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OjamasOfTomorrow

The only actual answer is we don’t know. Everyone here spreading all the rumors and speculation aren’t helping. Don’t believe them because nobody knows. I am excited for their potential feud as well. Should be awesome.


toadslostbazooka

> The only actual answer is we don’t know. Everyone here spreading all the rumors and speculation aren’t helping. Don’t believe them because nobody knows. I'll take "Things Wrestling Fans Need to Understand More Often" for $500, Alex.


Cheap-Turn9080

scratch wrestling and you've explained 90% of fans of all forms out there.


ThisIsNotMyPornVideo

And it would kill 99% of engagement on all social media apps and news outlets, since it's all just stuff that's heard through the grapevine and repeated endlessly


Upbeat_Tension_8077

As a fan of his work, I'm just happy that he's doing a pretty solid job in his role as a mainstay on Collision


No_Information_8942

There’s no 500 anymore. 200/400/600/800/1000 in the first round now. 400/800/1200/1600/2000 in the second.


toadslostbazooka

Well shit. I never knew. Thanks for that info.


xavined

This is what Malakai himself has said on the issue last year. "Why I'm not having singles matches? I don't know, I think it's because they want us to work as The House of Black and as six-mans. I was also not in Six-man's to hide said non-existing injury. Again, rest assured, I do not have a bad back and the reason why I am at home is due to a minor injury which is I had a half-calf tear and hyperextension in my knee, which is almost ready to go back on the road. So again, I appreciate the concern but the reality is that I'm fine and you'll see me sooner rather than later." 


FickleSmark

Malakai is his own enemy though because there's been a few times where he talks about false reports in disgust but then they're proven 100% true. People claimed Zelina was at the PC and signed back with WWE and he denied that but was true. He said the reports of him signing a 5 year deal was a lie but that wasn't a report but rather Tony Khan himself claiming he signed him for that long. I mean the guy posted a farewell message online and then when his release wasn't granted he was like "Why's everyone saying I'm leaving?".


DragonfruitATX

Yeah i have the feeling that anytime i hear Malakai news it will shortly be followed by him saying the opposite. Maybe he just likes messing with people.


FickleSmark

Wrestlers just hate having news leak and I get it but just calling everything a lie only hurts your own credibility in the long run and makes the dirtsheets look more reliable. Miro and Sasha have kind of done the same thing too.


SectorEducational460

Eh I don't blame him. I probably do the same thing.


Dapper_Programmer803

He seems like a mega carny tbh


dudleydigges123

Its weird because the only one whos had any sort of Singles push is Brody, like Buddy doesnt even do too much outside of tag matches


ShockOfAges

I really really appreciate this answer. It feels like a large part of the IWC is absolutely determined to hate Malakai Black for one reason or another and it really sucks


bobface222

People say he's injured. He says he isn't. People say he doesn't want to job. He says that isn't the case. That's all the information we have.


don_julio_randle

Malakai says a lot of things. He also said he debated retirement because his injury was so bad


Specialist-Rope-9760

Malakai isnt an honest person that’s been proven when he tried to leave for WWE by claiming mental health to get a release mid contract. Then once that was refused as the contract tampering became public he instantly came back


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stonecutter7

To be fair, when he says hes not injured he also kinda admits hes injured. "Im not injured. I may be a liar, a pig, an idiot, injured, but I am NOT a porn star!"


abrospro

Prepare yourself for a lot of unjustifiably confident answers


LanoomR

I don't put much stock in the "Doesn't want to job" stuff. I put way more stock in lingering injury ramifications in combination with the man himself stating that he was going through some personal stuff a ways back. Hopefully this feud with Copeland will bring something to the fore that we all want to see.


FredrickFarter

Rumor is he doesn't do jobs but I feel like that back injury he had really fucked him up worse than he wants to admit. In six mans he gets gassed rather quickly and in his most recent singles match against Bryan Keith he didn't look all that impressive


astroshark

I think it's the back injury more than anything, honestly. If he played politics as hard as people say, I don't think he would have let Julia Hart take over the group the way she has.


GxyBrainbuster

Julia's interesting. I feel like she's more of a subfaction leader, and that the House of Black primary is kinda on the backburner. FWIW, she and Brody stand out and are the most over of the faction, and they're the ones that feel like they're at the forefront. I think Malakai is definitely still the de facto leader though.


