AEW fans witnessed a major shift at Collision: Maximum Carnage, as JetSpeed and “Hangman” Adam Page dethroned The Opps to become the new AEW World Trios Champions. But even bigger news broke shortly after the match: Powerhouse Hobbs is officially gone from AEW.
Powerhouse Hobbs removed from AEW roster page
Following the title loss, AEW quietly removed Hobbs from its official roster page. This move all but confirms what had been rumored for months—Hobbs is no longer under contract with AEW.
The match itself was taped on January 14, just hours before Hobbs’ deal expired at midnight on January 15. This allowed AEW to write him out naturally without any public exit announcement during the broadcast.
Contract talks failed despite AEW’s “huge” offers
According to prior reports, AEW had been negotiating with Hobbs for several months leading up to the end of his contract. Sources suggest that AEW made significant efforts to keep him, including “huge” financial offers. However, Hobbs had reportedly already decided to move on and test the free agent market.
This wasn’t a hasty decision. Hobbs had reportedly been weighing his options carefully and is now believed to either be WWE-bound or already signed with the company.
WWE debut on the horizon?
One key detail fueling speculation is that Hobbs is expected to bypass WWE’s NXT system altogether and debut directly on the main roster. This suggests WWE sees top-tier potential in Hobbs and may already have creative plans lined up.
If true, this would mirror the recent trend of WWE targeting seasoned, TV-ready talents from rival promotions—especially those with physical presence, experience, and upside like Hobbs.
A big loss for AEW, a major gain for WWE
Powerhouse Hobbs had become a key player in AEW’s midcard scene and later as part of the dominant Opps faction, which included Samoa Joe and Katsuyori Shibata. His departure comes just as The Opps dropped the titles, signaling a new direction for AEW’s trios division and potentially the end—or major rebranding—of the faction.
If Hobbs does show up in WWE soon, his arrival could add another explosive presence to either Raw or SmackDown, both of which are rumored to be preparing for post-Royal Rumble roster shakeups.
For now, Hobbs’ future is officially up in the air—but all signs point to a major move to WWE in the near future.
