Tony Khan has brought several surprising names to AEW and ROH in recent years, and also worked with various celebrities at times. The longtime pro wrestling fan has now confirmed a new deal he’s reached with a certain face that is very familiar to fans.
Hollywood is home to a group of famous wrestling fans, such as Danielle Fishel aka Topanga, and Macaulay Culkin of Home Alone fame, among others. Paul Walter Hauser is among the celebrity wrestling lovers who can often be seen at ringside during WWE or AEW events, and is known for projects such as Cobra Kai, Cruella, Richard Jewell, Black Bird, plus the new Fantastic Four and Naked Gun movies.
PWH is signed to MLW, and is the current PROGRESS Proteus Champion. The lifelong fan made his in-ring debut for The Wrestling REVOLVER in November 2023, and in his first year as a pro wrestler, picked up wins over Matt Cardona, TWR owner Sami Callihan, Tom Lawlor, and Sal Rinauro. Hauser has worked for various promotions this year, with wins over Joey Janela, Colby Corino, Zickey Dice, and others, with just one singles loss to Steve Maclin.
Hauser has appeared on All Elite Wrestling TV a few times and has discussed Khan in the media. He notably did some guest commentary for Collision this past week. Wearing an ROH hat and his MLW-themed shirt, the Emmy-award winner called out AEW-ROH star QT Marshall during an interview with The No-Contest Wrestling Podcast two weeks ago. The beef between Hauser and Marshall stems from an incident on the AEW Revolution pre-show back in March, where Khan’s Vice President of Show & Creative Coordination disrespected the father-of-three.
Tony Khan Announces ROH In-Ring Debut For Paul Walter Hauser
Actor Paul Walter Hauser is set to continue his successful transition from the screen to the ring, and this time he’s teaming up with AEW-ROH boss Tony Khan for more than just a cameo or commentary gig. Khan made the revelation while appearing on My Mom’s Basement with Robbie Foxfrom Barstool Sports.
After discussing PWH’s performance in The Naked Gun reboot, Khan revealed how the 38-year-old Michigan native was set to make his ROH debut.
My great friend Paul Walter Hauser, who has commented in AEW, and is going to be wrestling for us in Ring of Honor. [Fox mentions Hauser also wearing a ROH hat on the red carpet] He’s going to be wrestling in Ring of Honor, and he’s also… he’s a great commentator for us in AEW, and has won multiple awards… a Golden Globe Award winner, an Emmy winner, and he’s going to win a lot more awards in his great career,” Tony Khan said.
Khan did not elaborate on PWH’s ROH debut opponent, but Marshall is expected to be the one. Hauser last wrestled on August 8 at a SWH event in Canton, GA, where he retained the PROGRESS Proteus Championship over Zickey Dice.
QT Marshall continues to work the indies regularly, and last worked ROH in mid-January for a loss to then-Television Champion Komander. His last two AEW matches came as the Worlds End 2024 pre-show loss to Jeff Jarrett, and the Full Gear 2024 pre-show loss to “Big Boom!” AJ.