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Powerhouse Hobbs Officially Signs With WWE After Leaving AEW

Former AEW TNT and World Trios Champion Powerhouse Hobbs has officially signed with WWE.
Rick Ucchino|
Powerhouse Hobbs
Powerhouse Hobbs | Lee South - All Elite Wrestling

It is no longer a belief; Powerhouse Hobbs is now a member of the WWE roster.

Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful Select broke the news late Thursday night in a post on his X account. Rumors that the 34-year-old was on his way to WWE have been swirling since it first surfaced that his AEW contract expired following AEW Maximum Carnage Dynamite on Wednesday, January 14.

Hobbs's final AEW match was filmed that same night, but actually did not air until Saturday, January 17 on Maximum Carnage Collision. The Opps were booked to drop their AEW World Trios Championship to "Hangman" Adam Page, "Speedball" Mike Bailey and Kevin Knight, with Hobbs taking the decisive pinfall on his way out of the company.

Ross Sapp did not provide any additional details in his report, such as a potential debut date for Hobbs or the brand that he'll be assigned to upon said debut.

As of this writing, it is not known if Powerhouse Hobbs will even be his name moving forward. He wrestled as Will Hobbs on the independent circuit before adopting the Powerhouse moniker as a member of the AEW roster in November 2020, but the belief is that he will be making an adjustment in WWE.

While it is nowhere near a guarantee that the filing was made for Hobbs, WWE did move this week to trademark the name "Royce Keys," which would certainly be a huge change for the former TNT Champion.

Whatever his name, Powerhouse Hobbs has the tools to make a major impact in WWE

Powerhouse Hobbs
Powerhouse Hobbs | Lee South - All Elite Wrestling

Hobbs wouldn't be the first former AEW star to alter their ring name after making the move to WWE. Ricky Starks, Mariah May and Brian Pillman Jr. became Ricky Saints, Blake Monroe, and Lexis King, respectively. But at the same time, Jade Cargill, Ethan Page and Shawn Spears all kept their names.

Regardless of his name, Hobbs has the tools and certainly the size to be a major player in WWE from the jump. In a previous report, Sean Ross Sapp heard of at least one pitch for him to debut on the main roster, even though NXT arguably needs him more at the moment.

Now that he's under contract, Powerhouse Hobbs could officially arrive in WWE as soon as tonight's episode of SmackDown in Montreal. We'll keep you updated on any more information about his impending debut as it becomes available.

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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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