MJF has accused Aleister Black of being the “worst offender” of using AEW to get back to WWE.
In the seven years since AEW launched, the company has signed multiple wrestlers who were released from WWE. While many of them have become integral parts of the roster, there have been others who were reported to have negative attitudes and were seemingly only interested in making their way back to WWE.
During an appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show, MJF was asked about the current mood in the AEW locker room. The Salt of the Earth said it was “night and day” compared to previous years. He attributed the positive change to certain stars leaving the company.
“I attribute that to there’s no longer people in the locker room that look at my company as a stepping stone. They look at it as a legitimate company. And we had a lot of guys… I shouldn’t say a lot of guys, but we had some guys that came in and they were like, ‘I’m gonna show up and be top guy, and go back to Vince [McMahon].’
“Really, motherf**ker? You’re gonna leapfrog me? Good luck, p***y. Not having it on my watch, and it didn’t, because no one’s nearly as good as me. No one’s nearly as good as Hangman or Swerve or Kenny or Ospreay and Samoa Joe. The list goes on and on.
“So we no longer have that in the locker room, and it’s a breath of fresh air, man. I don’t have to look anyone in the eye at work and think to myself, this guy doesn’t want to be here. Everyone in my locker room wants to be there.”
When pushed on who exhibited that attitude most, MJF said it was “obvious” that it was Aleister Black, who was known as Malakai Black during his AEW tenure.
“I think it’s pretty obvious that that’s Malakai Black. But I don’t know the guy, like on a personal level. Do I think he’s a bad guy? No. Do I think he was a mark for, like, wanting to have his, ‘oh, I need my Mania moment?’ Yeah. And there were a couple of guys like that, and they got weeded out, and then they went over there, and some of them found out the grass isn’t greener.”
“I Would Love To Be Proved Wrong” – MJF On Aleister Black’s Attitude
While MJF admits that some stars who returned to WWE did find the grass was greener, he believes many will find the opposite and be released again, as was the case with Black.
“And perhaps some of them did, for them, the grass was greener, but I’d say a majority of the guys that were like, I’m just gonna use All Elite Wrestling to go to WWE, or to go back to WWE. I think you’re going to see a lot of those guys ask for a 50% pay cut from the office, or you’re going to see a lot of those guys just get released, and it’s unfortunate, because if you show up to our company and you work hard, there’s really no need to burn bridges.”
MJF went on to say that the majority of the AEW locker room has told him about Aleister Black’s attitude. However, he would love for him to prove him wrong.
“Like I said, I’m not s***ting on him. I’m just simply telling you what I was told by a majority of the locker room about this specific individual. So, as a team captain, as a leader, even though, yes, I am 30, and as somebody who’s been a part of this promotion since day one, I don’t want to deal with guys that don’t want to be team players. F**k off, go elsewhere, or f**king prove me wrong. I would love to be proved wrong. Be great, prove me wrong.”
Soon after Aleister Black was released from WWE on April 24th, reports emerged that AEW would not welcome back the star, with it being said the idea was not “fondly thought of.” Black is currently subject to a 90-day no-compete clause, and his pro wrestling future will be clearer once that period expires.
H/T to The Takedown on SI for the above transcription.
