Powerhouse Hobbs Says WCW Tag Team Was “My Dudes Growing Up”

AEW's Powerhouse Hobbs was a recent guest on Insight with Chris Van Vliet where he spoke about Harlem Heat.

Hobbs made it clear that the WCW tag team was his favorite growing up and felt it was a good situation that they looked like him.

"Those were my dudes growing up, man. I just, just wish I would've had a matching durag, you know, to come out with, you know? But those were my guys growing up," he said. "Like just the intimidation factor, how, you know they talked the same talk of jive that my grandparents talked, you know, it's going to be all neckbone and sucka, you know? My grandparents said that stuff to a T. So those were my dudes growing up. Plus they look like me. That was, that was a good thing."

Powerhouse Hobbs also admitted that at one point he thought that he would end up working with WWE, reflecting on the mixed messages that come with that.

"I did at one time," he said. "But then it got to the point where it was like, 'okay, they're just bringing you in to do like, enhancement stuff. Okay, cool'. And then you have people, you know, that are actually on the roster and they're like, 'hey, when are they going to give you a shot?' Like, you know? So, and you just, let alone guys that actually worked there said to me, that let me know I could go and I had talent."

Powerhouse Hobbs also reflected on Tony Khan deciding to switch up his name and admitted he feels like he's paying homage to former talents.

"Tony looked at me and was like, 'Powerhouse.' I was like, 'alright, let's go,'" he stated. "I thought he might've saw some of my clips in the gym, but I don't know where he got it from and I'm loving it and it's one of those things like, you look at 'Hacksaw' Butch Reed. People call him Hacksaw and I'm like, 'okay'. And I know for a fact Burch Reed was a fan of mine.

"I've talked to his son and you know, I'm like, 'okay, I'm up there with Butch Reed, like Powerhouse, Hacksaw'. Even like 'Hacksaw' Jim Duggan. They call him Hacksaw. Like, anybody with those like, strong names, like, you know, it's my way of kind of, carrying on and paying homage to them."

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit Insight with Chris Van Vliet, with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.