Malakai Black (Aleister Black in WWE) was released by WWE on June 2 and quickly found work with AEW thanks to a 30-day non-compete clause.
Black had a successful run in NXT, but had stop and start pushes in WWE. After Samoa Joe showed that a WWE release doesn't mean that the NXT door is closed, fans wondered if the same opportunity was there for others like Malaki.
"Obviously, that's not up for me to decide. The sentiment was there," Black said on Pro Wrestling 4 Life. "The clarification didn't come in. It was more a...we wanted to, but we couldn't, and when we could, I had already made up my mind. For me, that part of me, personally, doesn't have to be addressed anymore. It is what it is. I look fondly back on my time in WWE, but I currently really enjoy being in AEW. It's a world of difference. I don't see myself (going back to WWE). I'm not a spiritual person, but I do feel like things are meant to be in a certain way. It feels like my position (in AEW) feels right and correct. It feels like this is what it should have been all along. I feel very content where I am. It's a better fit for me. That's no shade towards WWE. I'm very thankful and happy that everything happened the way it did. Sure, I can find criticism and I'm sure people have a criticism of me. That's fine. It's a professional environment and a two-way street."
Later in the interview, Black would reiterate that he didn't see himself going back to WWE.
Elsewhere during the interview, Black discussed his AEW in-ring debut and working with Tony Khan. You can find his full comments by clicking here.
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