House of Black has declared that they have no more leaders.

AEW has recently been teasing the reformation of the group featuring Julia Hart, Brody King, and Buddy Matthews as the faction’s leader Malakai Black prepares to exit the company.

Over the last few weeks, the trio have been told that they do not need a leader by people like Cope and Will Ospreay. This new direction of the group was confirmed in a vignette on this week’s Dynamite, where the three declared that they don’t have a guiding voice anymore:

“For years we’ve had a voice to guide us, that voice was all but deafening. Now that voice has gone silent and we’re done living in the shadows. It’s time to honor ourselves. No rules. No leaders. No gods. No masters. Just violence.”

Brody King, Buddy Matthews and Julia Hart are continuing without Malakai pic.twitter.com/1Dq4eNeA1L

— Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful.com (@SeanRossSapp) January 23, 2025

Malakai Black joined the Elite promotion in 2021. Despite his singles success in WWE, the former NXT champion was put into this group and he’s never won a singles title in his four years with the company. Black’s contract is expected to expire sometime before March and it’s believed that he’s on his way back to WWE.

While AEW has teased the other members of his faction having singles run, it appears that they’ll continue operating as a group as well. A new trademark filing has also revealed the potential new name for them moving forward. You can check out more about it here.

• Did WWE Drop A Malakai Black Tease During Raw?

Julia Hart is back in action after spending the majority of 2024 away from the ring. A key figure in AEW’s women’s division, Hart was sidelined following her April 2024 loss to Willow Nightingale at AEW Dynasty, where she dropped the AEW TBS Championship.

Speculation about Hart’s return began months ago when her House of Black stablemate, Brody King, teased that fans might see her back soon. By November, rumors intensified, with reports indicating Hart was expected to return in the near future. AEW further fueled anticipation by airing vignettes building up to her comeback.

Hart made her official return on the December 14th episode of Collision by attacking Jamie Hayter. On this week’s Dynamite, Hart stepped back into the ring, facing Hayter in her first match since April. Hayter went over after distracting the referee with an arrow to spit black mist in the eyes of Hater.

Hart’s re-emergence adds depth to AEW’s women’s roster as she seeks to reclaim her momentum following her championship reign and subsequent hiatus. With her in-ring return now underway, fans are eager to see what’s next for the former TBS Champion.

Julia Hart’s long-awaited return to AEW programming was highlighted during the latest Collision with a creepy vignette of the ex-TBS Champion.

The vignette starts with Hart doing some cheerleading, a nod to her time with the Varsity Blonds, only to stop as she sees a dark figure sat in the stands watching intently. Hart tries to resume her cheerleading, with flashes of her time in the House of Black appearing on-screen, and is shot with an arrow by the dark figure and collapses in the middle of the field. The promo ends with Hart waking up from a dream.

Many have commended the vignette which hyped Hart’s impending comeback in a unique, thought-provoking way. On X, Dani, a creative photographer, shared that she was the one behind the segment.

Hart has been off AEW television since losing the AEW TBS Championship to Willow Nightingale at AEW Dynasty in April. Shortly after, Hart confirmed that she’d suffered an injury and wore a protective brace on her left arm. Last month, Hart said she was ready to return and was waiting for the call from AEW to come back.

Hart’s work with the House of Black proved to be a hit with fans before her injury and she holds wins over the likes of Anna Jay, Kris Statlander, Skye Blue, and Saraya. While there’s no confirmation on when fans can expect Hart back in the ring, fans are excited to see the wrestler, who recently celebrated her 23rd birthday, make her return in the near future

AEW is set to welcome back another one of its stars, Julia Hart, who had been a key figure in the AEW women’s division before her absence. Hart has been off television since April, following her loss of the AEW TBS Championship to Willow Nightingale at AEW Dynasty.

During an interview with Stephanie Chase, Brody King previously hinted that fans could expect Hart to return to action soon. Hart has also been dropping subtle hints about her comeback.

Thus far in 2024, she holds a 6-3 record, with four of those bouts being TBS Title defenses. The speculation is over. During an appearance on Highspots Sign It Live, Hart confirmed that she is indeed ready for her return.

“I am ready. I’m just waiting for the call. Who knows when I’ll pop up,” Hart shared.

As of this writing, there is no official word on when exactly Hart will return or what AEW has planned for her when she does. With Hart being back in the fold, she has matches with the likes of TBS Champion Mercedes Mone, Kamille, and Women’s Champion Mariah May waiting for her.

It’s Friday, and you know what that means, it’s time for the Daily Drop. Today’s edition should catch you up on everything you need to know before going out into the pro wrestling community today.

Before we get going, probably the biggest story in pro wrestling has to do with Janel Grant’s lawsuit. John Laurinaitis has changed his position in the ongoing legal case involving former WWE executive Vince McMahon. Previously, Laurinaitis had claimed to be a victim but has now filed a motion to support McMahon’s efforts to counter Janel Grant’s allegations. This change is a significant shift in the case. Initially, Laurinaitis distanced himself from McMahon, but his latest legal action aligns him closely with McMahon, forming a united front against Grant’s accusations.

WWE:

WWE SmackDown 5/3 Card:

• A-Town Down Under (Grayson Waller & Austin Theory) versus The Street Profits – WWE Tag Team Championship Match
• New Catch Republic (Axiom & Nathan Frazer) against Authors of Pain
• Cody Rhodes and A.J. Styles face off ahead of their Undisputed WWE Championship match at Backlash
• Debut of the RKO Show, hosted by Randy Orton & Kevin Owens

https://www.instagram.com/p/p:C6ZWe2Ci4_Y

Rollins Isn’t Leaving: On Friday morning, news broke that Seth Rollins has inked a new deal with WWE. The details are not 100% clear at this time, but his new multi-year contract will keep him with WWE into his 40s. The Visionary is currently only 37-years-old.

