AEW Teasing Return Of Malakai Black

It appears Malakai Black is on the verge of his comeback to AEW television.

A vignette aired during the 11/2 "AEW Dynamite" showing Julia Hart and others reacting in shock at the sight of Black, Brody King and Buddy Murphy's dead bodies wrapped in white cloth. Thereafter, Hart performed the last rites for the three bodies, as a voice in the background uttered the words "What has become of us? What have you all done? Have you all abandoned your faith?" The narrator then suggested that it was time to "Return to the ways of the old" and "Worship death" as the three bodies were laid to rest. While one body was set on fire, the other two were drowned and buried, respectively. 

The video ended with the recital of a prayer, following which the dead bodies rose back to life. 

Black has been off AEW programming since House of Black's loss to Sting, Darby Allin & Miro at the All Out pay-per-view in September. After that match, Black took a bow to the crowd, hinting at his departure from the promotion. Subsequently, several reports suggested that Black had asked for his release from AEW until Black himself refuted the reports via social media. Through a video message on September 26, Black assured fans that they will see him "in a couple of weeks, maybe a couple of months" and that he was only "only taking some time off" to deal with issues in his personal life.

Meanwhile, Matthews & King have been away since their loss to Sting & Allin at "AEW Rampage: Grand Slam" on September 23. Subsequently, Matthews told the crowd at an indie show that he needed to "go away for a while," fueling reports that he, too, had asked for his release from AEW. However, Matthews seemingly shot down those claims via social media. 

With AEW Full Gear less than a few weeks away, it remains to be seen if House of Black returns to AEW programming in the lead-up to the promotion's final pay-per-view event of 2022.