Powerhouse Hobbs didn’t leave AEW due to a lack of interest or financial commitment from the company.
Dave Meltzer addressed Hobbs’ AEW departure and subsequent signing with WWE in Friday’s edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter at F4WOnline.com, revealing that AEW made a significant effort to keep him on board.
According to Meltzer, AEW’s offer to Hobbs was far higher than many would have expected, especially when stacked up against deals signed by top names over the years.
“He got a great AEW offer to stay but I don’t know his WWE offer,” Meltzer wrote. “The AEW offer was much higher than I would have expected.”
Meltzer went on to frame the deal in historical context, noting just how high Hobbs’ proposed contract would have ranked within AEW’s pay structure.
“It would have been a number that I believe would have been higher than anyone but Chris Jericho earned in AEW’s first year in 2019.”
The report also compared Hobbs’ offer to contracts signed by major WWE stars in recent years, placing it firmly in top-tier territory.
“It would be in line with what Bryan Danielson got to jump from WWE to AEW, maybe slightly less but in line,” Meltzer said. “It would be more than guys the level Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn were making four years ago (less than they are making now) and in the range of what a guy the level of Rollins were making around the same time and nearly triple of what many significantly high WWE stars were making in the first year or so of AEW after the first round of increases had taken place.”
That kind of money usually comes with expectations.
“If WWE did offer him similar money, in theory it would guarantee a decent push,” Meltzer added.
As previously reported, Powerhouse Hobbs will be going by the name Royce Keys in WWE.
