WWE veteran says AEW fumbled CJ Perry's (fka Lana) debut; led to popular star having "no heat"
AEW All Out 2023 marked CJ Perry's debut as she came out to save Miro from a beatdown at the hands of Powerhouse Hobbs. However, Dutch Mantell believes the angle has tarnished Hobbs' reputation.
Powerhouse Hobbs has experienced uneven booking since signing with the promotion. At first, he was with Team Taz before breaking out on his own. He was even associated with QT Marshall for a while and had a brief run with the TNT Championship.
During a recent episode of his Storytime With Dutch Mantell podcast, the veteran wrestler pointed out that fans will likely not be interested in Powerhouse Hobbs' role in the angle anymore:
"Because Hobbs, they hit him with a chair a couple of times and he left, so nobody’s mad at him. They’re more invested in what’s going to happen with Miro and [Perry] now. So, I don’t know how they’re going to get out of that."
Mantell continued:
"I think Hobbs should’ve got her, goosed at her or something, then have Miro save her. Hobbs has no heat now. So I don’t know who came up with that angle. If you book Hobbs versus Miro, it don’t mean nothing now."
Arn Anderson notably wanted to take Powerhouse Hobbs under his wing some time ago. Perhaps Hobbs can have his momentum saved by having The Enforcer enter into the feud? Only time will tell.
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Dutch Mantell believes he knows why CJ Perry waited this long to debut in AEW
Fans of the pairing between Miro and Perry in WWE were likely waiting since 2021 for the two to be reunited in AEW. However, CJ Perry instead kept herself busy outside of pro wrestling, which Dutch believes played a factor in her late debut.
During the same episode, Dutch Mantell explained how he thinks CJ Perry was making enough money as an influencer and didn't need to debut in AEW:
"I think, in her defense, I don’t think she wanted to do it. And she’s like an influencer on YouTube or someplace. I think she was making good money doing that so I don’t think she really wanted to do it."
The storyline seems to currently be heating up, but it's still too early to tell. Perry notably cut an interesting promo during AEW Collision, which indicates that the two still have a lot to sort out.