Aleister Black Shuts Down Rumors About AEW Exit And Reveals Why He Returned To WWE

Aleister Black is setting the record straight about his time in AEW — and the real reason he decided to come back to WWE.

During an interview on The Ringer Wrestling Show, Black addressed online speculation that he was unhappy in AEW, refused to lose matches, and was simply biding his time until WWE brought him back. He called those narratives completely false.

“People want to desperately have a narrative. ‘He never wanted to be in AEW.’ That’s completely false. That’s absolutely not true. I had a great time in AEW. I had a lot of fun. Did I do everything that I wanted to do? No, but that’s okay. At the end of the day, that’s not my company and I don’t have any say.”

Black also laughed off the rumor that he would refuse to be pinned, questioning the logic of him having that much political power in the company.

When it came to leaving AEW for WWE, Black said it was strictly about business and creative direction.

“I made a calculated business decision and I looked at what I wanted to do, where I wanted to do it, and how I wanted to do it. Listening to option A and what they wanted, option B and what they wanted, and I picked the one that, business-wise, made sense for me.”

Since returning to WWE in April 2025, Black has been a featured competitor on SmackDown. He’s set to face The Judgment Day’s Damian Priest tonight in a major singles match on the final episode before SummerSlam.

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