Malakai Black confirms he requested AEW release
While not confirming his current contractual status, Malakai Black took to Instagram Sunday to confirm that he did ask for his release from AEW — something that has been on his mind for the last six months.
The reason he has been silent is that he needed to wait to take the time to think about the words he wanted to say with all the “turmoil going on in the landscape of Professional Wrestling” in addition to when the conversations “between mine and AEW’s camp had come to a conclusion.”
In the statement seen below, Black wrote that the last two years of his life has “lended to a lot of set-backs” for both he and his wife. Those included “loss of life, medical set backs, career jeopardizing, the suicide of a close friend, and a close family member almost losing their life” followed by a injury that he believed was career-ending.
After detailing what he needs to go through in order to just walk, Black wrote, “Now this being the tip of the iceberg and with the combination of the promises in my professional field that were not upheld which resulted as a combination of all of these to a complete demoralization of life and career. This decision has been in my mind for the past six months.”
He said that perhaps once his mind settles on certain things and processes from the past two years, he will discuss more exact details and have a more informed conversation about them.
Similar to his promo from Saturday night at an indie show, he wrote that he is taking time off for the first time in 22 years.
He disliked that private conversations between he and AEW, in addition to topics surrounding his mental well-being, made their way public as he wanted to be the one to decide such things.
He said none of the narratives about his release, his mental health or the state of his marriage are true.
“My marriage is fine, I am fine. It is just time to make sure those things stay that way.”
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