Tony Hawk has revealed that the upcoming Tony Hawk Pro Skater 1 and 2 remake will feature a name change for the iconic move previously known as the “Mute Airgrab.”
The “Mute” move originates from pro skater Chris Weddle, a deaf skater whose quiet disposition often led to the Tony Hawk crew calling him the “quiet, mute guy.” In turn, this became the name given to the move in question, and features in the original games.
In a new Instagram post, Tony Hawk explains that the move has been renamed for the upcoming remake to better honour Weddle.
“In recent years a few people have reached out to Chris (who still skates) about this trick and the name it was given,” Hawk says. “He has been very gracious in his response but it is obvious that a different name would have honored his legacy, as he is hearing impaired but not lacking speech. I asked him last year as I was diving into trick origins and he said he would have rather named it the ‘deaf’ or ‘Weddle’ grab if given the choice.”
Hawk goes on to explain that the new game will refer to the move as the Weddle Grab, which he believes to be a much better fit. Check out the full statement in the Instagram post below.