Backstage Report On Powerhouse Hobbs' WWE Name, AEW Departure

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 company as early as tomorrow's Royal Rumble, but Dave Meltzer has shared some new information regarding the former AEW star's contract status.

In a recent edition of the "Wrestling Observer Newsletter," Meltzer wrote that Hobbs' in-ring WWE name will be "Royce Keys," which was first reported by BodySlam+. Royce is the name of the former 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 wanted to have ownership over a new identity.

Meltzer continued by speaking about 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 amount was greater than any talent had ever been offered outside of Chris Jericho in 2019. The newsletter also noted that the money Hobbs was proposed with was similar to the total on Bryan Danielson's contract when he signed with AEW in 2021, and thinks that the company's promotional war with WWE has increased wrestler salaries across the board. Additionally, Meltzer stated that the figure would've been in line with what Seth Rollins, Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn were making in WWE four years ago.

Although WWE matching or beating AEW's offer could equal a strong push for Hobbs, Meltzer feels that he could end up in the same category of talent such as Rusev, who left the Jacksonville-based promotion, and was said to be inserted into the main event scene, which never came to fruition. The long-time journalist added that ultimately Hobbs felt he could be a bigger star in WWE, and stated that it's hard to imagine he would've been positioned ahead of AEW's top talent if he stayed with the company.