WWE Has Officially Signed Former AEW Champion

A former champion in AEW has officially joined the WWE roster.

One of the big stories to start off 2026 has been former AEW TNT and Trios Champion Powerhouse Hobbs choosing to let his AEW deal expire so he could sign with WWE.

While it was expected that Hobbs would sign with WWE, Fightful’s Sean Ross Sapp has now confirmed that Hobbs put pen to paper and made his WWE signing official.

The end of Powerhouse Hobbs’ run in AEW saw him team up with Samoa Joe and Katsuyori Shibata as The Opps dropped the Trios Titles to the team of “Hangman” Adam Page, “Speedball” Mike Bailey, and Kevin Knight on the Collision episode that aired on January 17th.

WWE Expected To Use Powerhouse Hobbs On Main Roster

Regarding his WWE future, previous reports suggested that the powerhouse would likely skip NXT and go straight to the main roster. The name “Hobbs” has also been rumored as his potential WWE name.

Hobbs’ real name is William Hobson, and he turned 35 years old today (January 23rd), so he likely has many more years ahead of him in pro wrestling.

Standing at 6’1″ and 270 pounds, there’s no question that Powerhouse Hobbs is somebody who can stand out not just because of his physical abilities, but he’s also experienced after spending the last five years in an AEW ring.

What isn’t known is if WWE plans to debut Powerhouse Hobbs at the upcoming Royal Rumble on January 31st, or if there’s another plan for his debut.