Tonight’s AEW Collision was quite eventful, revealing a new tournament, an anticipated return for a top star, and another head-to-head showdown with WWE. The episode also featured another step in the building rivalry between Powerhouse Hobbs and Paul Wight, as the two just about came to blows while Wight was on commentary. That wasn’t the only noteworthy item to come out of that exchange though, as before the two got in each other’s face, Wight referenced a host of big-time WWE names in a promo, including Brock Lesnar, Batista, Stone Cold Steve Austin, and John Cena. The Cena line is easily my favorite, and you can find his promo in the video below.
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Hobbs was clearly sending a message to Wight during his match, which was over fairly quickly. During that time Wight had a message of his own to share, which he did while still behind the commentary desk. Wight said, “I’ve been in the ring with beasts, animals, rattlesnakes, guys I couldn’t even see. Powerhouse Hobbs has no idea what getting in my face would cause.”
Beasts is a reference to Lesnar, who is often called The Beast, while Animals is a nod to the Animal Batista. Rattlesnake is referring to the Texas Rattlesnake himself Stone Cold, and the “guys I couldn’t even see” line, which is gold by the way, is referencing John Cena’s famous you can’t see me tagline. It’s impressive how many people Wight referenced in that short promo, and if you want to watch it you can check out the video above.
Wight is finally getting involved in things within the wrestling ring, which has been teased for some time. Despite not wrestling much, Wight has immensely enjoyed his time in AEW working in other areas, and that’s also given him a chance to get to know the wealth of Talent the company has on its roster. In an interview with Fightful, Wight revealed one team’s ascension he’s truly enjoyed since he’s been a part of the company, and that’s The Acclaimed.
“It’s a beautiful thing to see Max Caster and Anthony Bowens on Elevation. They had so much energy. You kinda knew. Like I knew at once, if these guys keep plugging away, they get an opportunity, they’re gonna do something with it. When you see that for talent, because this business is about opportunities and making the best of those opportunities. Sometimes, you think, ‘I’m not gonna get an opportunity,’ but every time you’re in front of a crowd, that’s an opportunity,” Wight said.
“Sure, they weren’t on Dynamite and we didn’t have Rampage then. It was just Dynamite and Elevation and AEW Dark. But they took every opportunity and made the most of it. I can’t wait to hear what Max is gonna rap. I can’t wait. The place is gonna go crazy and poor Anthony Bowens is probably gonna explode ’cause he gets so excited with the crowd. The more intense the crowd is, 80,000 people, he might explode into a cloud of dust, you know? I’m excited for the talent and they deserve it, they’ve put the work in. For me, I’m just happy to be a part of this industry, be a part of AEW and contribute however I can,” Wight said.
Are you excited to see Hobbs take on Wight in the ring? Let us know in the comments and as always you can talk all things wrestling with me on Threads @mattaguilarcb!
