Jim Ross has given his opinion on what went wrong with Aleister Black‘s AEW run, and whether he has burned his bridges with the promotion.
After being released from WWE in 2021, Aleister Black signed with AEW and remained with the promotion for four years. Black’s run began with a high-profile feud with Cody Rhodes, and he went on to form the popular House of Black faction with Brody King, Buddy Matthews, and Julia Hart.
Injuries and rumours of backstage issues cast a shadow over his time with the company, and when his contract expired in 2025, Black left AEW to return to WWE. His second stint in the company came to a sudden end on April 24th, when he was one of 25 wrestlers released from the main roster and NXT, along with his wife, Zelina Vega.
Speaking on his Grilling JR podcast, AEW announcer Jim Ross said he was a fan of Black, but believes he should take some time away from the ring.
“I like Aleister Black. I think he could do himself a favor by simply stepping away for a while. He’s got a 90-day no compete anyway. How much can you improve in 90 days, Aleister? That’s my question to you.”
While Ross isn’t sure what caused his issues with management, he thinks Black needs to concentrate on improving his own wokr rather than being critical of things.
“He seems to run afoul of the establishment from time to time and I don’t know why that is. I’m not there to work with him in that regard, so I don’t know why that is, but whatever it is, my advice to him would be to get over it. Don’t be so critical of things. Just be critical of your own work and making it better.”
Jim Ross Believes Aleister Black Looked At AEW As A Step Down
Ross speculated that Black may have seen AEW as the “minor leagues” and wasn’t happy in the promotion, but he put that down to “that WWE mentality.”
“I don’t think he wanted to, Conrad. I don’t think he was happy there. I think he looked at it as a step down. He’s in the minor leagues or some s**t. But that’s that WWE mentality rubbing off on you, and that’ll happen. It’s unstoppable, and it can’t be helped. That’s kind of how I looked at his situation.
“I like his game a lot and his wife is a hell of a hand. You’ve got two keepers in those two people.”
While it has been reported that many in AEW are negative on the idea of Aleister Black returning to the promotion, Ross thinks he hasn’t completely burned his bridges.
“No, I do not. But I think that his chances are running out. Trust is a big thing. Reliability. Are you reliable? There is I’m sure a small faction of some in the wrestling business that believe he’s missing something. I don’t disagree with that. But he’s not missing his attire, his look, his work ethic. So whatever his downfalls are, they seem to be stimulated from things outside the bell-to-bell. But I like the guy. I’d hire him in a heartbeat.”
H/T to F4WOnline for the above transcription.