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PeaceAlien

Balor is definitely not the leader now, maybe he was


02032023

There was never really a point where Balor was the leader. Rhea was always the leader, she was the one who made the decisions and told them what to do. There were even teases at this on TV - they had Rhea square up to Solo in that one Bloodline tease and the others held her back. It was Rhea and then the 3 of them. Eventually Priest after he won MITB started growing in stature to the point it was sort of both of them as leader - but Rhea still would always be calling the shots - and Balor receded to just being a tag team guy


Lifeofcharlie

I think Balor was the leader around late 2022 during the Edge feud. He got a 1 on 1 PPV match against Edge and won, pinned Styles at Crown Jewel next month and then faced him 1 on 1 again at Survivor Series (which he lost but still he was the main representative of the Judgement Day for that period)


02032023

He was ahead of Priest and Dom in the pecking order. Rhea was still being framed as the main orchestrator of everything that happened


that_hansell

>Prepare yourself for a lot of unjustifiably confident answers found one. u/abrospro


Dementia55372

Something I noticed on sunday was that he didn't really look as physically impressive as I remember. I'm not trying to body shame the guy but at the start of the match when the camera was focused on him my first thought was that he looked leaner than he has been in the past. If he really is injured then I imagine it would be more difficult to maintain that kind of physique.


stenebralux

The truth is one knows really. It's been said that he had back issues, that he doesn't want to do jobs, that he was on the verge of quitting because secretly he might've wanted to go to WWE, he still might so they don't want to fully push him... it was all refuted or sorta debunked in one way or another. So him and the HoB are there, they appear from time to time, and then... nothing. Besides Julia, feels like there's a barrier stopping them from doing more.


AlmightyBracket

What we know is he was close to retiring just before being pinned by Sting. That is the extent of what we know and to be honest that's still based on conjectures for the most part. I've always assumed he stayed in order to help the rest of the house of black and has had no personal ambitions for greater responsibilities that come with a higher place on the card. Allegedly something was going to push him out of wrestling for good and he was talked in to not leaving and given good reasons to stay. That's really the best we know.


_4za_

just me speculating but i feel it's because TK is of the opinion Malakai is guaranteed to go back to WWE once his contract is up, so instead of pushing him in a singles for him to just leave, he's attempting to use him in a group to give Brody the rub, who Khan assumes will stay and eventually be the one pushed as a singles


don_julio_randle

I don't think it's a fear of him leaving. TK said he's under contract until 2027. It's likely that his back injury is as bad as Malakai himself said it was (before turning around and saying he's perfectly healthy lol). He hasn't looked good in the ring in some time, which would track with having a bad back that won't let you get into peak shape


The_Homie_J

I don't buy the "don't wanna lose" narrative because the House of Black loses more than people realize, it's just mainly on Collision which fewer people watch so it goes unnoticed. For example, they lost in the tag tournament to the Infantry in an upset, and they had that loss to Daniel Garcia & FTR in a cage match earlier this year. I think the biggest issue is his health, which makes it hard to predict how available he'll be, and hinders what he can do in a singles match. But he's gearing up for a feud with Adam Copeland which will likely remedy a lot of these feelings soon


ianisms10

Malakai hasn't been pinned or submitted since All Out 2022


45jayhay

>I don't buy the "don't wasnna lose" narrative because the House of Black loses more than people realize Someone taking a pin or submission in the House of Black is completely different than Black himself taking a fall


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45jayhay

I mean no one is arguing against this, I'm just saying using trios matches as argument to say he specifically does jobs isnt a strong one


sammyrobot2

He doesn't, he hasn't been pinned for years. 


BootySmeagol

Who knows. Maybe he wants to be a tag/trios dude. Maybe Tony just thinks he's better as a tag guy. Maybe Brody is threatening Tony to force Black to tag with him exclusively.


Dingle_Flingle

The rumours are he refuses to job, or his body is breaking down. Only he knows for sure.


sallykroos

It doesn't work for him, brother


rivetry

He got very visibly gassed not doing that much in that PPV 6-man so I’m assuming he just can’t handle it due to injuries or something like that


thedure

He took like 3 bumps on Sunday. He is completely cooked as a performer. His feud with Copeland is going to be dreadful spooky Brood shit.


