Backstage Report On The Perception Of Aleister Black Within AEW Following WWE Exit

Almost one year to the day that he made his return to the company, Aleister Black has once again left WWE. Black was one of two dozen performers who departed the company on April 24, with his wife Zelina Vega also being part of the group of wrestlers who are no longer with the WWE. While it's not been revealed who was released and who was allowed to let their contracts expire, fans are already speculating the next move for a number of the performers, and given his history with the company, a return to AEW has naturally been speculated.

However, going back to AEW might not be as simple as expected for Black as Dave Meltzer reported on "Wrestling Observer Radio" that the perception of Black returning to the company isn't an idea that is looked at fondly. "The idea of Aleister Black and AEW was not fondly thought of by the people I spoke with there. Now I did not speak to Tony Khan, I mean Andrade [El Idolo] was mixed. I know people there who were not high on Andrade at all and others who were, but Black, from what I gathered, pretty negative. There were even people who publicly said that they were negative on Black. Sometimes, it's funny but sometimes these things happen..."

In AEW as Malakai Black, the Dutch star primarily wrestled as part of the House of Black stable alongside Brody King and Buddy Matthews, with Julia Hart acting as their valet. The group won the AEW World Trios Championships in 2023 and held the titles for just under six months, but it was during his run with AEW where Black garnered a reputation for either not wanting to take pins or not take part in certain storylines. He was constantly brought up in conversations surrounding people wanting to leave the company, particularly when Triple H took over the creative direction of WWE in 2022, to the point where it was rumored that he had asked for his release from AEW just over a year after joining the company. However, that story turned out to be false as Black had requested some time away for personal reasons, which was given to him.

Ever since AEW was formed in 2019, everyone in the wrestling business has been able to admit, whether they enjoy the product itself, that AEW existing is a good thing. It gives fans an alternative show to watch, wrestlers another place to make just as much money, if not more, than in WWE, and it encourages a company like WWE to put more effort into its creative direction. However, when that avenue isn't open to someone, where do they go from here? In Aleister Black's case, he does have some options.

Let's get it out of the way first, will Aleister/Malakai Black go back to AEW? Probably not and I think that's for the best. It's clear enough with the benefit of hindsight that Black didn't really want to be in AEW after Triple H came into power and it was evident in his booking. Always wanting to be booked strong so that when he did go back to WWE, he would be presented well, but that hasn't worked out for him. Yes, he has had a lingering back issue since his original run in WWE, but he was getting thrown off of ambulances in January by Damian Priest so surely that back injury can't be bad enough that he can't take a couple of pins if he goes back to AEW.

Besides, AEW, but more specifically the former House of Black, has evolved past the need for a Malakai Black. Julia Hart is now firmly involved with the Triangle of Madness with Skye Blue and Thekla, and is more of an active performer than she was as the "Princess of Darkness," which can only bode well for her improvement as an in-ring performer. Brody King has only gotten better since branching out on his own and is now a main event level talent. He's routinely challenging for the AEW World Championship and is one of the most popular babyfaces in the entire company, so joining up with Black again would be a backwards move for him, especially when his new tag team partner Bandido is miles better as a performer.

Buddy Matthews has actually been injured for longer than Black's entire second run in WWE, so maybe he would benefit from some sort of tag team run. But then again, Matthews is good enough to be a singles star and not just live in Black's shadow. 

Black going back to AEW doesn't look to benefit anyone, but who could it benefit? He's talked about originally wanting to try his hand in New Japan Pro Wrestling before he joined WWE in 2017 so that's an option. Companies like TNA and MLW are always looking for new main event players, both of which would be companies where Black would have the freedom to do basically whatever he wants with his character. Only by some miracle would he go back to AEW, and if he does, let's hope he puts in the same amount of effort as Andrade El Idolo has since he returned in January.