However they come about, WWE roster cuts always give us a lot to talk about.
Aleister Black’s future is the topic of today’s top rumor:
Like Andrade, Aleister Black’s long-rumored WWE return was fairly uneventful and much shorter than anyone expected. Actually, Andrade’s second WWE run was longer; Black actually only lasted a year before he and his wife Zelina Vega were among the talent WWE let go in its annual post-WrestleMania releases.
Seeing as there were rumors about the 40-year-old Dutchman being unhappy for what felt like the entirety of his three-plus
years in AEW as Malakai Black, few expected SEScoops’ Mike Reichlin’s report that Tom Budgen (Black’s legal name) “is in active negotiations with All Elite Wrestling” yesterday. A lot of reactions to aggregation of Reichlin’s story around the wrestle web yesterday were similar to our own GM05’s in The Feed:
Fightful’s Sean Ross Sapp got a denial from AEW, which was followed by f4wonline’s Bryan Alvarez telling his X subscribers, “I know people in AEW who saw the report that AEW was negotiating with Aleister Black and I can tell you that they were absolutely astounded.”
People in AEW who’ve gone on the record include announcer Jim Ross, who said Black was running out of chances but hadn’t burnt his bridge to Tony Khan’s company yet. Tony Schiavone said he was surprised WWE released Black “because he and I are friends”, but that AEW voice — who has a talent relations role in addition to his announcing and interviewing ones — said on his What Happened When podcast that he hadn’t spoken to his friend since WWE cut him loose. Shawn Dean, who works with talent and extras for AEW and Ring of Honor in addition to wrestling for them, replied to a fan account suggesting AEW reunite the House of Black stable with Black and his wife with “no”, but later indicated to a fan he had replied in character.
And while Wrestling Observer’s Dave Meltzer and Fightful’s Sapp have reported there’s a lot of hard feeling about Black at AEW after he was alleged to have refused to take losses to many opponents and generally looked down on the promotion after his years in WWE, both both stopped short of saying that Black had burned any bridges.
Which makes Reichlin’s update to his story for SEScoops seem plausible:
According to a source with direct knowledge of the discussions, those conversations are happening regardless of the public framing. Terms have not been finalized, and no agreement is in place.
But that’s not the only rumor out there…
- WWE currently plans to debut Blake Monroe on SmackDown by the end of May, according to PWInsider. But the site reminds us that plans change all the time in pro wrestling.
- Chelsea Green posted that she’ll be back in WWE “very soon” after undergoing a medical procedure to correct a heart issue.
- WWE filed to trademark on “Naraku”, EVIL’s new WWE name. Regarding Fightful’s report it would be be something else, Sapp posted that “there were internal materials for EVIL with the trademarked name Nox Raijin as recently as Sunday, so it seems like the name adjustment was recent.”
- Jim Rodriguez, a former producer at DAZN, Univision, and ESPN who’s also done some television hosting in English and Spanish, announced he’s joined Team WWE: “Bucket list job! I’ve joined the WWE as a Senior Associate Producer. Gonna be involved with RAW, Smackdown, NXT productions and making trips to Mexico for AAA. Beyond excited.”
- Earlier this week Emmy-nominated production designer Hunter Selby shared that he’d “accepted a new position as Director of Show Production and Design at WWE.” Selby was recognized for his work on American Idol, and SNL’s 50th anniversary special.
- Mike Santana filed to trademark that name himself (his real name is Mark Sanchez Jr.), which comes a month after a PWInsider report that Santana’s TNA contract is up this summer.
Get in on this, Cagesiders.
