2024 will be an interesting year of development for HOOK in AEW

HOOK is trending across the professional wrestling social media space, and while the reason behind that boost is asinine, the point remains that he’s someone fans should be interested in. AEW has done a strong job building him up as a young performer, and after a bit of a lull in his push, it looks like he’s gearing up for what should be a year where the promotion slots him higher up the card.

Hook is only 24 years old and he’s one of the most popular names on the AEW roster. After nearly a year of him standing in the background of Team Taz, the company has slowly crafted his run that has evolved into a 46-3 record according to Cagematch. So, what does 2024 look like for Hook? Perhaps another title run, or what about a character change? Nothing is off the table and all possibilities would be interesting to watch.

Hook has held the FTW Championship two times in 493 combined days, but it is time to leave this championship behind. This title was a great tool to introduce Brian Cage as a threat in AEW, and it’s been a key item in building Hook. Sure, there’s the connection between him and his father, but that aspect of holding this championship has run its course. Most will agree that AEW has too many individual titles and not enough space to focus on each of them in a way that matters. If any should go, it should be the FTW title and that departure could be an avenue to open the door for a “heel” turn of sorts for Hook.

Hook fits the quiet and brooding type that is pulled directly from comic books of yesteryear. It’s fun to watch that persona strike fear in the lower card fodder, but that will not work as he moves up the ladder. Imagine Samoa Joe or Jon Moxley cowering at the idea of Hook challenging them. Yeah, it’s something that no one would expect to see. With that in mind, if he’s going to push his way up the ladder, testing him to see what he’d be able to do as a heel character would be one step in the way. Jack Perry went through a similar test and it was working in the eyes of many before he was pulled off television thanks to his issues with CM Punk.

2024 must also be the year that fans get to see more of what Hook can do in the ring with longer matches. As of January 10, he’s had only two matches that lasted longer than 10 minutes. The first was against Jack Perry on the July 19 episode of AEW Dynamite and the second was at AEW Worlds End against Wheeler Yuta. Moving up the ladder opens the door for more believable matches against men who are some of the best veterans of the game. That is going to call for more from Hook bell-to-bell which will be a test of not only his skill but AEW’s training regime for new performers.

Hook is one of the many hot and young hands on the roster. It looks like he’s heading for a push higher up the ladder and with that elevation comes a series of tests that should create some intriguing moments to watch for the fan favorite.