It seems WWE has had some serious regrets about releasing Aleister Black, and we recently learned that the company is trying hard to bring him back into the fold. The fact he's rumoured to be in talks with AEW seems to have spurred them on, but it could be too late to win him back at this stage.
During a recent edition of Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer was asked if WWE is able to keep Black under contract as he is still under a non-compete.
Black has, in fact, been released, so the only way he'll return to WWE is if they sign him to a new deal. "Maybe they’ll give [Aleister] the same money," Meltzer said after talking about how Drake Maverick returned to WWE and then went to NXT for less money. "Everyone’s different, everyone has different wants. Unofficially because you’re not allowed to negotiate, I certainly have heard at one point not many days ago that to expect him in AEW."
"Officially there’s no deal, there can’t be a deal until the end of August so we’ll see. [WWE does] have exclusive rights to negotiate with him right now as far as legally goes," he continued. "They could offer less money and if he agrees, he can come back. They can offer the same money, they can offer more money but he is not bound to have to come back."
If Black does head to AEW, then it would make sense for him to be paired up with his wife, Thea Trinidad (known as Zelina Vega in WWE). During the latest episode of Dynamite, Andrade El Idolo said that he and Vickie Guerrero have a surprise for fans, and there's speculation that will be Trinidad's AEW debut.
We'll keep you updated as we learn more!