Will Hobbs Opens Up On Emotional Reaction To AEW Signing, His Future Goals With The Company

The Mercury News recently interviewed AEW star Will Hobbs, who discussed a variety of subjects pertaining to both his professional and personal life.

In the interview, Hobbs mentioned that he had no choice but to get emotional after AEW announced that he was officially signed to the company back in September.

“I actually cried,” Hobbs told the Mercury News. “I was overwhelmed. After all the BS I went through, it was validation for me.”

Hobbs also discussed getting teased as a kid for his enjoyment of wrestling, and his grandmother pushing him to get involved in team sports.

“Other kids didn’t watch wrestling. It was either football, basketball, or baseball,” he said. “I got teased and I got into a lot of fights over it. But I couldn’t help what I loved.

“You either played sports or hung out with the wrong crowd — selling drugs, getting into mischief … There was a lot of violence and shootings where I lived.”

Additionally, Hobbs brought up the tragic death of his older brother due to gun violence.

“He loved wrestling too, and he was supposed to be my manager,” Hobbs said. “But he got caught up with the wrong crowd.”

As for his goals for the future, Hobbs made it clear that he plans to stay the path and become a world champion.

“I can’t get comfortable. I gotta do the work. I want to be known as a force — one of the greats. A world champion. I want to get to the top of the mountain.

“Most of my friends I grew up with are either dead or locked up,” he says. “A lot of people are counting on me, so I feel like I have a city on my back. I know East Palo Alto has completely changed over the years. I want to be recognized as someone from the city.”

Hobbs made his AEW debut in July and became a dominant force on AEW Dark before eventually aligning himself with Team Taz.