Paul Heyman had plans to make Malakai Black one of the top players in WWE. Unfortunately, it was not meant to be.

WWE appointed Heyman as the Executive Director of Monday Night Raw in June 2019. During that stint, he identified several underutilized wrestlers that he saw as having big potential. AEW star Malakai Black (formerly Aleister Black) was at the top of that list.

On the latest Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer revealed that Heyman wanted Black to wrestle and defeat Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 36. The victory would have handed Black the biggest win of his career. He would have been solidified as a top star on the Raw brand.

Heyman did not get his wish and Drew McIntyre got that spot instead. The feeling at the time was that McIntyre was more over with the fans. He won the 2020 Royal Rumble and went on to defeat Brock Lesnar for the WWE championship in the main event of WrestleMania 36.

Black, on the other hand, defeated Bobby Lashley in a singles match on the show. He made a few appearances on WWE television after that, but his best days in WWE were behind him at that point.

WWE released Malakai Black on June 2, 2021.