{"id":122269,"date":"2024-01-21T07:00:48","date_gmt":"2024-01-21T12:00:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/?p=122269"},"modified":"2024-01-21T03:06:50","modified_gmt":"2024-01-21T08:06:50","slug":"aew-booking-hook","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2024\/01\/21\/aew-booking-hook\/","title":{"rendered":"#Sent: The AEW Booking of Hook"},"content":{"rendered":"

How can a wrestler so easily carry an aura of coolness, toughness, and mystery while eating a bag of chips?\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

That\u2019s not a rhetorical question. Since 2020, the \u201cCold Hearted Handsome Devil,\u201d Hook<\/strong>, has been able to straddle that line. Some detractors will say AEW <\/strong>has not used the son of Taz<\/strong> to his full potential. Given his limited yet impressive experience of 48 matches on national television, are those folks expecting too much? That one is a rhetorical question.<\/p>\n

The booking has protected and tried to capitalize on aspects of Hook\u2019s character that fans have been drawn to. Before he even wrestled, he was a meme. \u201cSend Hook\u201d went viral and endured (see a sign at Raw<\/strong> this past Monday). Until now, has the character been overprotected?<\/p>\n

Prodigy? <\/strong><\/h3>\n

In the ring so far, Hook has been showcased as a grappling and suplex savant. There are clear shades of his dad in his in-ring style and plenty of Hook\u2019s personality (more on that later) to make him distinctive.<\/p>\n

His matches feel more unique. Fans want to see more of him. However, with 48 under his FTW belt, by any wrestler\u2019s standards, that is still green. No matter how good of an athlete you are. Early on, his mistakes were overlooked.<\/p>\n

Before Team Taz<\/strong> split and Hook was still new to the group, during one beatdown, Hook\u2019s stomps were so soft he could have been one of The Dark Order<\/strong> creepers from the infamous Dynamite closing angle assault from December 2019.<\/p>\n

If not for Ricky Starks<\/strong> and \u00a0Powerhouse Hobbs<\/strong> flanking him with more precise shots or the goodwill earned through his aura, would this have been a bigger issue online?<\/p>\n

Hook was allowed to be a mysterious figure to protect his limitations in-ring. It also permitted him to learn on the job at ringside and develop something even more significant to his success than his in-ring ability: his character work.<\/p>\n

A Gimmick of Two Halves <\/strong><\/h3>\n

Think carefully about the \u201cEl Diablo Guapo\u201d gimmick. The incredible hair was stolen from a fighter from a Shounen anime. The black hoodie and its tropey ties to street hoodlums. The emotionless yet smoldering model stare invites you to pick a hand. The man of few words carries threat and intent. The solid gangsta walk doesn\u2019t feel like an act.<\/p>\n

As if born to match the lyrics of his theme music, \u201cThe Chairman\u2019s Intent,\u201d Hook embodies the multiple layers of the song. We don\u2019t really know him. He\u2019s full of confidence and badassery. And yet wears the \u201csame outfit every day like a cartoon.\u201d Hook\u2019s so legit, so serious, he\u2019s almost ironically unreal. Hook is both a \u201creal\u201d tough guy and, at the same time, a cartoon superhero come to life.<\/p>\n

On the previous Dynamite, they did give him a Bat-signal.<\/p>\n

This fine line between exuding this aura of being a lethal weapon while playing it so straight that it doesn\u2019t cross the border into parody is tricky to accomplish. Which other twenty-four young wrestlers could make this work?<\/p>\n

Protecting the Meme<\/strong><\/h3>\n