During a recent appearance on The Ringer Wrestling Show, Aleister Black addressed persistent rumors surrounding his tenure with All Elite Wrestling.
Black, who first debuted in WWE in 2017 and became NXT Champion before his 2021 release, later joined AEW and formed the successful House of Black faction with Brody King, Buddy Matthews, and Julia Hart. His time there was marked by fan speculation that he was unhappy with his role or that he refused to lose matches.
Black directly confronted these claims, stating that his placement in multi-man matches was a decision made by company president Tony Khan. “Tony was very adamant about us being in six-mans, which is fine, it’s his company,” Black explained. “If he wants me to wear a clown suit, then that’s what we’ll do.” He suggested fans created a “narrative that makes us have an understanding as to why he’s not being put in singles competition” because it wasn’t the role they envisioned for him.
He also dismissed the idea that he had the backstage influence to refuse match outcomes. “If you really think that I have so much pull in the company that I can say who I’m not going to…lay down against, you think I’m not going to vouch for myself or put myself in the main events?” he questioned. “It doesn’t make sense.”
Despite the rumors, Black highlighted positive experiences from his time in AEW. He expressed pride in the work of the House of Black, noting how he and Buddy Matthews intentionally helped elevate Brody King to a wider audience. He also praised his TNT Championship match against Adam Copeland at Double or Nothing 2024, calling it “one of the funnest things I’ve done in wrestling.”
Black concluded that his eventual return to WWE was a decision based on weighing his options in both companies, the fact that his wife, Zelina Vega, works for WWE, and his belief that he has unfinished business there.
