Jim Ross Reveals What He Told Malakai Black After AEW Debut

AEW lead announcer Jim Ross has revealed what he told Malakai Black after he made his shock AEW debut this past Wednesday.

Black was able to appear earlier than anyone thought due to a mistake made by WWE in his contract that led to him only having a 30-day non-compete clause instead of 90 days.

Ross said that he genuinely had no idea about the debut, but he later told Black the company is counting on him to be one of its top stars.

Speaking on Busted Open, Ross said:

“Well, I’ll tell you the honest to God truth – I didn’t even know that he was there. We were in a unique building that was kind of old school, had different levels, and different, little cubby-holes. It was funny, Mark (Henry), Big Show and I shared a room for the announcers. I didn’t see this guy all day long, so I was shocked at how it came off.

“As many fans know that listen to my podcast – which drops every Thursday – I didn’t want to know. I react better if I don’t know the lay of the land, as much. I don’t look at this as a theatrical performance. I look at this as a ballgame, and I don’t need to know who wins the game until the game is over. I was pleasantly surprised that Malakai Black joined us. I saw him after the show, he shook my hand. I never met him before, he said he was glad to meet me and likewise for me.

“I said, ‘We’re counting on you. We’re counting on you to play in a big way. Not just come in and be one of the boys, but come in and be one of the stars’. I think he hadn’t heard that in a while. And I think that meant a lot to him. I wasn’t trying to blow smoke, I was just trying to say, ‘You’re a highly regarded piece of talent that we value and we’re happy you’re here. So, now we’re looking for great things. You set the bar high with your debut, now let’s see where we can take you’.”

Black appeared after the lights went out and struck both Arn Anderson and Cody Rhodes with Black Mass spin kicks, so it looks like Rhodes will be his first big feud.

Quote via Wrestling Inc

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• jim ross
• Debut
• Malakai Black
• AEW

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