Eric Bischoff weighed in on reports that Powerhouse Hobbs is leaving AEW and is likely headed to WWE. During 83 Weeks, Conrad Thompson mentioned that Hobbs allegedly turned down a “handsome” offer from AEW to bet on himself. Bischoff praised the decision, stating that it shows a level of confidence that will serve him well in WWE.
“It says the likelihood of him being successful at WWE are pretty freaking high with an attitude like that and and having enough confidence in yourself that you’ll walk away from money, probably a lot of it, in order to take a shot at being as big a star as you could potentially be, that takes balls that, if he’s going to WWE, first of all with that attitude, because he’s in this more than for the money. That’s what that says to me. If that’s a guy I want on my team, absolutely. So I think he’s going to be hugely successful.”
Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful Select learned that contract negotiations between AEW and Hobbs had been ongoing for months. AEW reportedly made attempts to keep the star, with offers being made all the way up to this week.
It was communicated to Fightful that these offers were “huge,” but Hobbs had ultimately made up his mind to move on. Despite the departure, reports indicate that Hobbs handled the exit professionally and tried not to burn any bridges on his way out.
The current pitch within WWE is for Hobbs to bypass the NXT system and appear directly on the main roster. He is expected to get a new ring name in WWE.
If you use any portion of the quotes from this article please credit 83 Weeks with a h/t to WrestlingNews.co for the transcription. You can watch the full episode on the 83 Weeks YouTube channel.
