Summary

JBL believes Aleister Black still has the tools of a main event talent, but he said the former WWE and AEW performer needs to come back with something different if he wants another run at the top level.

Black was among the WWE departures announced on April 24. While discussing that situation on Something To Wrestle, JBL said Black's upside has never been the issue. In his view, the problem is that the version of the character audiences have seen so far has not been enough to stick.

That puts extra attention on what Black does next outside WWE. The timing is notable, too, because Trick Williams recently named him as a dream opponent for his US title run, which shows Black's name is still part of the conversation when fans and wrestlers talk about meaningful future programs.

Quote from JBL

"I think Aleister Black is a main event guy and I think Aleister Black has to change.

You know, something that Eric [Bischoff] and JR [Jim Ross] are two very smart guys have both said, and it's what you see when guys go away, look at guys that have gone away and have come back.

Something has changed in them. They've done something to modify their character. They've done something to get over whatever that is. There's a reason to bring them back.

I think Aleister Black is a main event guy. I think there's an aura, there's a charisma about him that is innate, that draws you to him. I think he has a lot of the intangibles.

Whatever he's done has not worked. And so maybe that's the fault of the creative people that didn't see the right things in him. Don't know. But those people are the ones that are in charge, and they're still in charge, and they're going to be in charge.

So you got to figure out what you can do if indeed you want to come back, which I assume that he will want to do because that's where the real money is going to be.

You can make some money on the independents. You make some money in Japan. Now, thankfully, the real money is coming back, going to AEW or WWE, the two big companies. There's some other companies out there you can sign with. Those are where the big money is.

But you got to figure out something different because what you've done has not worked.

Now maybe that's the fault of the people that are creative, and look, I said I think Aleister Black is a main event guy. I think he's got aura and charisma about him. He's got all the intangibles, but what he's done has not worked.

So you got to do something different. You got to figure out a different iteration of the same character. You got to figure out a different character, whatever the heck it is.

You got to start throwing stuff at the wall and figure out what it is. You got to go to these independents and start trying a million different things. Try something at one of these independents and see if it works.

If it doesn't work, it's not on TV. Doesn't matter, doesn't care. It's just as valuable as stuff that works because you put what doesn't work in the bag too, you okay, I'm not going to try that anymore, but you might find something that works.

You got to go out there and try a million different things because what you've done has not got you staying at the dance. You want back to the dance? You got to figure out something else to do."

What JBL's comments mean for Aleister Black

Aleister Black's next run matters because JBL is not questioning the talent, he is questioning the presentation. If Black does work the independents or Japan before another major signing, the immediate consequence is that every appearance becomes a chance to test a version of the character that feels fresher than what WWE decision-makers saw before.

JBL's other point is that Black still has value because aura and charisma are not the issue. That makes the next step less about rebuilding his reputation from scratch and more about proving that a new direction can turn that presence into a stronger long-term spot on a WWE or AEW roster.

Sources

JBL on the Something to Wrestle With Podcast