With Powerhouse Hobbs officially free following the expiration of his AEW contract, most signs continue to point toward WWE as his next destination. However, Bully Ray believes another option deserves just as much — if not more — consideration: TNA Wrestling.
Speaking on Busted Open Radio, Ray was emphatic that TNA should be aggressive in the current free-agent market. “If I’m TNA, I’m making a play for Powerhouse Hobbs,” Ray said. “Forget about WWE. TNA should be making a play for Powerhouse Hobbs also. TNA should be making a play for anybody that’s out there.”
Ray framed his argument around timing and momentum. With TNA entering a new era backed by AMC Networks, he sees no reason for the promotion to sit on the sidelines while major talent becomes available.
“They’re in the game now. They got some money from AMC. They need to step up to the plate too,” Ray added. “I would love to see Hobbs in TNA. I would love to see Hobbs in WWE. The only place I don’t want to see Powerhouse Hobbs is in AEW.”
From Ray’s perspective, Hobbs represents the kind of signing that can immediately reshape a company’s upper card — a physically dominant, nationally recognized performer who doesn’t need seasoning or reintroduction. “I am high on Will Hobbs,” Ray continued. “I think that they [WWE] can do a lot with him, but I’m not just sticking to NXT and WWE. TNA should make a play for Will Hobbs.”
A potential move to TNA would mark Hobbs’ first run with the company, though he would not be unfamiliar territory. During his AEW tenure, Hobbs shared the ring with current TNA World Champion Mike Santana and former champion Frankie Kazarian, providing ready-made credibility.
Ray even outlined how he would debut Hobbs if given the book, drawing inspiration from pop culture rather than wrestling tradition. He compared his vision to Mr. T’s Clubber Lang in Rocky III. “How you always saw T in the audience scouting Rocky,” Ray explained. “I would see Hobbs in the audience for months as a big, menacing, intimidating presence that was always around.”
He leaned heavily into the visual: “Who is this guy? What is he doing here? You can’t miss him. He’s always on camera…
There is a six-foot-four, 300-pound jacked to the gills Black man sitting in the hard camera shot every freaking show.”
The payoff, in Ray’s mind, would be explosive. “Then we find out when he jumps the guardrail, he destroys everybody, and he gets arrested and taken out. I would use Hobbs as an absolute killer monster. This guy looks the part. He’s credible.”
Ray also tied Hobbs’ availability to shifting dynamics within WWE, noting that with Oba Femi expected to move fully into the main roster picture, a vacancy could open for a dominant powerhouse — one Hobbs could fill instantly without being treated as a developmental project.
As of now, Hobbs has not publicly announced his next move. Still, with WWE officials reportedly anticipating his presence around Royal Rumble weekend in Saudi Arabia, the window for competing offers is closing fast.
Whether TNA makes the bold play Ray is calling for or WWE proceeds with its expected plans, Powerhouse Hobbs’ next signing is shaping up to be one of the most consequential roster moves of early 2026.
