Powerhouse Hobbs & QTV Withdraw From Blackjack Battle Royal At AEW Double Or Nothing
The former TNT Champion, Powerhouse Hobbs, will no longer be participating in tomorrow's Blackjack Battle Royal at AEW Double or Nothing. The announcement came from a video on the QTV Twitter page, where it was also announced that Aaron Solo and QT Marshall are withdrawing from the match, "in solidarity."
However, the announcement does ring a bit strange. On "AEW Rampage," Marshall announced that Hobbs, Solo, and himself would be in the match. However, when the official promotional image showing the full lineup was released, the trio was nowhere to be seen. Whether the video was meant to go out first, or if this was simply a quick kayfabe explanation for a booking mistake is unknown. It's also unknown if there are any other plans for participation from QTV at Double or Nothing at all.
While Hobbs, Solo, and Marshall won't be in the Blackjack Battle Royale, the match will feature 20 AEW stars gunning for Orange Cassidy's AEW International Championship. The match is set to include the likes of Ricky Starks, Jay White, Juice Robinson, Keith Lee, Swerve Strickland, and more. With all 21 competitors being revealed already, it's unlikely there will be any surprise entrants in the match.
Cassidy's reign with the title has featured the second most successful defenses of a championship in AEW's short history, with a staggering 22 defenses. His reign is second only to Jade Cargill's 24 defenses of the TBS Championship. Depending on the results of both his and Cargill's matches at Double or Nothing, that record could soon be broken.