Aleister Black’s path following his WWE release may not lead back to AEW — and Dave Meltzer has explained why, with sources within the promotion described as “pretty negative” on the prospect of his return. Speaking on Wrestling Observer Radio, Meltzer outlined what he heard from people inside AEW about both Black and fellow released star Andrade.
“From what I have heard, and you may have heard differently, that the idea of Aleister Black and AEW was not fondly thought out by the people I spoke with there. Now, I did not speak to Tony Khan. Andrade was mixed — I know people there that were not high on Andrade at all and others who were. Black, from what I gathered, pretty negative. There were even people who publicly said that. That they were negative on Black,” Meltzer said.
AEW’s Shawn Dean Publicly Rejected the Idea of House of Black Returning to the Promotion With a Single Word
The sentiment Meltzer described had already been made public by at least one AEW figure before his report. Shawn Dean — an AEW wrestler who also serves as the promotion’s Extras Coordinator — responded to a Threads post about the possibility of House of Black returning to AEW with a single word: “No.” Black’s previous AEW run from 2021 to early 2025 ended amid reported criticism from colleagues over a perceived reluctance to lose matches and frequent injury claims, as well as a reportedly strained relationship with Tony Khan. He and wife Zelina Vega were both released by WWE on April 24 as part of the post-WrestleMania 42 roster reduction.
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