Malakai Black Reportedly Wanted To Return To WWE After AEW Release Request
It's been a pretty rough couple of months for AEW. A short period packed with injuries, interim champions, and capped off with a backstage brawl that led to seven suspensions. Amid all that chaos was a star Tony Khan likely hoped would be a figurehead for the company one day wanting out. That someone is Malakai Black who issued a statement over the weekend clarifying a lot of what happened between himself and AEW.
Was The Plan A WWE Return?
Black revealed he did indeed request his release from AEW, adding a number of details surrounding his decision and what might and will happen next. Dave Meltzer addressed Black's statement on a recent edition of Wrestling Observer Radio, adding that Black reportedly wanted to return to WWE when he requested his AEW release.
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“Obviously, he wanted to go back to WWE and he had a lot of time left on his deal. I think four and a half years left on the deal,” Meltzer said (H/T WrestlingNews.co). That implies Black signed a five-year deal when he came to AEW which certainly adds up. Khan would have wanted to tie him to the promotion for a long time, and was likely paying him a lot of money to be there.
Malakai Black's Wrestling Future Is Unclear
That wasn't to be, and now when or indeed if we see Black back in the ring is unknown. The former NXT Champion did say in his statement that he doesn't want this to be goodbye, but he doesn't know what his future holds. For now, he will stay away from wrestling as he takes stock of the last few years of his life and figures out what he should do next.
The WWE landscape changed in a major way earlier this year, of course, and it's feasible someone like Black would want to go back. Especially with Triple H heading up creative, someone who booked and treated him very well in NXT. There have also been various reports of wrestlers in opposing companies putting feelers out. Since Black is married to WWE Superstar Zelina Vega, that is pretty much unavoidable.
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