MJF Claims Malakai Black Used AEW As A Stepping Stone Back To WWE
MJF believes Malakai Black, amongst others, used AEW to get back to WWE
On April 24, WWE released a number of talents across both the main roster and their developmental brands, one of whom was Aleister Black. Following his release, fans have speculated that the former Malakai Black could be on his way back to All Elite Wrestling. However, one former AEW World Champion appears to be strongly against that idea.
Speaking to Ariel Helwani on The Ariel Helwani Show ahead of AEW Double or Nothing, MJF claimed that a number of former All Elite Wrestling wrestlers had used the promotion as a means to make their way back to WWE, with Malakai Black named as one such talent.
“The biggest offender? I think it’s pretty obvious that’s Malakai Black. I don’t know the guy on a personal level. Do I think he’s a bad guy? No. Do I think he was a mark for wanting to have his Mania moment? Yeah, and there were a couple of guys like that, and they got weeded out. And then they went over there and some found out the grass isn’t greener. And perhaps some of them did, for them the grass was greener, but I’d say a majority of the guys that were like, ‘I’m just gonna use All Elite Wrestling to go back to WWE’, I think you’re gonna see a lot of those guys ask for a 50% pay cut from the office. Or you’re gonna see a lot of those guys just get released. It’s unfortunate because if you show up to our company and work hard, there’s really no need to burn bridges. I’m not sh*ting on him, I’m just simply telling you what I was told by a majority of the locker room about this specific individual. So as a team captain, as a leader, and as someone that has been part of this promotion since day one, I don’t want to deal with guys that don’t want to be team players. F*ck off, go elsewhere. Or f*cking prove me wrong. I would love to be proved wrong.”
-MJF
After an initial five-year spell with WWE between 2016 and 2021 that saw him capture the NXT Championship, Aleister Black would make his way to All Elite Wrestling in June 2021 following his WWE release, competing under the name Malakai Black.
During his time in All Elite Wrestling, Malakai Black led the House of Black stable alongside Brody King and Buddy Matthews, with their reign as AEW World Trios Champions standing as his only major accolade during the run. His AEW tenure ultimately came to an end in February 2025, when it was reported that his contract had expired.
Black would subsequently make his way back to WWE in April 2025 as a member of the Friday Night SmackDown roster and would eventually be paired with his real-life partner Zelina Vega, before the pair’s release just one year later.
MJF will look to reclaim the AEW World Championship against Darby Allin at AEW Double or Nothing on May 24, with the former champion’s hair also on the line.
You can find more on the latest AEW news as we head towards Double or Nothing here.
As always, we’ll aim to provide any further updates on the future of the former Aleister Black as soon as we hear more.
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