Powerhouse Hobbs must walk out of AEW Dynamite with TNT Championship

Fans are ready to see Powerhouse Hobbs get a push and it must begin with a big victory on March 8. 

The AEW TNT Championship is in an interesting position coming out of AEW Revolution. Wardlow picked up the victory and the championship with his win over Samoa Joe. But the celebration cannot last long as Wardlow has an immediate top contender standing in the way in the form of Powerhouse Hobbs. The trend of “big meaty men slapping meat” will continue for at least another week to AEW Dynamite, and that must be the show where Hobbs comes out as the new champion.

Powerhouse Hobbs did all that he needed to do to pick up the brass ring (or Sonic the Hedgehog ring as many call it) last week at AEW Dynamite. Doing so secured a shot at the TNT Championship, a title that he’s chased in the past. But with the company putting the title on Wardlow just three days prior to the title match with Hobbs, there’s a big question of whether AEW will pull the trigger on Hobbs getting a run with the belt. The answer to that question must be in the affirmative.

Hobbs is one of the many names on the AEW roster that has experienced a “stop and start” narrative with creative. Before his appearance in the ladder match, Hobbs’s last appearance on AEW television was back on January 25. In fact, the Face of the Revolution Ladder match was Hobbs’s only appearance on Dynamite. This is coupled with two appearances on Rampage this year. That is not enough for someone who has such a following as Hobbs and was building momentum coming out of his feud with Ricky Starks to close 2022.

But can Wardlow take another “failed” run as TNT Champion? His first run with the championship didn’t feel impactful, much of it due to the steam he lost because of MJF’s summer antics overshadowing his development as a singles performer. He had a great match with Brian Cage in October, but nothing else memorable came from his time as champion.

Putting the belt back on his waist, just to have him lose it a few days later may seem like a bad decision unless there’s a decision to continue the battle between Wardlow and Samoa Joe. Imagine Joe costing Wardlow the championship on Wednesday, only for Wardlow to show up in Ring of Honor with his eyes on Joe’s ROH Television Championship. This situation would effectively walk Hobbs into his first title run, move Wardlow over to ROH and create a big angle for that brand at the same time.

Fans want to see a refreshed championship picture in AEW. Part of that comes with the brand finally elevating some of the younger talents on the roster. Hobbs fits into the space and it’s time to put the TNT Championship in his hands starting with the March 8 edition of AEW Dynamite.