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KYLE O'REILLY AND MALAKAI BLACK-AEW UPDATES

By Mike Johnson on 2022-09-02 12:46:00

AEW sources have confirmed Kyle O'Reilly recently underwent surgery but would not comment on the nature of it.  O'Reilly implied he underwent neck fusion surgery on his Instagram Stories.  We will O'Reilly the best for a quick and painless recovery.

There's also been a LOT of talk over the last 24 hours about the status of Malakai Black.  Raj Giri of WrestlingInc.com is reporting Black asked for an AEW release, citing personal issues and his mental health but it has not been granted.  We can confirm that in speaking to closes source to Black, there has been a personal situation weighing heavily on him and he's privately talked about taking a long, perhaps permanent, break from professional wrestling, in order to deal with the issues.  Giri also reported that how Black has been presented has weighed on him, and obviously, he hasn't been in the top mix for some time while having a rep for being very creative and driven.  Dave Scherer and I talked about this on today's We Don't Need No Stinkin' Name Show.  It's a hard situation for all sides.  Obviously, AEW doesn't want to create a precedent where anyone who could potentially return to WWE gets a chance, but if something is wrong with Black's mental or spiritual health, you also don't want to chance him or someone else getting accidentally hurt, either.  It's not an easy position for anyone involved to be in, obviously.  We wish Black and his family all the best as he navigates his personal issues.  As of today, he is still scheduled for All Out and is still with the company.

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