10 Biggest Unsolved AEW Mysteries
2. Are The House Of Black Allergic To Jobbing?
That's the narrative doing the rounds on social media, one that intensified in the wake of the Escape the Cage Elimination match between the stable and FTR and Daniel Garcia on the January 27 Collision.
An apparent match graphic snafu reignited the conspiracy theory that the trio don't like to job - the "sudden change" to the escape format led some to believe that the House ruled that they weren't to be pinned - before Brody King and Wrestling Administration Coordinator Will Washington stepped into clarify that, no, the escape format was always the plan.
Brody King lost more than he won during the Continental Classic and even stared at the lights in a key chapter of Daniel Garcia's recovery arc. Buddy Matthews also lost cleanly to Garcia, on the January 20 Collision, although it was framed as "stole one" result after which he attacked Garcia immediately. Still, Buddy almost exclusively loses singles outings: a Collision win over Wheeler YUTA was an aberration in a losing streak during which Darby Allin, Andrade el Idolo, and Orange Cassidy defeated him.
But what of Malakai Black, whom Dave Meltzer is adamant wants to go to WWE? There's a story there, is there not?
How else to explain the rather glaring statistic that he hasn't worked a singles match since July 2022?
Or that he hasn't been pinned since doing the job to Miro (and Sting and Darby Allin) all the way back at All Out 2022? When it was suggested, too, that he was away?
Back in September 2023, he revealed on Instagram that his back is fine, he's good to go and has been for a while, and that he can't explain why he doesn't work singles matches either.
The thing is, Tony Khan's booking patterns often dictate that a trios match is built via singles match. He went this route by booking Garcia to go over Matthews ahead of the cage match blow-off.
If Malakai wasn't selected to do that job, the question must be asked: what is AEW protecting him for? Why protect a wrestler ahead of their big match against nobody?
What's annoying is that the solution is easy and good: a lot of great matches worked by Malakai Black, who is sensational in the ring!
Surely everybody would enjoy that.
So why isn't it happening?