Malakai Black (Aleister Black in WWE) and Bray Wyatt never met in the ring during their time in WWE, but often drew comparisons due to their supernatural characters.
Both men were released by WWE this year in surprising moves. Black has already linked up with AEW while Wyatt is waiting for his non-compete clause to expire.
Speaking on Pro Wrestling 4 Life, Black discussed Wyatt's release and the advice he gave him during their time in WWE.
"I think I speak for everyone when I say we were all very surprised. Obviously, I don't know the reasons why and the reasons for it are not for me to know, that's between him and the company. Bray is a phenomenal talent, everyone thinks that. He is a phenomenal and creative guy. Funny enough, in our conversations a lot of times, there's a lot of cross-reference with how we think of subliminal messaging, building characters, and what we get inspiration from. It's interesting to hear him talk about his characters because a lot of times we're like, 'what would we do if it was just you and me?' We do a little fantasy booking here and there. For as long as I've known him, he's always been a stand up guy. He's also been there for me when I ask him because obviously, at the time, he was in the company for a long time and went through similar processes that I had to go through. One of the things he always told me, and I always did, is to fight for what you want to do. I did and he did too, but at the end, it's not up to us and it's someone else's decision, no matter how much you fight. You want to die on your own sword and know that you tried everything, even if it doesn't go the way you want it to go, at least you tried. No matter how many times you get shut down or how many times they try to change it or present it in a way it doesn't work for you anymore, you try. That's one of the things he really instilled in me is try. You gotta try. Keep fighting, keep talking," he said.
Black has often discussed his frustration with WWE creative as many of his ideas would not make television despite Vince McMahon praising his creativity.
Elsewhere during the interview, Black discussed working with Tony Khan and have more creative freedom in AEW. You can find his full comments by clicking here.
If you use any of the quotes above, please credit the original source with a h/t and link back to Fightful for the transcription.
