Felix Upton on August 13, 2021
Malakai Black ended up in AEW after he was released from WWE in surprising fashion. He was able to show up in All Elite Wrestling just 35 days after his release due to a clerical error on WWE’s part, but he fit into AEW’s climate in quick fashion. Black might see even more former WWE names join him soon enough.
Ringside News exclusively reported that CM Punk has inked a deal with AEW. Daniel Bryan also reportedly inked a contract and he was originally slated to make his debut at AEW’s Arthur Ashe Stadium event.
While talking to the Pro Wrestling 4 Life Podcast, Malakai Black was asked for his thoughts on the potential of Bryan Danielson and CM Punk arriving in AEW. He hasn’t heard anything, but there is no doubt in his mind that both of those men could be game changes for the company.
“Number one, I genuinely do not know if it’s true. I genuinely don’t,” Black prefaced. “I haven’t heard anyone mention it. Obviously, there’s a buzz in the locker room. I think it’d be great. I think it really proves that the times have changed. I think it’d be a validation of how different everything is and how different the business is now. I don’t play the ‘us vs. them’ cards. I just don’t. I want everybody to be successful.”
“I want all my friends in WWE to be able to provide for their families. I want all my friends and colleagues in AEW to be able to provide for their families. That’s what I care about, and if someone like CM Punk goes over to AEW, that’s great for business. That’s good for all of us because it gives the fans something to work with.”
“It gives people perspective. It gives people that mentality of ‘okay, here we go.’ It puts fresh wind in everyone’s sails, and I think for me, as a competitor, as a wrestler, someone who genuinely cares about wrestling and the state of the business, I think that is what’s important. Deep down, I hope it’s true. I think that’d be very very cool to see and very cool to see how the world of professional wrestling would react to it, how the fan base would react to it. Exciting times, very, very exciting times.”
“I can see someone like Daniel pulling the trigger on that because he’s someone who has a great love for wrestling, and always wants to try different things and always has a different perspective on stuff. Sometimes, it’s just fun to think about the possibilities, and for me, obviously with my release, the possibilities became different. I can only imagine how his brain might work. I can only guess at it. I hope so. I can see him definitely showing up, but again, I don’t know.”
Malakai Black might not have heard about CM Punk and Bryan Danielson coming to AEW, but he also might withhold that information even if he does know that they are on the way. The next few weeks could be a very interesting time in All Elite Wrestling, to say the least.
What’s your take on this story? Sound off in the comments!
August 13, 2021 9:59 am
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