AEW Denies Being In Talks With Aleister Black

All Elite Wrestling have denied they are in talks with Aleister Black following his WWE release.

Fightful Select has reported that AEW are currently denying they are in "active negotiations" with Aleister Black. Bryan Alvarez of the Wrestling Observer, meanwhile, has noted that people in AEW were astounded by a report that the promotion was negotiating with Aleister Black.

Alvarez tweeted, "I know people in AEW who saw the report that AEW was negotiating with Aleister Black and I can tell you that they were absolutely astounded."

This comes after Mike Reichlin of SEScoops reported that despite the public framing of relations between AEW and Aleister Black, the two parties were in "active negotiations." Terms had not been finalised, nor was an agreement in place, according to the report.

Aleister Black is set to become a free agent in July after he was released by WWE on Friday, April 24. It was reported soon after his release that people in AEW were "pretty negative" about the prospect of Black returning to the promotion, while it was also noted the belief within All Elite Wrestling was the former Tommy End would not be coming back to the company.

This didn't mean Black would be gone from AEW forever, though, as it was also reported that the bridge with Aleister Black was not considered burned within AEW.

Aleister Black previously wrestled for AEW from July 2021 until his contract expired in February 2025. Black received criticism from his AEW colleagues during his time with the promotion over a perception he was reluctant to "doing business." This included doing jobs for other talents and him frequently claiming to be injured.

Black returned to WWE on the SmackDown after WrestleMania 41 in April 2025, but he was released just one year into his second run with the organisation.