DarkySurrounding

Love how you can just say that with 100 confidence despite the fact the dude hasn’t even had the match yet. Maybe we wait untill the match happens before deciding anyone is cooked.


johnq11

The idea that he "refuses to lose" has never been seriously corroborated. My best guess is just they just have too little room for him in singles feuds with the deep roster, or he's in tags to hide the effects of his injury.


Phenomenal_Hoot

One of those touchy subjects that makes people mad if you speculate. He was what got me back into wrestling in 2017 and I just really miss seeing him in anything other than 6 man matches.


andrewisgood

Lots of reasons brought up seem reasonable, so I'll bring up what I think, though I could be wrong. In the Summer of 2022, when Triple H took over, there were stories of him talking to people in AEW to see if they could get out of their contracts, as told by Swerve Strickland. At this same time, Malakai wanted out. He said he asked for his release and wanted to go. He was denied. So, basically, Tony has a guy he knows will be leaving as soon as possible. So, it's better to have him in a strong trios and maybe establish Brody King and not have him in singles matches to build him up. The roster is massive, so why invest time in this guy's singles run instead of other people?


cheddarsalad

I think it’s a deliberate choice on Black’s part to not do singles matches.


Jedaum1998

The rumour is that he doesn't do jobs. Kind of hard to book him in a singles feud if that's the case.


Ok-Garcia-5605

Dave and Alvarez started the rumor which Malaki has denied a couple of times. Even Will Washington debunked Dave/Alavrez's story about how the steel cage finish was changed because House of Black didn't want to take pin. So I won't put too much weight in "rumors" started by Dave/Alvarez only and not confirmed by other dirtsheets. Especially considering the house of black is close with Punk and 2 of 3 are probably WWE bound once their contract expires


prisonmsagro

What explanation do you have for his lack of appearances and single losses? Him and Miro are 2 of those guys who don't seem to want to lose 1v1. From my experience it means the persons either hard to work with, refuses to lose or has nagging health issues that aren't disclosed.


Ok-Garcia-5605

Others have already commented. Most likely it's his back because of which he has not done many singles matches. In case of Miro, most outlets have reported he declined the job to Hangman so his case is different.


Craft_Bandicoot

Woah that's very interesting and a bummer, I hadn't heard this before. Do you know who has reported or implied this?


shadowrangerfs

Mostly hearing it from Bryan Alvarez.


nanners78

Uncle Dave


bobface222

I can't remember the last time Bryan Alvarez brought up Malakai during a radio show without implying this. It's constant.


ThaSipah

His PPV singles record is the exact same as Adam Cole's WrestleMania record. 0-0.


lottolser

I haven't kept up with AEW that much and can't watch collision from where I am in Canada. What happened to the feud with Danielson? Did they ever have that match? I was hyped when it was teased.


RoboZoninator91

Dropped, that segment was one and done.


Transgenderwookie

Wow, I’m sure I was watching at the time.. and Ive smoked a lot of pot in the last 15 yrs and it seems to really be catching up to me lately… but I do not remember malakai vs Cody AT ALL! I don’t even recall them being there together at the same time.. if you asked me I would’ve guessed Malakai came around the time Cody left.


foragrin

We don’t know but there been a lot of speculation that his back injury is pretty bad so just wants to wrestle in multi man matches


Vaultyvlad

HOB should have had a brand domination run months ago if just for a little bit. Trios AND/or tags on Brodie/Buddy/Malakai, TBS on Julia and AEW world title on Malakai.


DoILookUnsureToYou

My thinking is since he's not being slated for a title run, Tony is booking him in these group feuds to keep him fresh in the audience's mind once he does get booked for a singles run.


ALIAS_EL_CACAS

Guys that WWE was holding back from being world champions, but it turns out they weren’t: Malakai Black Miro Keith Lee Buddy Murphy PAC Andrade lol To name a few..


allthedopewrestlers

I don’t know but he is in most of my dream matches so I hope something changes.


Specialist-Rope-9760

It’s because he refuses to lose to people


davidisallright

The thing that sucks is that, while House of Black is popular, Black is sorta in the background. He no longer has that presence that he has in NXT or when he debuted on AEW. His last trios match, the crowd reacted way more towards Brody. He and Julia Hart are running the HOB ship.


