New WWE & Former AEW Star Powerhouse Hobbs Reportedly Traveling To Saudi Arabia

Powerhouse Hobbs, who could be going by a new ring name very soon, is reportedly Saudi Arabia-bound, according to a new report. Hobbs left AEW when his contract expired on January 14, and he reportedly signed to WWE ahead of the Royal Rumble.

According to Fightful Select, WWE sources indicated that Hobbs was scheduled to travel to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, where the Rumble will be held on Saturday, though he did not travel on the chartered flight with other WWE talent who left for the country following "WWE Raw" on Monday. The outlet hadn't heard of him popping up anywhere in Saudi yet, and couldn't confirm that he will be in the Rumble match. It was also reported earlier in the week that WWE expected that keeping Rumble surprises secret would be easier this year. WWE reportedly had several flights scheduled throughout the week to bring talent in to the country.

Fightful confirmed a report from Dave Meltzer in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter on Friday that Hobbs' offer from AEW to remain with the company was a big money deal. Meltzer reported that the deal was much higher than any talent had ever been offered, outside of Chris Jericho in 2019. He wrote in the newsletter that it was similar to Bryan Danielson's contract offer in 2021 when he first signed with AEW.

The former TNT and AEW World Trios Champion will also be getting a new ring name, which has been reported to be "Royce Keyes." Royce is the name of Hobbs' son.