WWE Officials Operating Under Belief Powerhouse Hobbs Is Signed

Powerhouse Hobbs is no longer All Elite—and it now seems all but official that he’s WWE’s next major signing.

According to Fightful Select, Hobbs’ AEW contract expired at midnight on January 15, immediately making him a free agent. While his final AEW match (a Trios Title defense) will air on the January 17 AEW Collision: Maximum Carnage episode, Hobbs is no longer contractually tied to Tony Khan’s company.

Initial speculation ran wild that Hobbs might debut on SmackDown during WWE’s European tapings, but those hopes were squashed fast. Fightful’s Sean Ross Sapp confirmed Hobbs wasn’t backstage at the show, adding:

“Realistically, WWE could have flown him in yesterday to appear on the show today, but that didn’t happen.”

Now in a significant update, Fightful is reporting that people within WWE are operating under the assumption that Hobbs has already signed.

“WWE sources that spoke with Fightful Select’s Sean Ross Sapp said that people in the company are operating on the belief that Hobbs is signed to WWE.”

This isn’t a case of sudden interest either. WWE has had their eye on Hobbs for years, and sources say he was expected to make the jump to WWE the moment his AEW contract ended. Dave Meltzer also noted on Wrestling Observer Radio:

“WWE had expected that they had Hobbs for actually quite a while… AEW made an offer. He turned down the AEW offer, wanted to go to WWE.”

Though Hobbs hasn’t been spotted backstage at WWE yet, sources say he’s likely to be around during Royal Rumble weekend, although plans remain unconfirmed. Behind the scenes, Hobbs reportedly explored his AEW options but ultimately chose to move on.

At just 34 years old, with years of untapped potential and a monster look, Hobbs could be a game-changer for WWE—whether he debuts in NXT, RAW, or SmackDown. One thing is clear: the Hobbs era in AEW is over, and the WWE chapter is ready to begin.