One of AEW's Oldest Factions Splits on AEW Dynamite

By Liam Crowley

One of All Elite Wrestling's longest-running factions is no more. Following Hook's FTW Championship victory over Ricky Starks and Powerhouse Hobbs' subsequent attack on Starks last week, Taz announced on commentary that Team Taz is "done." Moments after Taz's announcement, Powerhouse Hobbs squashed a local competitor in singles competition. Starks would hit the ring to attack Hobbs, but would fall victim to a spinebuster.

"I also didn't know that Hook was going to accept the open challenge, be victorious and become new FTW Champion," Taz said. "But I'll tell you what I do know. I'm not in a loop with Team Taz business. I'm Taz, so I'm here to tell you, I let all three of those men know, as of this moment, Team Taz is done. Dead. Finite. Over. I wish nothing but the best to Hobbs, Starks, and Hook. They're going to do great here, but I'm done with this."

To emphasize matters, Taz declared that the faction was over on social media.

Team Taz first began to take shape at AEW Double or Nothing in 2020, when "The Machine" Brian Cage debuted as the Joker entrant of the Casino Ladder Match. Cage would be accompanied by Taz, and would eventually be rewarded by the ECW Original with the FTW Championship. Later that summer, Starks would join the Team Taz ranks, officially making them a faction. Powerhouse Hobbs and Hook joined in Winter 2020.

The foursome would work together for months before kicking Cage out of the group, screwing him out of the FTW Title. Starks would beat Cage at AEW Fyter Fest for the unsanctioned belt, and held onto it for over a year before Hook captured it last week.

While Hook, Taz's real-life son, was never too far from the black-and-orange faction, the cold-hearted handsome devil began doing his own thing once he officially became a singles wrestler. Hook would dominate on AEW Rampage, besting everyone from local competitors to QT Marshall. Eventually, Hook would form a tag team with Danhausen.

Looking at the current landscape, Hook and Starks operate as singles babyfaces while Hobbs and Cage are singles heels. Cage is still contracted to AEW, but primarily wrestles for Ring of Honor. There, he is aligned with The Embassy, a rebranded version of the short-lived Tully Blanchard Enterprises.

Stay tuned to ComicBook.com for AEW Dynamite results.

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