Will Hobbs made his AEW debut in July 2020, taking on Orange Cassidy on an episode of AEW Dark.
He lost in 13 seconds.
Despite the loss, Hobbs gained consistent work with AEW and stood out in the Casino Battle Royale at AEW All Out 2020.
Appearing on AEW Unrestricted, Hobbs recalled getting the call to appear on AEW Dark and everything that followed.
"I got a text from Marcus Mac, who owns All Pro Wrestling, saying he threw my name out there. Two hours later, I get a text from QT Marshall. I thought somebody was ribbing me so I threw my phone down for a few hours. I finally responded and QT said, 'Are you local?' I said, 'No, but I'll find a way out there.' Got a plane ticket and a hotel and was on my way to Jacksonville. At that time, I had just gotten laid off because there is a pandemic going on, so I had to take a risk. It was a little stressful because my daughter was two months old," said Hobbs.
When discussing his shine in the Casino Battle Royale, Hobbs said, "That whole day was emotional for me. My older brother and I were supposed to get into the business together, he was supposed to be my manager but he ended up passing away on September 5, the day of the pay-per-view. I was motivated more than anything else. I ran into Tony [Khan] the night before and he said, 'I have something good for you.' I was in the battle royal for a long time and the elimination had certain spots for me. That moment there, I knew I made the right decision and I was supposed to be here."
Hobbs was officially signed by AEW on September 16, 2020.
Asked to explain how his contract with AEW worked before getting the official "All Elite" graphic, Hobbs replied, "I started off as a tier zero and I got that offer right after the Darby [Allin] match. The pay-per-view was three weeks after that and right after I did the whole thing with saving [Jon Moxley], I got to the back and had another contract waiting for me. I called a few people back at home and when I got back to the hotel, I'm not an emotional person, but I had to shed a few tears."
Hobbs is now a featured player on AEW Dynamite as part of Team Taz.
Elsewhere during the interview, Hobbs recalled WWE reaching out to him after he appeared on AEW. You can find his response to WWE's inquires by clicking here.
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