Malakai Black Denies 'Bulls--t' Rumors About His AEW Contract, Release and WWE

During an Instagram Live session on Monday night, Malakai Black shot down rumors that he had been released from All Elite Wrestling, calling them "bulls--t."

Black took issue with "dirt sheet" reporters and what they have said about him in recent days and insisted that he is still under contract with AEW (Warning: contains profanity):

During another portion of the Instagram Live session (h/t Nitish Vashishtha of Ringside News), Black said he is simply taking time off to deal with things in his personal life and will eventually be back with AEW.

After Black took the pin in the House of Black's loss to Sting, Darby Allin and Miro earlier this month at All Out, Black blew kisses and bowed toward the live crowd, leading to speculation about his future.

It was later reported by Fightful Select (h/t Andre Porter of Ringside News) that many within AEW were told that Black was done with AEW "for the foreseeable future" and had received his conditional release from the company.

Amid the rumors, Black posted a lengthy statement on Instagram in which he addressed the rumors that had been floating around:

Black confirmed that he had asked for his AEW release but never said it had been granted. The only thing Black said definitively was that he would be taking "a few months" away from wrestling to "recalibrate."

In addition to the report of his release, Black took aim Monday night at reports that he was under contract with AEW for five years. The 37-year-old said that false reporting was an example of why information shouldn't be believed unless it is coming directly from him.

After starring across the world on the independent scene under the name Tommy End, Black signed with WWE in 2016 and started going by the name Aleister Black.

He achieved instant success in WWE, going on a long undefeated streak and winning the NXT Championship, before getting called up to the main roster in 2019.

Black's main roster success under Vince McMahon was fleeting compared to what he did under Triple H in NXT, and he was surprisingly released from his contract in 2021.

Black arrived in AEW to great fanfare last year, and while his overall presentation has been good, he arguably hasn't been used to the best of his capabilities in AEW either.

Speculation Black asked for his AEW release to go back to WWE likely came from the fact that Triple H is now in charge of creative after McMahon's retirement, meaning Black would likely receive far better treatment than he did during his first WWE run.

Also, Black is married to WWE Superstar Zelina Vega, potentially giving him another reason to want to go back.

Based on Black's comments on Monday night, however, there is no imminent end to his AEW tenure in sight, and he plans on wrestling for the promotion again in the not-too-distant future.

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