Hobbs to defend AEW World Trios Championship in Kansas City

Powerhouse Hobbs says he went from nearly missing an opportunity to a spot on one of AEW's top trios, and he will defend those titles Wednesday night in Kansas City. Hobbs, one third of the reigning World Trios Champions with Samoa Joe and Katsuyori Shibata, is set to face RUSH, Dralistico and The Beast Mortis at the Cable Dahmer Arena as part of a special three-hour edition of AEW Dynamite and Collision.

Hobbs recounted that his first contact from the promotion came in July 2020, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, when he had just been laid off and was struggling to find work while caring for a newborn daughter. He said he initially ignored a text from a member of AEW staff, thinking it was a prank, and only realized the outreach was genuine after a second message from a higher-profile figure. "I had to bet on myself at this point," he said, describing the decision to accept the tryout that led to his debut.

His first appearance came at a July 1, 2020 taping, where he faced Orange Cassidy on the company's Dark program. Hobbs said that after a series of weekly Dark matches, promotion leadership gave him a full-time opportunity. Since then he has been a regular on AEW...