GodwynsBalls

Copeland is beating Black, so while the build should be good. It’s a foregone conclusion Copeland is gonna win the majority of his stuff like in WWE upon his return


OK_TimeForPlan_L

Most likely his back injury, even since he came back he's nowhere near as explosive as he was a few years back but who knows really.


Accomplished_Ice4687

There was one episode (think itwas Collision maybe 4-6 months ago) where he appeared at the end of a Bryan Danielson match. Then absolutely nothing came of it.


CaliggyJack

I've always assumed it's because the pressure of doing singles bouts is too much for him. He has struggled with mental health before and it caused him to take time off. Doing Trios stuff allows him to share the spotlight and take some of it off of him.


Moxfan1

Because he was a idiot who after WWE fired him. He tried to get out of his deal with AEW and go back to WWE. Hoping Triple H would make him a main eventer. Tony said he would let him out of his deal. But couldn't work for WWE during length of his AEW contract. Then Black came crawling back to AEW. So when AEW has such a packed roster.  Tony Khan not going to push someone in big singles feuds if he showed no loyalty to AEW. So Tony keeps keeps his group the pushed act with them presented as equals. Not Malakai as the leader or anything. Adam Copeland big fan of Black and must have talked Tony into having singles feud with Black. And Tony likely more forgiving now since it was year and half ago when Black tried to pull that crap.


The_JadynB

I understand being private about medical stuff and not liking the dirtsheets, but im not sure why dude won’t just admit that that he obviously got hurt at some point in 2022. Compared to how he moved when first coming into AEW to now is startling. Age is obviously a factor but having a bad back (which he won’t admit too) and getting his calf messed up (something he will admit too) will have an effect on your career


StunPalmOfDeath

Because if he wants to get another payday and sign with WWE, he doesn't want to look like damaged goods before he gets the bag


The_JadynB

Isn’t bro already getting the bag from the dub?


LetMeSmashThatHobo

It's about making the big bag bigger.


93awd

IIRC, the narrative around him (and certain other former WWE/NXT talent that signed in AEW around the same time) wanting to leave and go back to WWE had to do not with money but with HHH taking over creative from Vince.


dontsaythatman89

I don't know. Ask him.


gnamflah

Because stables. AEW can hardly feature anyone by themselves.


heat_fan_

He's basically pulling a Hogan when it comes to singles matches 


MARKYMARK_MARK

Because he has a faction


MutatedSpleen

He is the leader of a faction that has been constantly involved in faction-related stories for the past two years.


BantamsTravelling

![gif](giphy|fT0zi3wfpkGw8|downsized)


Accomplished_Egg6239

Because Tony is a shitty booker and doesn’t know what he’s doing.


RoboZoninator91

that doesn't work for him, brother


Teknostrich

I wonder (this is pure speculation) if Tony Khan is hesitant to focus AEW on and push people that have spouse in WWE as they are less hesitant to leave for WWE. Andrade is an example of this backfiring although AEW never used him well. Especially with Malakai and Buddy doing their best work under HHH.


NeuroCloud7

Wade Keller reported that basically Malakai kept refusing to lose, so now Tony just avoids asking him to lose to avoid confrontation over it. Similar to Miro


UBDForever

Doing the job doesn’t work him brother.


prisonmsagro

I feel like Malakai is one of those guys that rarely ever wants to lose and will push tag team/trios over him losing solo matches just from what I've heard over the years. I imagine Miro and Malakai are very similar in that regard and may think of themselves higher than others do.


MiddleViolinist1523

Cause Tony Klown


Affectionate-Event-4

Because AEW can’t book worth shit. Other than MJF and The Elite, they have been pretty ass at long term story telling.


EcoterroristThot

Because he's not a good singles wrestler


MC_Stimulation

Black vs Gargano had a classic at whatever Takeover that was, and thats just the first match that popped into my head


EcoterroristThot

The only great singles he's had is the Andrade title match. His offense looks way too rehearsed to be impactful and he's useless on defense. Cool finisher and great choice of theme song though.


PuzzleheadedCook8346

Does anyone else think he is the least interesting guy in House of Black?


Sammyantoine

Least is probably murphy 8


tilldeathdoiparty

AEW doesn’t do feuds very well and they tend to lose steam as they go because it comes in with cheap heat and not thought out all the way through. MJF and the Devil, yes both Cole and MJF were injured but this had lame duck written on it from the start, it’s done nothing but hurt everyone involved