Powerhouse Hobbs Was Set for Major AEW Push Before Injury

Powerhouse Hobbs may be WWE-bound now, but his AEW journey could have looked very different—if not for an untimely injury and a crowded main event scene.

As Hobbs’ free agency continues to make headlines, Wrestling Observer Radio delivered a telling update on why the powerhouse never truly broke through in AEW despite flashes of momentum. During the January 21 mailbag episode, a fan asked why AEW never gave Hobbs a consistent top-level push. Bryan Alvarez and Dave Meltzer didn’t dodge the question.

“I think the issue is, there’s so many people there—not everybody can be a main eventer,” Alvarez explained.

Meltzer agreed, noting the same problem exists in WWE, and offered key insight into how Hobbs was this close to a major run before his momentum was stopped cold.

“He was about to get a monster push when he had the knee injury. He did the deal where he destroyed Omega and Jericho. And he had that match with Jericho where Jericho gave him a squash win, which I don’t think Jericho has given anyone else.”

That match wasn’t just a one-off moment—it was designed as a launchpad.

“When I saw that, I thought, ‘Okay, this guy’s about to get pushed to the moon.’”

Meltzer revealed Hobbs was also booked in a championship match against Jon Moxley for the IWGP Title, further solidifying that AEW had bigger plans. But ultimately, Hobbs was never going to win that belt—and creative didn’t have a fallback path strong enough to maintain his momentum.

“You could say, well, don’t put him there if he’s just gonna lose—but then what, you’re not giving him chances either?”

One option floated internally was a post-breakup feud with Samoa Joe, which Meltzer said could have seen Hobbs go over. But once Hobbs chose to leave, those plans—if they existed—were obviously shelved. The big picture? AEW’s top-heavy roster may have simply left no long-term room for Hobbs. Meltzer laid it out plainly:

“What do you do? Do you move down Omega? Do you move down Swerve? Do you move down Will Ospreay? Who do you move down?”

So while Hobbs may have looked like another AEW star underused or stuck in a faction (à la Brian Cage or Lance Archer), this update confirms the company did have real plans—it just didn’t pan out. Now, WWE has a second chance to unlock Hobbs’ potential, and all signs point to his arrival being imminent.

Do you think AEW missed the boat with Hobbs, or was the roster simply too stacked? Will WWE use him better—or fall into the same trap? Drop your thoughts in the comments.

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