Backstage News On The Future Of Buddy Matthews And Malakai Black

Both Malakai Black and Buddy Matthews have recently released statements to the fans claiming that they need to take time away from the ring to figure things out, and Dave Meltzer has reported that they would both like a WWE return during the latest "Wrestling Observer Radio."

The two House Of Black stars have previously spent time working for WWE, with each man getting released, which is what led to them joining AEW in the first place, eventually coming together alongside Brody King and Julia Hart to form a faction. However, Black has not been seen on AEW television recently, and it is has been reported that he has been granted a conditional release by Tony Khan. 

Matthews did stay in AEW after that, and he teamed with King as recently as the "AEW Rampage: Grand Slam" show last week when they were defeated by Sting and Darby Allin following a surprise appearance by The Great Muta. However, that is now believed to be his final AEW appearance, as it was reported on Sunday that the 33-year-old is believed to be on his way out of the company. 

Whether Khan will simply release them both without any conditions in relation to WWE remains to be seen, plus both men have stated that they genuinely need time off to work through some personal situations. However, both men have partners on the WWE roster, with Black being married to Zelina Vega, while Matthews is currently dating The Judgment Day's Rhea Ripley, which could be a reason why they would like to return. 

It was previously reported that Black is someone that WWE had contacted during the recent contract tampering, and he was heavily pushed during his time in "WWE NXT" when working under the new Chief Creative Officer, Paul Levesque, as he enjoyed a run as "NXT" Champion. Meanwhile, Matthews also held the "NXT" Tag Team Championships during his time on the black and gold brand.