AEW Denies Negotiations With Aleister Black Amid Conflicting Reports

Aleister Black’s wrestling future has suddenly become even more confusing after conflicting reports emerged regarding a possible return to AEW.

Following WWE’s latest round of post-WrestleMania releases, Aleister Black immediately became one of the most talked-about free agents on the market. Early reports from WrestleVotes Radio suggested that AEW internally did not expect him to return anytime soon, despite his previous run leading the House of Black faction.

Then things changed. On May 6, 2026, SEScoops claimed that Black was actually in active negotiations with AEW, directly contradicting earlier reports that the company had little interest in bringing him back. According to SEScoops, discussions were happening behind the scenes even if no deal had yet been finalized.

"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."

Now there’s another update— and it pushes back against that report completely. According to Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful, AEW has outright denied that negotiations are currently taking place with Black.

“AEW has denied to Fightful that they are currently in negotiations with Malakai Black.”

That leaves the situation extremely unclear. On one side, SEScoops reported that conversations were actively happening between the two sides despite public perception suggesting otherwise. On the other hand, Fightful now says AEW directly denied being in negotiations at all when asked about the report.

The situation has drawn even more attention because of Black’s complicated history with AEW. During his previous run, he led the House of Black faction and remained a heavily featured character at times, though his run was also surrounded by long stretches of absence, injury speculation, and questions regarding his status before eventually returning to WWE in 2025.

Now, after being released again by WWE, fans immediately assumed AEW would be the obvious landing spot — but the reporting surrounding the situation has become increasingly contradictory over the last several days.

Bottom line, despite reports of talks happening behind the scenes, AEW is publicly saying there’s nothing going on right now, adding more uncertainty to Aleister Black’s next move.

Do you think Malakai Black eventually ends up back in AEW, or could he surprise everyone and take a completely different path after WWE? Let us know your thoughts.