When Powerhouse Hobbs steps in the ring with The Redeemer, Miro, in Chicago at AEW All Out, it will be the first time the two big men have ever wrestled. But that doesn’t mean they’re not familiar with each other.
On the contrary, Hobbs and Miro have known each other for years. They first crossed paths at KnokX Pro Entertainment in Hobbs’ native California, where the trainers included WWE Hall of Famer (and father of The Usos) Rikishi, Reno “Black Pearl” Anoa’i and Gangrel.
But as Hobbs told host Phil Strum on the latest episode of the Under the Ring podcast, that was “quite a while back.” Now that both men are established stars, he’s looking forward to their collision (no AEW pun intended) bringing something different to AEW fans.
“As far as the fan aspect, I don’t think the fans have seen a real big man hoss fight in AEW yet,” Hobbs said. “It’s not going to be a lot of flippity-doos and superkicks, it’s just gonna be two big MFs hitting each other.
“You know, Miro calls himself the big, jacked Bulgarian. Well I’m pretty much big, black and jacked, so it’s gonna be heavy hitting.”
While Hobbs wasn’t well known to the wider U.S. wrestling audience before he burst on the scene in AEW in the summer of 2020 — he says he was “stuck in a bubble in NorCal” — part of his appeal is the authenticity in his presentation. What you see is what you get with Powerhouse, and everything from his “Book of Hobbs” promos to his take no prisoners in-ring style is shaped by his upbringing.
“I grew up in the slums, in the hood, so all we had was wrestling and sports,” Hobbs said. “Growing up where I’m from, it taught me how to be tough … It definitely shaped who I am as an adult, but wrestling did the same thing.
“The way I grew up, man, I bring that to the ring.”
Check out Strum’s full chat with Powerhouse above to hear more of his insight on:
- Which matches he considers the highlights of his career so far
- Why “everyone loves a good ass kicker”
- What it was like coming into AEW during the pandemic era, and why that made impressing his peers even more important
- Who got him into pro wrestling at a young age
- What he thinks of comparisons to Butch Reed, and what it meant to him to meet Reed’s family
- His contributions to AEW’s efforts to destigmatize mental health discussions
- Which AEW coaches and trainers he considers mentors — and who he calls “my wrestling dad”
Under the Ring drops new episodes every week, with Strum utilizing contacts gleaned from years of pro wrestling fandom and coverage to have an in-depth conversation with a wrestler or other notable personality. Recent guests have included veteran wrestler Greg Gagne, AEW star and recent All In headliner Adam Cole (bay bay) and AEW referee Aubrey Edwards
To make sure you don’t miss an episode, subscribe to Under the Ring on Apple Podcasts or your podcast provider of choice, or check out the Under the Ring YouTube channel to see all of the interviews in video form.