10 Wrestlers Who Peaked In WWE Developmental
5. Malakai Black
Speaking of guys who have experienced start-stop life on the AEW side.
Malakai Black's 'House Of Black' faction has had select moments of brilliance, but Tony Khan never seems sure how to pull the trigger on them. Thus, they're stuck in an endless loop of being called threatening without ever being that much of a threat in the end. It's Groundhog Day booking.
Back in 2020, it's the kind of thing the-then Aleister Black would've been frustrated about in WWE. He was one of the many, many, many acts coming up from NXT that Vince McMahon toyed with. Lost and seeking direction, Black nonetheless excelled whenever he was allowed to get torn in about it in-ring and show off his vibrant striking style.
His 100-day(ish) NXT Title reign is still the best Black has ever been. Generally, matches vs. Adam Cole, Andrade, Velveteen Dream and even lumbering beast Lars Sullivan ruled. His title loss to Tommaso Ciampa at TakeOver: Phoenix in January 2019 was also stunning.
Has he ever topped that body of work? Not even close.