Tonight, on AEW Dynamite, Powerhouse Hobbs challenges Jon Moxley for the World Championship. It’s a match-up that has fans excited. Hobbs has looked good since he returned from injury on November 6th. He went from looking good to looking amazing, winning last week’s Casino Gauntlet match to earn his title shot.
There is increasing chatter calling for Hobbs to not only win but absolutely blitz Moxley to become champion. I would love to see it, but no.
A scenario where Hobbs wins the title this evening would be hotshot booking. The idea of pushing a mid-card act immediately to the top of the card needs two important things for it to work.
First, you need the right wrestler at the right time. Powerhouse Hobbs is the right guy, and the time is oh so right. Besides a few bright spots here and there, the quality of AEW’s creative has never been lower. How low? Think WCW in 2000.
Jon Moxley’s Death Rider’s angle is not resonating with the audience. The storyline started with a lot of promise. There were even teases of Shane McMahon being the puppet master behind it all.
Eventually, it’s become another vaguely explained angle about taking over the company or saving the promotion from itself. Moxley’s promos are nothing more than hollow words making noise.
To quote his t-shirt, Hobbs is “Big, Black and Jacked” and his name sells no wolf tickets. The Palo Alto, California native is a powerhouse who looks like he can conquer the world. Hobbs has also shown improvement as a wrestler, and his portrayal of an ass-kicking machine keeps fans eagerly anticipating what will happen next.
Hobbs is on the verge of becoming a main event player and has been booked very effectively over the past week. He won the Casino Gauntlet, drove away the Death Riders on Dynamite, and remained unfazed after taking a chair shot on Collision, where Moxley watched in fear as Hobbs put Wheeler Yuta through a table.
It would be a great moment if Hobbs won the title. However, besides Dynamite occurring in Moxley’s home state, there is a bigger roadblock.
Throughout AEW’s existence, they kick off storylines well but the follow-up leaves a lot to be desired. Not only do subsequent chapters lack substance but wrestlers disappear from television for weeks or months at a time with no explanation. This has led to the current slate of record-low ratings.
If Powerhouse Hobbs wins the world title, the journey needs to have significance from start to finish. From the moment he fights for the title and wins to the moment he loses it. Once a wrestler loses the title, they should be a bigger star than they were before.
More of the same lack of follow-up from AEW would give Hobbs a memorable moment, but that’s it. No added value. Until AEW demonstrates its ability to deliver an engaging story from start to finish, Powerhouse Hobbs is better off without the world title. The “what if” scenario ultimately serves him better than the reality.
RingsideLogic.com 