During a recent interview with Bleacher Report, AEW’s Malakai Black detailed various aspects of his move to the company. This includes his name change, how much creative control he has, and why did he pick AEW? You can read some of the best bits from the interview below:
Why he became Malakai Black: “When I made the transition from point A to point B, I wanted to commit myself to something that was different but, at the same time, had enough recognizable traits that it was still in the same wheelhouse of what I have done before. I have always portrayed darker characters and my previous name was very ‘old testimony.’ I wanted to look at a name that was also referencing that but had different meanings. Malachi means messenger. He was a lesser prophet known in Hebrew. A lot of that character is based on European tribalism and paganism from around the time of Julius Caesar. There were a lot of Celtics in the lowlands who worshipped a deity called Cernunnos, and I based the mask and a lot of the dressing off of that symbolism. I find it fascinating. I had to do some digging and research to find something that would work in a similar fashion but still be something new.”
On signing with AEW after his WWE release: “I had a plan, and I think the only place in my head where this plan would come to fulfilment is AEW. The company is young, fresh and exciting. It brings an edge that professional wrestling has sorely needed. This character that I have clearly has a kind of edge to it that I could only portray in AEW. My agent communicated my thoughts to [AEW President] Tony Khan and he loved it. We had a quick conversation and then a long two- or three-day period where we were communicating a lot. The rest is history, and the impact has been seen.”
On how much creative control he has in AEW: “My creative input is almost 100%. I will send my ideas to Tony [Khan], and he will either give his thoughts on it or sign off on it. The locker room itself is absolutely great. It’s a group of people who will fight tooth and nail to get things done. There is a huge amount of talent in that locker room. I feel that after 21 years of being in this business, I can help that new generation and younger kids who will inherit this business and help them discover themselves. I can ask them the questions that will allow them to start the thinking process to make themselves better.”
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