All Elite Wrestling has faced problems when it comes to building up homegrown stars. Most of their top names are either former WWE superstars, or were big names on the independent circuit before arriving in Tony Khan's company.
Though it did feel like AEW was on to something with Hook. He showed enough potential in his early displays and sent social media into a frenzy. Admittedly, a lot of that was down to the fact that the 'Send Hook' meme had gone viral, but when it all came down to it he did look like somebody capable of backing all the hype up in the ring.
We are talking about last December, though. Now we're in July 2022 and to be brutally honest, Taz's Son has become a bit of a non-entity. There isn't much buzz surrounding his name right now, the 'Send Hook' memes are no longer really circulating, and a lot of the blame has to fall on the shoulders of AEW's booking.
AEW Did Not Really Capitalize On Hook's Incredible Debut
Hook had the most memorable in-ring debuts in All Elite Wrestling history... and that's saying something when you consider the fact that the company's known for its incredible debuts. They were certainly highly anticipated and the company had done a wonderful job of building up some organic buzz surrounding it.
On the December 8th taping of AEW Rampage last year, Hook got a dominant win over Fuego Del Sol. It was not a classic '5-star' match... but it was perfect to showcase what kind of character he was going to play, moving forward.
The company hasn't really capitalized on that early momentum, though. The Cold-Hearted Handsome Devil should've been getting wins, week in and week out to build up his credibility, as well as get more experience in the ring. Instead, over the last 8 months he's only had 10 matches total. That simply isn't enough to keep somebody relevant unless he or she is a special attraction.
Hook's Pairing With Danhausen May Have Been A Bad Idea
Now, there's a place for comedy wrestling on All Elite Wrestling. The success that Orange Cassidy has had in the ring is proof of that, even though his act has become stale recently as well.
Danhausen managed to make a name for himself on the independent circuit and through clever use of social media. There's no doubt that he has a place on the roster, but maybe it shouldn't be teaming with somebody like Hook.
The Cold-Hearted Handsome Devil portrays a serious character with an MMA-based offense in the ring. On the other hand, Danhausen's out there... 'cursing' people. The pair just don't mesh well together and there's no need for another odd-couple tag team in wrestling. Surely somebody must have thought the pairing would be the source of some fun segments on television, but this isn't the best use of Hook at this stage of his career.
Hook Should Have Been Wrestling Bigger Names By Now
Since his debut in December of last year, the quality of the opposition that Hook has faced hasn't really improved over time. The biggest name that he's faced may have been QT Marshall. With all due respect to everybody that he's faced till now, The Cold-Hearted Handsome Devil needs to mix it up with bigger stars and sooner rather than later. While there's no need for him to be vying for the AEW World Championship with the likes of CM Punk and Jon Moxley, he does need some high-profile matches and segments under his belt, to say the very least.
Case-in-point, how WWE has booked Theory till now. He's already held the WWE United States Championship, is the current holder of the Money in the Bank briefcase and is mixing it up with the likes of Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns, Brock Lesnar, and "All Mighty" Bobby Lashley. When fans see you interacting with these big stars, you automatically become a bigger deal yourself.
There's Still Time For AEW To Get It Right
While things haven't gone as smoothly with Hook as fans would've hoped for, that doesn't mean that he isn't a potential future star in the wrestling business.
He's still just 23 years of age and he also has a wrestling background, being the son of Taz. The raw potential in The Cold-Hearted Handsome Devil is clear for all to see. Now it's just about giving him the right push and Hook holding up his side of the bargain by being an entertaining performer in the ring and outside of it.
Source: the Sportster
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