
It appears to be just a matter of time before Powerhouse Hobbs makes his debut in WWE.
Rumors of his impending arrival fired up after it was reported that his contract with All Elite Wrestling expired as of midnight this past Thursday. The company promptly had "Hangman" Adam Page and JetSpeed win the World Trios Titles from The Opps, pinning Hobbs in the process, and then the 34-year-old was officially removed from the AEW roster page over the weekend.
Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful Select provided an update on Hobbs' WWE status early Tuesday morning, stating that expectation has now transitioned into a foregone conclusion.
"WWE sources that spoke with Fightful Select’s Sean Ross Sapp said that people in the company are operating on the belief that Hobbs is signed to WWE."
One company source told Ross Sapp that they expect Hobbs to be in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia for the Royal Rumble, but any official plans for his debut that weekend have not yet been confirmed.
"Hobbs has not been backstage at WWE as of yet, but the company has been interested in him dating back years," Ross Sapp wrote in his report. "Hobbs has said to have been looking to make a move in recent weeks, but had been negotiating with AEW prior to that."
AEW President Tony Khan was said to have made Hobbs a 'huge' offer to stay with the company, but he ultimately decided to turn it down.
While it's seemingly all but confirmed that Powerhouse Hobbs is WWE bound, rumors surrounding his former (and potentially soon-to-be again) colleague Chris Jericho have gone suspiciously quiet.
Jericho's contract with All Elite Wrestling reportedly expired at the end of 2025, but unlike Hobbs, the nine-time world champion is still listed as an active member of the AEW roster.
The expectation over the past few months has been that Jericho would be returning to WWE for one final run in 2026. There was speculation that he could re-debut on the January 5 edition of WWE Raw, or even during the TNA iMPACT! on AMC debut last Thursday, but neither appearance came to fruition.
We'll continue to provide updates on both Jericho and Powerhouse Hobbs as more information becomes available.
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