AEW President Tony Khan has always used long-term booking as his main strategy when putting together storylines for his promotions, with one recent title change reportedly being in the works for a long time.
On the March 8, 2023, edition of Dynamite, Powerhouse Hobbs shocked the world by defeating Wardlow in a falls count anywhere match to become the new AEW TNT Champion.
The win came three days after Wardlow regained the title at the Revolution pay-per-view from Samoa Joe. However, he was no match for Hobbs and an interfering QT Marshall.
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While some fans may see this as a little 'out of the blue," according to Fightful Select, the idea of putting the AEW TNT Championship on Powerhouse Hobbs has been on the cards for several months.
It was reported in the fall of 2022 that Hobbs was in line for a big push following his betrayal of former Team Taz stablemate Ricky Starks, but nothing was mentioned since.
However, with QT Marshall by his side, it seems the TNT Championship will become an even tougher belt to claim now that Powerhouse Hobbs has it around his waist.
Tony Khan made a surprise appearance on AEW Dynamite
Despite not wanting to be an on-screen character in AEW, Tony Khan does occasionally appear on TV from time to time, with his appearances often being hyped up ahead of time.
With that in mind, it was all the more surprising to see the AEW president pop up on the most recent episode of Dynamite, where he made a major announcement regarding the All-Atlantic Championship.
Tony Khan announced that the title would be 'leveling up' and will be rebranded as the AEW International Championship. This is in celebration of the release of the movie Shazam: Fury of the Gods and a further example of All Elite Wrestling being one of Warner Brothers Discovery's most valuable properties.
Khan also announced that the first match with the title's new name will be Orange Cassidy taking on Jeff Jarrett on the March 15 edition of Dynamite.
Are you looking forward to Orange Cassidy vs. Jeff Jarrett? Let us know in the comments section down below!