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New Details Emerge On Powerhouse Hobbs' Rumored WWE Debut

Is the expectation for Powerhouse Hobbs to debut on WWE main roster or in NXT? Will he get to keep his name? New details are emerging regarding his rumored jump from All Elite Wrestling.
Rick Ucchino|
Powerhouse Hobbs
Powerhouse Hobbs | Lee South - All Elite Wrestling

Powerhouse Hobbs is reportedly on his way to WWE, but will he debut on NXT like his former colleagues Ricky Saints, Ethan Page and Blake Monroe, or will he head straight to the main roster?

News that Hobbs was suddenly about to depart AEW broke roughly an hour after Maximum Carnage went off the air Wednesday night. His deal with All Elite Wrestling reportedly expired as of midnight and he is now free to sign with any promotion he so chooses.

As was first reported by Fightful Select's Sean Ross Sapp, people within WWE fully expect the former TNT and World Trios Champion to sign with the company. This is despite Tony Khan's strong push to keep Hobbs in AEW.

"Contract negotiations between AEW and Hobbs started in recent months, and offers were made all the way up to this week," Ross Sapp said in an update Thursday afternoon. "It was communicated to [Fightful] that the offers were 'huge', but Hobbs had made his mind up and tried to not burn bridges on the way out."

So where does Hobbs fit in the WWE landscape?

Powerhouse Hobbs
Powerhouse Hobbs | Lee South - All Elite Wrestling

There's no question that NXT could use a guy like Powerhouse Hobbs in the main event scene, especially following the recent call-ups of former NXT Champions Oba Femi and Trick Williams, but Sean Ross Sapp has heard of at least one pitch for the big man to start off on the main roster.

If a deal were to come together quickly enough, it's conceivable for Hobbs to debut for WWE as soon as this Friday's episode of SmackDown. Which would be wild, because Hobbs' final AEW match will not air until Saturday night on Maximum Carnage Collision.

Samoa Joe, Katsuyori Shibata, and Hobbs are set to defend their AEW World Trios Championship against "Hangman" Adam Page and JetSpeed in a match that was pre-taped on Wednesday night. Spoiler alert, they were unsuccessful in retaining the titles.

Travel could be an issue, however, as Friday's episode of SmackDown is taking place at the OVO Arena Wembley in London, England. Which could be anywhere from a 10-13 hour flight from Phoenix, Arizona, where Maximum Carnage was held Wednesday night.

That's not an impossible turnaround, but his window to leave the States is shrinking by the second.

Another problem could be his name. During the latest episode of Wrestlevotes Radio on Fightful Select, the guys were able to confirm with their sources that the expectation is that Hobbs will have an altered name in WWE. Again, not a hurdle the company hasn't cleared before.

Ricky Saints
Ricky Saints | WWE.com

Neither Ricky Saints nor Blake Monroe, fka Ricky Starks and Mariah May, officially adopted their new names until a week after their WWE debuts.

Whether it happens on Friday night's show or not, it is starting to sound like Hobbs' WWE debut is going to take place sooner rather than later. Stay tuned.

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Rick Ucchino
RICK UCCHINO

Rick Ucchino is the Assistant Editor & Content Coordinator for The Takedown on SI. He also works full-time for 700WLW Radio in Cincinnati, Ohio as a local news and sports anchor, in addition to his time covering the Cincinnati Bengals for Sirius XM. Rick has been on the professional wrestling beat since 2019, having provided coverage for a number of outlets, including Fightful, SB Nation’s Cageside Seats and the Bleav Podcast Network. With an educational background in theater, creative writing and journalism, Rick focuses primarily on the storytelling aspect of pro wrestling, but he’s no stranger to the squared circle himself. He had the privilege of training with former WWE & WCW cruiserweight Jimmy Wang Yang for nearly two years and retired early due to back issues with a perfect 1-0 record in singles competition. Rick is a married father of two incredibly adorable children, who are budding pro wrestling fans themselves. Much to the chagrin of their mother. You can reach Rick at rwucchino@gmail.com

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