After it was revealed that his AEW contract officially expired earlier this month, Powerhouse Hobbs reportedly signed with WWE as of last week. Many expect Hobbs to make his debut for the corporate as early as tomorrow’s Royal Rumble, but Dave Meltzer has shared some recent information regarding the previous AEW star’s contract status.
In a recent edition of the “Wrestling Observer Newsletter,” Meltzer wrote that Hobbs’ in-ring WWE name shall be “Royce Keys,” which was first reported by BodySlam+. Royce is the name of the previous TNT Champion’s son, though Meltzer believes that Powerhouse Hobbs is a much superior title, and argued that WWE didn’t think the name was famous enough and desired to have ownership over a brand new identity.
Meltzer continued by speaking in regards to the contract offer that Hobbs received from AEW, stating that the number on the dotted line was much higher than he expected, claiming that the quantity was greater than any talent had ever been offered outside of Chris Jericho in 2019. The newsletter also noted that the cash Hobbs was proposed with was much like the full on Bryan Danielson’s contract when he signed with AEW in 2021, and thinks that the corporate’s promotional war with WWE has increased wrestler salaries across the board. Moreover, Meltzer stated that the figure would’ve been consistent with what Seth Rollins, Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn were making in WWE 4 years ago.
Although WWE matching or beating AEW’s offer could equal a robust push for Hobbs, Meltzer feels that he could find yourself in the identical category of talent similar to Rusev, who left the Jacksonville-based promotion, and was said to be inserted into the essential event scene, which never got here to fruition. The long-time journalist added that ultimately Hobbs felt he might be a much bigger star in WWE, and stated that it’s hard to assume he would’ve been positioned ahead of AEW’s top talent if he stayed with the corporate.