Malakai Black announces dream opponent, and you’ll be surprised to hear who it is. And in other news, Braun Strowman will be getting back in the ring, and surprise, surprise, it isn’t for AEW or WWE.
Malakai’s dream opponent and acclimating himself to AEW
Malakai Black has certainly acclimated himself well in AEW thus far, it would seem, and he looks to be a perfect fit for the company. While speaking to the Wrestling Perspective Podcast, as was reported by WrestlingInc.com, he said this of his new workplace:
“…I’m still absorbing, I’m still absorbing…I come from the dojo mentality, so I was used to like sweeping mats and cleaning dojos and all that stuff. That’s always how I entered wrestling as well. I always kept that principle. That’s why in training, most of the times I wasn’t problematic. I got my ass chewed out a couple of times, as we all do. But I’ve always kept a level of trying to be humble all the time. One of the things I find very important is that especially the younger guys see that I’m approachable and that you can absolutely talk to me…I want the company to know that I’m there for them…”
via Wrestling Perspective Podcast
He’s stated that the AEW roster was opened to his arrival and very welcoming:
“…I had a good conversation with some of the members of the company. And it’s important for me, and I did this in WWE too, it’s important for me for them to understand I feel we’re all colleagues. From the ring crew to the lighting crew to the sound crew to the boys in the back to the people behind the table, we’re all part of the same team. I don’t look at anyone higher or lower, we’re all the same. We’re all there for one goal…I’m still slowly coming down on everything, because it’s a lot to absorb. I go from one place where I spent half a decade, dedicating myself, to now having a complete switch with another company that I’m absolutely going to give every single thing to. But it takes awhile to get rid of that half a decade of ‘this is how we did it there, and now we’re going to do it this way.’ And I’m still figuring that out. I came in the first time and I was like, it was that eggshell, eggshell feeling but it was quickly like everyone was like ‘no you don’t have to do that here’…”
via Wrestling Perspective Podcast
His dream opponent, he also stated, is none other than Kenta.
“One of the things I would really like is to compete against KENTA in Japan in his own setting.”
via Wrestling Perspective Podcast
In AEW, with the forbidden door well in place and gaining prominence, this is possible, where in WWE it most certainly wasn’t.
“…I just want to have something that means something, and I felt like AEW was the company that I could do that. I want to matter; I want it to mean something. I want to look back on this and go like ‘I did one thing right. At least one thing I did right. At least one person is going to say ‘Tom, because of you I became a wrestler. Because of what you did there, what you said there in that promo and what you did in that vignette or in that match, that turned me’…”
via Wrestling Perspective Podcast
Braun Strowman set to deliver “these hands”
As was reported by webisjericho.com, Apparently, Strowman is charging twenty grand per performance, and someone has decided to front the money.
He will be performing at Qatar Pro Wrestling in the Middle East, a company, or rather promotion that’s been around for eight years. Many AEW stars and others are set to appear apparently. They include: Jon Moxley, Sting, Bret Hart, Hiroshi Tanahashi and Booker T.
This event has only confused some, as it hasn’t been clear whether Strowman would be signing with AEW or back with WWE (it has been reported recently that they are interested in re-signing him despite their initial decision to release him, apparently in fear of his possibly going with the competition), and this doesn’t really help clear up the issue, as on one side, he is working an independent show, with AEW stars present, but the show is in the Middle East, where Vince McMahon’s WWE has obvious ties.
The mystery is still unsolved, but the fact that he’s getting back in the ring is promising. If he faces Jon Moxley…now that would be news worthy to print. We’ll most definitely keep you posted, friends and readers.
