HOOK has made his return to All Elite Wrestling. Appearing on the August 28 edition of Dynamite, he confronted Wheeler Yuta, locking him in a Tazmission before delivering a knockout punch. The appearance marked his first since May, following time away to recover from a concussion.
The surprise return occurred after the opening match between Jon Moxley and Daniel Garcia at the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia. Moxley’s stablemate, Wheeler Yuta, remained in the ring to cut a promo on the local crowd and reject a challenge from Darby Allin. As Yuta continued, the arena lights suddenly cut out, and HOOK’s logo appeared on the screen, signaling his entrance.
HOOK met a charging Yuta in the ring, countered his offense, and locked in his signature Redrum submission hold. After the attack, he followed up with a forearm strike that sent Yuta out of the ring. This confrontation directly calls back to HOOK’s last official match on the April 9 episode of Dynamite, where he secured a victory by forcing Yuta to tap out to the very same move.
Beyond the in-ring statement, HOOK’s return also featured a significant change to his presentation. He debuted a new entrance theme, replacing his popular track “The Chairman’s Intent” by Action Bronson. Reports indicate the license for the previous song had expired.