Update on Powerhouse Hobbs signing with WWE, reaction from AEW
Though Powerhouse Hobbs has departed the company, it sounds like he’s still on good terms with AEW.
Dave Meltzer confirmed in the new issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that Hobbs has officially signed with WWE. He finished up with AEW last week, dropping the Trios titles on the Collision episode that aired on January 17. Meltzer reports that Hobbs’ decision was about doing what was best for his family — and no one in AEW has had anything negative to say about him.
“Nobody in AEW had anything negative to say about him, with us being told he made the decision based on his family, which would seem to indicate he got a better money deal,” Meltzer wrote. “Some people go to WWE with the idea of going even with a lesser money offer, because it’s either their dream, or belief they want to be in the top place, or that it’s a better stepping stone to Hollywood than AEW. But Hobbs was a guy the company clearly really wanted and whether he was going to get much higher in AEW is a question.”
Hobbs was a TNT Champion and Trios Champion during his time with AEW, which was a five-plus-year run. He held the Trios titles with Samoa Joe & Katsuyori Shibata before dropping them to Hangman Page, Kevin Knight & Mike Bailey last week.
Today is Hobbs’ 35th birthday. When he’ll make his WWE debut remains to be seen, though there is sure to be a lot of speculation heading into the Royal Rumble at the end of this month.
Joseph Currier is the lead editor of F4WOnline.com, directing daily news coverage and writing articles on professional wrestling. He is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts, obtaining a journalism degree in 2016. Joseph joined F4W during his time at UMass and has now been writing about the industry for nearly a decade.
In addition to his work with F4W, Joseph has previously contributed to Sports Illustrated's wrestling coverage. He lives in Massachusetts and is a diehard fan of the Boston sports teams and Liverpool Football Club.