In a stunning turn of events that left fans more confused than Excalibur reciting match cards at 2x speed, HOOK was pulled from this week’s AEW Dynamite main event faster than Tony Khan tweets when someone sneezes near a title belt.
Originally set to join Samoa Joe and Katsuyori Shibata in the World’s Most Unlikely Tag Team™ (also known as Opps), HOOK was suddenly replaced by the human bicep emoji himself, Powerhouse Hobbs. The swap came on the same day as the show, reportedly causing more chaos backstage than when Jericho gets a mic and no time limit.
Fightful Select revealed that Hobbs got the “you’re up, brother” call mere hours before bell time in Boston—proving once again that AEW booking meetings may or may not take place in a Waffle House parking lot.
The match ended with Joe sending Jon Moxley night-night via Coquina Clutch, Hobbs yeeting Wheeler Yuta over the announce table, and Marina Shafir reappearing like a DLC character nobody asked for, swinging chairs like a kid at a piñata party. Then, Willow Nightingale came out of nowhere like a babyface cannonball to flatten Shafir, clearing the way for Joe to choke out Mox and crown himself and not-HOOK as champs.
As for HOOK’s sudden vanishing act? Sources say he’s dealing with a “physical” issue—which could mean anything from a minor injury to a full-blown betrayal by catering. While the specifics are tighter than Taz’s suplex grip, one thing’s for sure: this wasn’t just an audible; it was a full reroute.
Fans might remember HOOK’s last appearance involved a tag match win… and a surprise puke. That’s right, the Cold-Hearted Handsome Devil reportedly upchucked in the ring post-match, raising eyebrows and stomachs across the arena. Whether this was due to illness, nerves, or seeing his dad wearing a headset again, no one knows.
Despite the change-up, insiders claim the title switch was always part of AEW’s plan, proving that sometimes even the most chaotic train still reaches its station—albeit with a different conductor and someone hurling in car three.