Hobbs’ WWE Debut After AEW Push
Powerhouse Hobbs made his much-anticipated WWE debut at the Royal Rumble, going under the ring name Royce Keys. Yet new information suggests that AEW made a considerable effort to try and retain him before he left.
Per Dave Meltzer on Wrestling Observer Radio and in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, AEW President Tony Khan offered Hobbs a very significant multi-year deal. The deal was said to be substantial, pushing Hobbs among the highest earners in AEW’s early history.
Meltzer disclosed that AEW offered Hobbs a five-year deal to stay with the company. Though the exact terms of his WWE contract remain undisclosed, Meltzer confirmed that the AEW proposal was far higher than many expected.
Meltzer Reveals AEW’s Big Offer
“The offer was a very good offer. It was not a top 10 offer in the company or anything like that, but a good offer. I don’t really know much more, I don’t know what the WWE offer was,” Meltzer said. “He got a great AEW offer to stay, but I don’t know his WWE offer. The AEW offer was much higher than I would have expected. 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.”
Meltzer compared the proposed deal to those offered to established stars across both AEW and WWE. He noted that the offer was in the same ballpark as Bryan Danielson’s initial AEW deal and even higher than what many top WWE stars were making just a few years ago.
Meltzer Compares AEW’s Offer to Stars
“It would be in line with what Bryan Danielson got to jump from WWE to AEW, maybe slightly less but in line,” Meltzer stated. “It would be more than guys the level Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn were making four years ago. It would be less than they are making now. It would be in the range of what a guy the level of Rollins was making around the same time. It would be 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.”
Hobbs Determined to Join WWE
Hobbs appeared to be resolute about making a move even despite the enticing figure by AEW. According to Meltzer, in the course of negotiations, it turned out that Hobbs was willing to have a new beginning. Among WWE, it was the strong belief that as soon as possible Hobbs would be able to sign with the company.
Representing a new stage of his life which took a fresh shape, Hobbs officially becomes a part of WWE. WWE has just registered an application to trademark the name Royce Keys, which is thought to have some other personal meaning to Hobbs, since he has a son called Royce.
Hobbs leaves AEW a former TNT Champion and World Trios Champion, which is the culmination of a successful tenure that started in 2020. His career has now taken off on the largest platform of WWE.
