mena all his fucking props in the world.”
Magna views Mena as a legitimate veteran with the experience and power necessary to expose mistakes.
Now Magna believes the roles have reversed.
“I’m the fucking veteran.”
Hager has only two Power Slap appearances under his belt.
For Magna, that difference matters.
Magna Questions Jake Hager’s Power Slap Resume
Magna has been present for every Power Slap appearance Hager has made.
That has given him a firsthand look at Hager’s development.
And Magna is not convinced by what he has seen.
“He didn’t knock Devin Jenkins out.”
Hager was able to hurt Jenkins, but Magna expected more considering Jenkins’ prior results in the promotion.
Then Hager suffered a knockout loss against Armon Pleet Singh, further adding questions about where he currently stands within the heavyweight division.
Magna believes Hager simply has not developed enough within the sport yet.
“He’s not necessarily trained enough to compete with somebody like me.”
Magna also believes the quality of his own opponents has prepared him for a much higher level of competition.
“I’ve had way tougher opponents.”
Does Johnny Magna Think Jake Hager Is Overrated?
When asked directly whether Hager is overrated, Magna did not hesitate.
“Yeah. I do.”
Part of Magna’s confidence comes from familiarity.
He says he has personally helped Hager with aspects of his Power Slap technique.
“I’ve helped Jake with his form.”
According to Magna, both fighters learned elements of their striking mechanics from Brandon Bordeaux.
That means Magna believes he already understands many of Hager’s tendencies.
“Anything that he taught him, I know exactly what he taught him.”
Magna went even further.
“Look at his form and look at my form.”
In Magna’s mind, there is very little Hager can bring technically that will surprise him.
Magna Even Helped Train The Man Who Knocked Hager Out
Magna also revealed an interesting connection to Hager’s previous loss.
He says he worked with Armon Pleet Singh before Singh defeated Hager.
“Armon Pleet, I trained that motherfucker too.”
During fight week, Magna says Singh repeatedly approached him for feedback on his technique.
“How does this look? How does that look?”
Magna gave him advice.
Singh then went out and defeated Hager.
That experience only increases Magna’s confidence entering Power Slap 23.
“I kind of already have a little stain on his career.”
Now he wants to do the job himself.
The Biggest Difference Is Repetition
Magna believes Hager’s biggest weakness is simple.
“He hasn’t put in the hours.”
Power Slap may appear straightforward from the outside, but Magna believes elite technique requires thousands of repetitions.
Advice can only take a fighter so far.
“You can tell someone all the advice in the world. That’s not gonna make you flexible.”
Hip rotation, speed, timing and weight transfer all require repetition.
Magna says anyone who looks through his social media can see the amount of time he has spent drilling his technique.
“It’s been hours and hours and hours of me just sitting there in front of a fucking bag slapping the shit out of it.”
That work has created muscle memory.
“I have my muscle memory on point.”
For Magna, that is something Hager cannot manufacture overnight.
Magna Questions How Seriously Hager Takes Power Slap
One uncertainty remains.
Magna does not know exactly how seriously Hager is preparing.
“I don’t know how serious he takes it.”
Hager has previously suggested another knockout loss could potentially lead him toward retirement from the sport.
Magna believes that mentality could influence how deeply he commits to preparation.
“If you have that mindset where it’s like, man, my next fight might be here nor there…”
Magna suspects Hager may focus on technique but questions whether he is developing the physical attributes needed to maximize his strike.
“I don’t think the actual muscles and rotation and weight transfer… are a main focus.”
If that assumption is correct, Magna believes he will have a major advantage.
Beating Jake Hager Could Put Magna Back On The Title Path
Magna has already experienced what it feels like to be viewed as one of the fastest-rising heavyweights in Power Slap.
The loss to Mena temporarily slowed that momentum.
A victory over Hager could restore it immediately.
When asked how it would feel to be remembered as the man who potentially ended Hager’s Power Slap career, Magna smiled at the possibility.
“Sounds fucking sweet, bro.”
More importantly, he sees the matchup as another step toward championship contention.
“Sounds like I’m on the road back to the title where I should have been.”
That remains the ultimate goal.
A Direct Warning To Jake Hager
Magna had some straightforward advice for his upcoming opponent.
Ask for help.
“Go around and ask for as much advice as you fucking can.”
He expects Hager to work with experienced Power Slap athletes before fight night, but Magna believes even that may not be enough.
“I know what you’re gonna do before you know what the fuck you’re gonna do.”
Magna believes newcomers consistently make similar mistakes.
“Rookies in the slap game all share the same mistakes most of the time.”
His advice to Hager is therefore simple:
Learn quickly.
Because Magna does not plan on giving him time to adjust during the fight.
The Wes Mena Loss Changed Johnny Magna
Perhaps the most important lesson from Magna’s previous fight had nothing to do with technique.
It was psychological.
Magna admits he entered the Mena fight too relaxed.
“This is another day at work for me.”
As a professional wrestler, performing in front of thousands of people does not intimidate him.
That comfort became a disadvantage.
Magna was not emotionally charged enough.
“The second he hit me… I beat the ten count because I’m a dog and I’m a tough motherfucker.”
But looking back, Magna believes more adrenaline and urgency could have helped him respond better.
“I probably would have had a better chance at that fight.”
It is a mistake he refuses to repeat.
Magna Says He Will Never Enter A Fight That Relaxed Again
The Mena fight taught Magna that confidence cannot become complacency.
“The Wes Mena fight is the last time I’ll ever go into a match having fun like that.”
Magna admits part of him simply expected the fight to go his way.
“A part of me did feel like it was just gonna fucking go my way.”
That belief disappeared the moment Mena’s strike landed.
Now Magna understands that every opponent must be approached with the same intensity.
“I will never go into a fight like that again.”
For Power Slap 23, he intends to bring a completely different mindset.
Texas May Not Be Magna’s Favorite Place — But The Paycheck Helps
Magna has never competed in Lubbock.
He also made it clear that Texas is not necessarily his favorite destination.
“I really don’t fucking like Texas.”
Still, he knows why he is going.
There is a fight.
There is a paycheck.
And there is an opportunity to defeat Jake Hager.
Magna plans to remain completely focused during fight week.
“I’m focusing this fight, so I’m not even gonna drink out there.”
For him, Power Slap 23 is business.
Everything else can wait.
Johnny Magna Believes Experience Will Be The Difference
Johnny Magna enters Power Slap 23 with something Jake Hager cannot immediately recreate.
Time in the sport.
Magna has spent more than a year studying Power Slap, refining his strike, learning from veterans and competing against proven heavyweights.
Hager brings size, athleticism, wrestling experience and star power.
Magna believes he brings something more valuable for this particular sport.
Repetition.
Experience.
And urgency created by defeat.
The Wes Mena loss forced Magna to confront weaknesses in both his preparation and mentality.
Now he gets the opportunity to prove he learned from them.
And if Magna performs the way he believes he can, Power Slap 23 may become the night his redemption story officially begins.