When WWE released Aleister Black, now known as Malakai Black, many fans wondered whether the former NXT Champion could have returned to the black-and-gold brand at some point.
During an appearance on Sean “X-Pac” Waltman’s Pro Wrestling 4 Life podcast, Black confirmed that there had been some interest in this outcome, but it just didn’t work out. He admitted that at one point, it became a genuine possibility, but by then, he made up his mind about leaving the company.
“So obviously that’s not for me to decide, but the sentiment was there,” said Black. “I think that the clarification didn’t come in, and I think that it was more a, we wanted to but we couldn’t, and when we could, I already made up my mind.
“It is what it is, and as I said in many, many interviews, I look fondly back at my time in WWE, but I’m currently really, really enjoying being in AEW.”
In addition to the buzzworthy beginning of his run in All Elite Wrestling, Black also shocked the wrestling world when he popped up at Pro Wrestling Guerrilla’s Mystery Vortex 7 event. In the interview, Black looked back on this surprising appearance and stated that showing up at PWG took him back to his roots as a wrestler.
“The PWG thing was really cool,” said Black. “I always have a lot of love for PWG, always like working with them. I think their fan base is absolutely incredible. I think that company has a lot of genuine buzz to it and again, it’s a ring, it’s a bar or it’s a venue, here we go. And it’s gritty, and It’s beautiful….It takes me right back to the roots of where all this started.
Black then explained that he hopes to compete at other shows, outside of AEW, roughly once a month or so because he wants to preserve his body and minimize the risk of getting injured.
The full episode is available here:
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