Malakai Black’s comments about WWE making him a “mountain” of promises have gotten plenty of people talking. Eric Bischoff questioned whether those promises were ever really promises in the first place, and now Jim Ross has jumped into the conversation with a different take. JR isn’t calling Black a liar, but he does think there’s a better way to handle all of this.
Speaking on Grilling JR, Ross made it clear from the start that this isn’t about whether Black is talented. If anything, he thinks Black is one of those wrestlers who can fit almost anywhere because of his look, his style and what he brings in the ring. That’s why JR doesn’t see Black struggling to find work, regardless of what’s happened over the last few months.
“Oh, he’ll always find work because he’s a hell of a hand. He’s got a unique look and can have great matches with a variety of talents, as a babyface or a heel. So, I’m a big fan of his work.”
Ross admitted the next chapter of Black’s career might not be as simple as signing one long-term deal tomorrow, but he still expects him to stay busy. In his mind, it may just take putting together different opportunities until the right situation comes along.
“So he won’t have a problem, in my opinion, finding more work. He may have to piecemeal, put stuff together, bring, try to get pieces fit like on a crossword puzzle so that there’s an image that you can recognize.”
After putting Black over as a performer, JR turned to the WWE comments that have made headlines recently. His biggest issue wasn’t whether Black had the right to be frustrated—it was that he thinks it’s time to stop revisiting the situation publicly.
“But he needs to get off the drama train for sure.”
Unlike Bischoff, Ross never suggested Black was making things up. In fact, he went out of his way to say he has no reason to doubt Black’s version of events. As far as JR is concerned, if that’s how Black remembers what happened, then that’s his truth.
“I’m sure, I have no reason to think he’s not telling the truth, and this is how he perceives what his issues in WWE were or what was promised.”
Where Ross sees the problem is somewhere else entirely. He wondered why those alleged promises weren’t written into Black’s contract if they were truly that important. To JR, that’s exactly what contracts are supposed to protect: “Did you get the promises in writing?” Ross said it would’ve been easy enough to add language guaranteeing certain things if both sides really agreed to them during negotiations.
“I don’t mean, so you can easily add a little addendum to a contract and say, ‘WWE hereby guarantees the following for said client,’ blah, blah, blah. It’s easy. And that way they got it on paper.”
From JR’s perspective, having those commitments in writing would’ve stopped this entire debate before it ever started.
“So then this issue would be a non-issue because you got it on paper. It’s a whole different set of rules.”
Ross went back to the “drama train” comment. He said the biggest concern isn’t whether Black’s complaints are justified. It’s how another promoter might look at someone who keeps publicly airing frustrations from a previous employer.
“So that’s what I’d say, Connie. He needs to get away from all the drama because nobody wants to hire somebody that they perceive might be a headache.”
Black has never been shy about talking about his WWE experience, and there’s no sign he’s done telling that story. The bigger question now is whether he keeps looking back—or starts creating the next chapter of his career.
Do you think Malakai Black is helping himself by speaking out, or is Jim Ross right that it’s time to move on? Let us know in the comments below.
This transcript was produced exclusively for Ringside News from the original recording. Republishing the transcription in full is prohibited. When using excerpts, provide prominent credit and a link to this article.
