5 mistakes AEW shouldn't make with Hook

AEW might have stumbled upon a future star on their hands. Hook's name is on the lips of many AEW fans after the young rookie made his much-anticipated and highly impressive debut on the December 10 episode of Rampage.

Facing off against Fuego Del Sol, the 22 year-old son of ECW wrestling legend and AEW personality Taz surprised the audience with his unexpected grappling game and crazy like fluid movement. There was no wasted motion as he finished off his opponent, the Kata-Ha-Jime, or Tazmission made famous by his father.

Shortly after his victory, Tony Khan announced on social media that Hook was officially #AllElite. The second generation wrestler has been featured on AEW television since December 2020 but has not been involved in any in-ring segments until this past week. Hook is a member of his father's faction, Team Taz where he has mostly appeared as a quiet, brooding background member for most of his time in the company.

With momentum in Hook's corner after his debut win, AEW will do well to avoid these 5 mistakes so as not to bungle his current popularity.

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#5 AEW shouldn't turn Hook into a meme

SEND HOOK!

Whether it's designed or not, Hook's slow rollout has fascinated the internet and inspired a ton of memes, especially after CM Punk famously mentioned him in a promo when he had a brief feud with Team Taz.

"I'll tell you what! Because I have known you a long time, because I do respect you. Send Starks! Send Hook! Send me Hobbs."

But while his meme-driven push has paid off so far, AEW should not overdo it by doubling down on the #SendHook memes or it will risk exasperating the audience. WWE has a tendency to take a joke and run it to the ground until it's not funny anymore. There comes a point where the fun and games are set aside and the fans can enjoy Hook for the potential star he can be.

#4 AEW shouldn't put Hook in long matches

AEW played it smart by keeping Hook's debut match at only 5 minutes approximately. This allowed the young rookie enough time to showcase his impressive moveset while still keeping the match short enough not to overexpose him.

Fuego Del Sol also did a great job selling for Hook and made his strikes and grappling look good. Wrestling legends including Dutch Mantell showered praise on the young AEW star, saying he has all the tools to be a top wrestler in the promotion. In an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda, he said:

"He's good. The guy has it all. He has the mystique, he has the mystery about him and you look at him and he just jumps at you. He's a star."

Bill Apter, who was also a guest on SmackTalk, also gushed about Hook's in-ring debut last night:

"He made an awesome debut tonight and he was terrific."

It might be good to temper expectations on Hook as he hasn't had a chance to prove himself in longer matches against different opponents. But the best way for AEW to hide his weaknesses and highlight his strengths is to keep Hook's matches short and straightforward. Let him have a couple of squash matches right out of the gate or involve him tag matches with his Team Taz teammates so that he only features in short bursts.

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#3 AEW shouldn't let Hook cut too many promos

AEW would do well to keep Hook as a brooding wrestler who is a man of few words. His father, Taz, was famous for being a silent assassin of sorts and so far, his cocky, cool demeanor has done wonders for his presentation in AEW.

While pro wrestling has its fair share of over-the-top characters, there is also a space in the industry for the quiet ones to be highly effective and successful. The names that come to mind are Dexter Lumis in WWE NXT 2.0, Undertaker in the past, Goldberg when he first debuted and even Roman Reigns to a certain extent.

Perhaps when Hook is more comfortable on the mic, he can cut more promos down the road. But for now, it would be wise to keep his mic time to a minimum and keep him the cool, silent grappler that he is being presented as right now.

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#2 AEW shouldn't let Hook break off from Team Taz too soon

AEW has done a great job so far in building multiple factions within the promotion. Whether it's the Elite, Inner Circle, Pinnacle, Dark Order or Team Taz, the wrestlers in each stable have benefitted by association.

For Hook, being on Team Taz has allowed him to grow in name recognition just by positioning himself alongside the likes of Ricky Starks, Powerhouse Hobbs, his father Taz and Brian Cage, previously. He grew into the role as a silent enforcer and anticipation was at an all-time high by the time he made his debut.

The last thing AEW should do is break him off too soon from Team Taz when he is not ready. That will leave Hook directionless too early on in his career. We saw the likes of Randy Orton floundering after he was kicked out of Evolution and Hurt Business, most recently as examples of a team breaking up a team too soon. Right now, Team Taz works as a faction and Hook can stand to benefit the most by staying with the group.

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#1 AEW shouldn't try to make Hook too much like Taz

AEW crafted a brilliant presentation for Hook on his debut. The Action Bronson theme song, boxer attire, unbothered attitude, animer hair, the list goes on. They also allowed Hook to pay tribute to his dad, the ECW legend, in many ways, from his grappling move set to his Kata-Ha-Jime finisher.

But while it is natural to maintain the connection between the second generation star and his father, obviously, to help build familiarity with the fans, AEW shouldn't go overboard with it. Taz was a unique performer in ECW but Hook has a chance to create his own legacy. The Rock would never have been the legend that he was if he wasn't given the chance to step out of his father Rocky Johnson or grandfather Peter Maivia's shadow.

The great thing about Hook (real name Tyler) is that he is clearly his own man right now and it's still enough to win fans over. His in-ring gear is already different from his dad and to be honest, he doesn't really look like him. His name is a great homage to Taz's hometown of Red Hook, Brooklyn, and the use of the Tazmission will definitely pop old school fans, but that should be the extent of the Taz references.