MJF calls Malakai Black a ‘mark’ who used AEW as stepping stone
MJF believes the AEW locker room became a better place without people like Malakai Black in it.
With Black having been released by WWE last month, there’s speculation over whether he could make a return to AEW once his 90-day clause is up. Based on what MJF said during his appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show today, it sounds like the AEW locker room would be opposed to that idea. MJF said there’s been a night and day difference for the better since wrestlers who viewed the company as a stepping stone were weeded out of AEW. He described Black as the biggest offender of those who had that mindset.
MJF clarified that he does not really know Black on a personal level, describing him more as a “mark” than a bad guy.
“I think it’s pretty obvious that [the biggest offender was] Malakai Black,” MJF said. “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 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. 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 going to use All Elite Wrestling to go back to WWE,’ I think you’re going to see a lot of those guys asked for a 50 percent 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.”
“Majority” of AEW locker room felt the same way about Black —
MJF noted that he was speaking as a team captain and relaying how the majority of wrestlers in AEW felt about Black.
“Like I said, I’m not sh*tting on him. I’m just simply telling you what I was told by a majority of the locker room about this specific individual,” MJF said. “So as a team captain, as a leader — even though, yes, I am 30 — and as somebody who has been part of this promotion since day one, I don’t want to deal with guys that don’t want to be team players. F*** off, go elsewhere. Or f***ing prove me wrong. I would love to be proven wrong. It would be great. Prove me wrong.”
Black joined AEW in 2021 following his initial release from WWE and was with the promotion until he went back to WWE in 2025. Though disputed by Black, there were rumors that he was reluctant to lose matches during his AEW run.
AEW has denied that it is already in negotiations with Black for a return. Swerve Strickland, another one of AEW’s top stars, was less abrasive than MJF but non-committal when addressing whether he would like Black to return, saying that he just hopes Black is able to find what he’s looking for in wrestling to make him happy.
Joseph Currier is the lead editor of F4WOnline.com, directing daily news coverage and writing articles on professional wrestling. He is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts, obtaining a journalism degree in 2016. Joseph joined F4W during his time at UMass and has now been writing about the industry for nearly a decade.
In addition to his work with F4W, Joseph has previously contributed to Sports Illustrated's wrestling coverage. He lives in Massachusetts and is a diehard fan of the Boston sports teams and Liverpool Football Club.