Next Monday, Beijing time, AEW's first PPV event of the year, "Innovation Competition", will officially kick off. This year's "Innovation Competition" is still very luxurious in terms of lineup, and yesterday's "AEW: Explosives" program also announced the two mat matches of the "Innovation Competition".
One of the games was the match between Hawker and QT Martial, and the two of them also had a long-standing grudge, and this was also the first time that Huo Gongzi had played in a PPV event.
Speaking of Hawke, he is undoubtedly one of the most popular young players in the wrestling world today, and today we will take you to know this Huo Grand Duke and the story behind him.
1. The son of wrestling legend Taz
Hawke was born on May 4, 1999, the son of former ECW champion Taz and one of the resident legendary veterans of the active AEW.
Speaking of his father Taz, although some new wrestling fans are not familiar with him, when he appeared at the ECW that year, Taz caused quite a stir, and was later called "back wrestling machine".
Receiving his father's influence from an early age and retaining wrestling blood in his bones, Hawke soon showed his talent on the wrestling field. In the AEW, his moves are very similar to his father's, and his final skill is to inherit his father's Taz lock, so far, he has helped him subdue 5 players!
2. During high school, he was a school hockey player
Although Hawke appears to have been born for wrestling, he, like most wrestlers, played another sport in high school, which was lacrosse.
It is worth mentioning that if he did not enter the AEW ring, Hawke may become a professional hockey star, because he was a member of the Bucknell Bison men's hockey team in college, and he represented the team in four games, playing in the midfield position on the court.
Hawke's best record as a hockey player was ranked 74th in the country, and according to Taz, the young man is also quite accomplished in athletics. It can be said that these sports experiences have helped him better adapt to the AEW's ring life.
3. Became popular because of CM Punk's one-sentence sentence
Hawke is one of the most popular wrestlers in wrestling today, but many wrestlers have a question: How did he become so popular?
Fast forward to 2020, when Hawke followed his father Taz on the AEW show for the first time, and wrestling fans at the time had not noticed that this handsome, childish-looking child would become the biggest future star in the wrestling world in the future.
It wasn't until 2021, when the Taz Gang and CM Punk had a plot, cm Punk shouted in the ring: Give me Starks, give me Hawk. Coincidentally, it was because of this sentence that Hawke officially became popular.
Since then, wrestlers have held up the "Give Me Hawk" sign in almost every game, and everyone is looking forward to Hawke's early confrontation with CM Punk.
4. The three major alliances are cultivated together, and the debut is the peak
After becoming popular, Hawke also began to prepare for his ring debut. During this time, with the help of his father Taz's popularity, Hawke received the help of many well-known wrestlers.
First of all, Howke trained with a number of big people before making his debut in the ring, of which Cody Rhodes and QT Martial helped him the most. The competition between Hawke and QT Martial in the "Innovation Competition" can also be regarded as an answer sheet submitted by the apprentice to the master.
Not only that, but the third-largest wrestling league in the United States next door also helped Hawke. A month before his ring debut, Hawke traveled to a wrestling school called Create-A-Pro, whose founder was Impact player Brian Miles (former WWE cott Hawkins).
Interestingly, in order to help the future star of the wrestling world debut early, even WWE has contributed. It is reported that Taz has commissioned WWE backstage producer Pat Barker to train Hawke to help him better show his appearance in the ring.
It can be seen that the three leagues jointly cultivate a player, and Hawke's debut performance is completely worthy of the three largest wrestling companies in North America, and the debut is the peak.
5. The appearance of music comes from a well-known American rapper
So on December 8, 2021, Hawke made his ring debut, and that night, he appeared in a rap song called "The Chairman's Intent".
It is reported that the song was composed in 2017 by the well-known American rapper Action Bronson, who is not only a wrestling fan in real life, but also a close friend of Taz.
So Hawke called Bronson before his debut and offered him the idea of using his masterpiece to make his own music. Bronson agreed with the young man and wished him good luck.
It can be said that Hawke can achieve such outstanding results, and his appearance music does add a lot of points to him.
Hawke is only 23 years old this year, it is difficult to imagine what kind of heights he will develop to in his current state, and we are very much looking forward to his future to bring us more excellent performances.