Hold on to your turnbuckles, folks! The “Cold Hearted Handsome Devil” is back, and he’s hotter than a fireball! HOOK made his smashing return to “AEW Dynamite” this Wednesday, heroically rushing to the aid of Katsuyori Shibata, who was on the receiving end of a beatdown from Chris Jericho’s devious Learning Tree. Following a hard-fought victory over “Bad Apple” Bryan Keith, Shibata found himself outnumbered—until HOOK’s music hit and sent the crowd into a frenzy.
For weeks, HOOK, Shibata, and Samoa Joe have been entangled in a heated feud with The Learning Tree, all stemming from Jericho’s treacherous victory over HOOK to claim the FTW Championship. The bad blood reached a boiling point on the July 3 Beach Break episode of “Dynamite” when Jericho, after suffering a triple threat loss, injured HOOK by hurling a fireball at him backstage, courtesy of a sneak attack by Bryan Keith.
Shibata’s latest showdown with Keith was a culmination of this ongoing rivalry. After defeating Keith with a cross arm breaker, Shibata was blindsided by Big Bill and Jericho. The dastardly duo held Shibata in place, ready to strike with Jericho’s championship, but the tables turned when HOOK stormed down the ramp.
In a flurry of action, HOOK sent Keith and Bill packing and then delivered a satisfying beatdown to Jericho before tossing him out of the ring. The Learning Tree, regrouping on the ramp, thought better of re-entering the ring, choosing instead to glare menacingly at Shibata and the triumphant HOOK from the outside.
The message is clear: HOOK is back, and he’s not taking any more fireballs lying down. With All In on the horizon, this explosive feud is set to ignite Wembley Stadium!