Malakai Black wrestled what appeared to be his final AEW match at All Out, teaming with House of Black allies Brody King and Buddy Matthews in a loss to Darby Allin, Sting, and Miro. He was subsequently granted what was described as his conditional release from the company.
Given the nature of his apparent departure from the Tony Khan-helmed organisation and the new regime taking over WWE, it was believed that ‘The Dutch Destroyer’ was on his way back to the sports entertainment giant. The move would have marked Black’s first WWE appearance since his June 2, 2021 release.
Is Malakai Black On His Way Back To AEW?
As shown on the November 2 AEW Dynamite, it appears Malakai Black may be on his way back to All Elite Wrestling. Black, Brody King, and Buddy Matthews were shown in a vignette being laid to rest by Julia Hart before rising from their respective resting places, euphorically hinting at their imminent return to AEW programming.
When, exactly, The House of Black is expected back in the AEW fold remains to be seen. They are the second AEW trio teased for a comeback, following two back-to-back teaser videos playing for The Elite on the past two Dynamite broadcasts.
#HouseOfBlack#AEWDynamitepic.twitter.com/bMdjV9eLiq
— All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) November 3, 2022
Malakai Black has largely remained open when discussing his reported release from AEW, stating in a social media video that while he had previously requested to exit the company, his absence post-All Out was due to Tony Khan granting him time off:
“It’s not confirmed. Clearly it’s not confirmed. None of it has been confirmed because I haven’t left. I’ve been given time off by Tony Khan to take care of a bunch of stuff. All this stuff was weeks ago. I posted that statement as a summary to understand why I [am taking] some time off. It is in the statement. It’s mind-boggling.”
Malakai Black debuted with AEW in July 2021, just over a month after he left WWE. He subsequently formed The House of Black in January 2022 when Brody King joined the company as its first member.