After his shocking AEW debut and subsequent feud with Cody Rhodes, Malakai Black has cooled slightly in the company, but his presentation and convincing performances have kept him afloat for the time being. There is also an intrigue surrounding Black when it comes to the ‘House of Black’, which has been mentioned by him on numerous occasions.
RELATED: 10 Random Wrestlers In Stables (That Surprisingly Worked)
There has been much speculation that this will be the name of his stable, with people being taken in and turned by Black. With AEW being jam-packed full of factions, the company would be wise to carefully think about who should and shouldn’t be added into a brand-new group.
10 SHOULDN’T: Abadon
When looking at the bloody, gruesome gimmick that is Abadon, it could be easy to point towards someone like this joining a group led by someone else who also wears spooky face paint. The House of Black should certainly have a darker atmosphere around it, but Abadon is too extreme for that.
Despite having a couple of good matches here and there, Abadon has struggled to find a spot, and that is due to her gimmick being too overly magical to work in the AEW environment. Her joining Black could cheapen his group, and there should be no risks to derail a potentially strong faction.
9 SHOULD: Brock Anderson
Like many members of the Nightmare Family, Brock Anderson feels like a clean-cut babyface with zero character. He is simply a trainee of Rhodes and has a family lineage to currently back him up. However, with a striking resemblance to his father and nothing much else to show, something more needs to be done so that he can establish himself.
After already having issues with Black, being enticed over the dark side could open a whole new level of depth to Anderson and would truly be a way to make him feel like his own performer, and not just being around due to his legendary dad.
8 SHOULDN’T: Any Member of The Dark Order
The Dark Order were originally a cult group, being led by Mr. Brodie Lee. In the aftermath of his unfortunate passing, the group turned face, focusing more on the quality and importance of friendship.
With their history as a cult, with a darker undertone to their past, AEW needs to resist any temptation to break the group up, as they work so strongly together as a team. With the members all having the previous potential to join a dark cult, none of the individuals should follow the same path again.
7 SHOULD: Tony Nese
The former WWE Cruiserweight Champion was one of the more peculiar AEW signings in recent times. After not being given the opportunity to show character or charisma in WWE, he was surprisingly signed to AEW, with fans not seeming overly enthralled by the decision.
RELATED: The Hurt Business & 9 Other WWE Stables That Reformed After Splitting Up
There is no doubting of his talents in the ring, but in a company full of elite performers, that isn’t enough, so being a member of a unique group such as the House of Black could be a turning point for his career and could allow him to show much more range than he has done previously.
6 SHOULDN’T: Luther
Luther is an enhancement talent, working mostly on Dark and Elevation with very few TV appearances. He made his debut as a crazed member of the Nightmare Collective, which has gone down as one of the worst groups in AEW history, so much so that it was completely scrapped from television with no mention of it ever again.
With Luther having this deranged side to him, and with the fact that he is doing nothing of note on the roster, AEW could pluck him from Dark to add to the numbers of Black’s group, even if to just be a member to take the fall in matches. In his brief moments on TV, it is clear that Luther doesn’t hold the desired quality to be a regular weekly fixture, and with his poor history in a group looming over him, he should be kept far away from the House of Black.
5 SHOULD: Kip Sabian
Since being written off TV to deal with an injury, Kip Sabian has been absent from AEW for quite some time. On his social media, Sabian has hinted at a potentially more unhinged character going forwards. With him currently being lost without a spot on television, being ‘saved’ by Malakai Black could be a great idea.
Sabian is one of the many promising young talents on the roster, so he needs to be used in some way. Escaping his previous gimmick for something more sinister would be a great way to utilise him, and him joining would make sense given big losses that he suffered before getting injured, notably in his feud with the Best Friends, and subsequent beatdown by former ally, Miro.
4 SHOULDN’T: Cody Rhodes
Cody Rhodes was Black’s first opponent and feud in AEW, with Rhodes acting as the good to Black’s evil. This was the ultimate turning point in which fans began to reject Rhodes as a babyface, booing him out of every arena. Fans have clamoured for Rhodes to turn heel and turning to side with Black would actually make sense within the story that was told between them.
However, if Rhodes is to turn heel, it should be as an oblivious heel who believes he is the biggest face in the world. With how much Rhodes is acting as an over-the-top good guy, this may be the direction AEW is going in anyway, but either way, a heel turn joining Black would leave fans constantly on edge that he is going to break free from being a bad guy and once again try to become a mega face.
3 SHOULD: Julia Hart
After Malakai Black appeared on the stage and sprayed black mist into the eyes of Julia Hart, some fans online considered the possibility of her moving to the dark side. With Alexa Bliss being a hugely divisive character when she switched to a spooky gimmick in WWE, there would be a definite fear that Hart could go down the same route.
However, if booked correctly and seriously, joining Black could give Hart a much-needed boost to the next level. It would also open the door for the Varsity Blondes to be elevated too by feuding with the House of Black. Pillman and Garrison as the white meat babyfaces would be fantastic opposition for the darker and brooding group.
2 SHOULDN’T: Andrade El Idolo
Malakai Black and Andrade have been intertwined on TV, becoming allies against Cody Rhodes and Pac. However, Andrade is somebody who should not join the House of Black by any means.
RELATED: Lone Wolves: 10 WWE Wrestlers Who Were Surprisingly Never In A Stable
Andrade has the potential to be a superstar – he looks a million bucks and is sensational in the ring. Being a member of a scary group doesn’t fit his character at all. He needs to be a top singles competitor, but he can’t do that by joining one of AEW’s many factions.
1 SHOULD: Pac
In his recent feud with Black and Andrade, Pac has twice suffered being blinded by the mist sprayed into his eyes, in addition to several assaults at the hands of the heels. These ambushes could lead to him being at the point where he has no choice but to join with his enemies.
Pac was presented as one the bigger stars in the company when AEW began, but he has largely wandered around the midcard, with the occasional title pursuit. He remains a presence but needs something more to stop him from becoming stale. With his promo style and hard-hitting ring work, he would be the perfect fit and a top name who would not only benefit from joining the House of Black, but he would elevate it too.
