Malakai Black Speaks On AEW Release, Addresses Wrestling Future

Malakai Black was recently granted what was reported as a "conditional" release from All Elite Wrestling, departing the Tony Khan-helmed promotion after signing what was believed to be a five-year deal in July 2021.

In departing AEW, Malakai left his House of Black stable behind, though Buddy Matthews, Brody King, and Julia Hart appear to be keeping the group going. Dave Meltzer has now reported that Black wants to go back to WWE.

Whatever happens next, Black looks set to take some time away from wrestling in general. Speaking at Prestige Wrestling's Preserverence event, where he defeated Kidd Bandit this Saturday, the 37-year-old stated that he will be taking a step back to "recalibrate" his life. In his own words, he will be away for "a few weeks, maybe a few months."

Said Malakai (h/t Fightful):-

“I understand all of you have questions. What am I doing, where am I going? On a serious note, understand that in due time, I will answer the majority of these questions. However, for the last 22 years of my life, I have never not once taken one step back and recalibrated my life and took a chance to look back at all the stuff I’ve done in-ring but the stuff I’ve done out of the ring. I’ve never done that because I always had this attitude of [horse blinders]. I’ve done that for my entire professional career because I had this one attitude towards wrestling that you have to think globally, not locally. If you think locally, you get stuck in one place. That applies to everything. If you want to branch out, you have to focus on the little thing. As cliche as that sounds, it’s what got me here to the United States. For the 22 years that I’ve given my absolute everything, please allow me to take a few weeks, maybe a few months, to recalibrate myself and put it in perspective. I promise you this is not goodbye, it’s ‘we’ll see each other soon.'”

Following this, Black uploaded a lengthy post on the situation to his Instagram account. Malakai moved to dispel some of the reporting on the matter, specifically revolving around his mental health, expressing disappointment that somebody other than himself had made certain information public:-

Firstly thank you all for your messages, know they are being read and appreciated. With all the turmoil going on in the landscape of Professional Wrestling I took the time to think of my words but also needed to wait until conversations between mine and AEW’s camp had come to a conclusion.

Firstly, I dislike reading parts of my private conversations between myself and AEW in regards to my mental well being on the internet. These conversations were private and not meant to be shared with the public. As by now most people realize I am a very private person and do not feel the need to have stuff like this out on the internet.

If you’ve been following me longer than a cup of coffee you’re aware I’ve spoken about them prior but would like to be the one deciding when this finds its way to the public and not through someone else’s mouth, as with anything through the lips of someone else: that story gets distorted.

Continuing, Malakai confirmed that he had indeed requested his AEW release. "Uncontrollable actions from the outside" had yielded many setbacks over the past two years, leading to Black considering his status for the past six months:-

Secondly, to be in line with the above, they also need context:

I did indeed ask for my release, the last 2 years of my life have lended to a lot of set backs. Both me and my wife have been affected by uncontrollable actions from the outside that resulted in loss of life, medical set backs, career jeopardizing, the suicide of a close friend and a close family member almost losing their life, then experiencing an injury that I was sure was the end of my career.

I spend every week going through several sessions of rehab, dry needling and therapy just to be able to walk and compete. Now this being the tip of the iceberg and with the combination of the promises in my professional field that were not upheld which resulted as a combination of all of these to a complete demoralization of life and career.

This decision had been in my mind for the past six months. It’s hard to really put a finger and say “this was the moment it all went wrong.” But I can tell you after many years that I have learned from a rational point of view to see when I need to hit the breaks; which is what this is.

In closing, the Dutchman confirmed he will be taking "a few months to recalibrate the last 2 decades of my life":-

Perhaps once my mind settles on certain things and processes the last 2 years a bit better I will convey (via a different platform than written out) what the exacts were that happened, and have a more informed conversation about them. For now know that I am good, and am taking, for the first time in 22 years, a few months to recalibrate the last 2 decades of my life.

Lastly, I have read a few narratives online in regards to my “release”, mental health and my personal life that I can summarize swiftly; if it didn’t come from me, it didn’t happen.

Stuff about conditional releases, stuff in my marriage or using said mental health to leverage the other when as I said before that part wasn’t even going to be part of the public conversation are false. My marriage is fine, I am fine. It is just time to make sure those things stay that way.

Once again, I appreciate your support and we will see each other soon enough.

Malakai last wrestled for AEW at All Out 2022 (4 September), where the House of Black was defeated by Sting, Darby Allin, and Miro.