Taz Told HOOK To Be Anything But A Pro Wrestler

The rise of AEW star HOOK was recently profiled in a piece by the New York Post, with the reigning FTW Champion detailing his start in the business. 

HOOK's father - current AEW manager and announcer Taz - was initially against the idea of his son getting into the business when he was younger. 

"When I was younger, my dad told me to be anything but a pro wrestler. As I got older, things changed, and the business today is not the same business that he broke into," HOOK said.

Taz wanted to make sure the then-21-year-old understood how committed he would need to be in order to be successful in the industry. Taz himself was forced to retire from in-ring competition in 2002 due to injuries, before transitioning into non-wrestling roles. 

The former ECW and WWE star eventually warmed to his son entering the business and was quoted as saying "If he’s old enough to go to a bar and get a shot of whiskey, he's old enough to make his own decisions, right? That's how I was raised". 

He added that he realised by their third training session together that HOOK was 'unique'.

HOOK is set to team with debuting hip-hop star Action Bronson this Friday at the Rampage Grand Slam show from New York's Arthur Ashe stadium.