SmackDown Plans: Tonight’s episode of SmackDown will air on a tape-delay for fans in America. That being said, it will be a rare treat for fans in the UK, as they get to watch a SmackDown show live for once at a decent time, 6:00 PM local time. WWE Backlash is going down tomorrow, May 4, and coverage starts at 1:00 PM EST.

AEW:

Ethan Page Gone: Although he entered AEW with a lot of momentum, coming off a great run with The North and tag team partner Josh Alexander in Impact Wrestling, Page didn’t do a lot in AEW. Now, he is gone from the company, as he had been wanting to leave the Land of All Elite since February.

Julia Hart Injured: The former TBS Champion confirmed that she is injured. She also may need surgery to fix her issue before making a return to the ring.

AEW Viewership: The May 1st edition of AEW Dynamite attracted 703,000 viewers with a 0.24 rating in the 18-49 demographic, showing a slight increase from the previous week’s 683,000 viewers and a 0.23 rating. Following Dynamite, Rampage aired a live episode and drew 431,000 viewers with a 0.15 demographic rating. This was a significant improvement over the last Rampage after Collision, which had 293,000 viewers and a 0.09 rating.

Here are the upcoming major wrestling events

• Saturday, May 25: King & Queen of the Ring (PLE)
• Sunday, May 26: AEW Double or Nothing (PPV)
• Sunday, June 9: NXT Battleground (PLE)

Former AEW TBS Champion has confirmed reports of an injury that is expected to keep the House of Black member out of action for some time. 

Taking to Instagram, Hart shared a selfie of herself in a hospital gown with a protective brace on her left arm. The 22-year-old wrestler also shared a three-word message for her comeback, stating she would ‘Recover. Rebuild. Reclaim.’

Hart’s photo comes after reports over the weekend that she’d suffered an injury that was expected to require surgery. As a result, the former TBS Champion is not scheduled for any upcoming AEW TV tapings. She was also not present for this week’s episode of AEW Dynamite which saw the House of Black continue its program with Adam Copeland. 

This is the latest setback for Hart who only recently returned from another injury. An undisclosed injury led to Hart missing close to two months of in-ring time earlier this year before she made her return to competition at AEW Revolution 2024. 

More AEW Injuries

Hart is hardly the only name on AEW’s roster which has been sidelined due to an injury. Adam Cole has been appearing on AEW TV with the Undisputed Kingdom but has been dealing with a broken ankle since September 2023. Jamie Hayter’s push was derailed due to a shoulder injury suffered in May 2023 and she has yet to compete since then. Kenny Omega was on this week’s Dynamite but it’s expected that it’ll be many months before he can wrestle as he’s yet to undergo surgery for his diverticulitis. 

More from Julia Hart

Here are some recent articles regarding Julia Hart as the youngest champion in AEW history recovers from her latest setback: 

Two of AEW featured stars in Powerhouse Hobbs and Julia Hart are reportedly injured and the initial thought is not promising for the former champions.

According to Fightful Select, Julia Hart has suffered an injury that may require surgery. This is after Hart has ran into a string of recent injuries as of late and the timeframe for her return is currently unknown. She reportedly was injured on the lead-up to AEW Dynasty where she dropped the TBS Championship to Willow Nightingale. Hart is still very early her pro wrestling career and has hit a note with fans since aligning with the House Of Black.

Powerhouse Hobbs Is Also Injured

In the very same update, Fightful Select confirmed that Powerhouse Hobbs is also now out with injury as first reported by Bryan Alvarez of The Wrestling Observer. The injury is said to be significant and the former TNT Champion is not expected back anytime soon.

Hobbs was just featured in the main event match this past Wednesday on AEW Dynamite as he became the first challenger to Jon Moxley as the new IWGP World Heavyweight Champion. Hobbs lost to Moxley via technical submission when the Blackpool Combat Club member got Hobbs in a rear-naked choke.

Hart and Hobbs now join a significant list of name talent on the AEW roster out with injury. MJF, Kenny Omega, Adam Cole, Darby Allin, Kota Ibushi, Bandido, Jamie Hayter, Miro, Britt Baker and Jeff Hardy are only a handful of talent on the shelf.

Everybody has an opinion on the internet and Julia Hart cares about none of them.

The 22-year-old has been one of the break-out stars of AEW in 2023. She picked up a number of impressive victories in the last few months. The female star is ending the year as a champion after defeating Kris Statlander and Skye Blue for the TBS title in a triple-threat match at Full Gear and becoming the youngest champion in AEW history.

She picked up another victory while successfully defending her title against Abadon at the Worlds End PPV. In the post-show press conference, Hart was asked about handling criticism online. The young star claimed that the only opinions that matter are hers and her boss Tony Khan’s:

“When it comes to the internet, it’s different because at the end of the day, the only person’s opinion that matters is Tony and myself. So whatever, the internet’s always going to have an opinion on you. It’s going to be negative, it’s going to be positive.” said Julia Hart,

She continued: “They can think whatever they want because I also remember being a fan and I thought I knew everything as well. A fan doesn’t know everything. What I do know, Tony is my boss and if he says I do good job, I believe him. If I tell myself I do a good job, that’s all that matters. The fans, they can say whatever they want.”

• Tony Khan: AEW Is Serious About Harassment, We Have the Best Safety Record in Wrestling

Worlds End was only the third title defence for Julia Hart in her title reign and 2024 will bring even more challenges for her. You can check out the full media scrum featuring the AEW star below:

If you use any quotes from the article please credit SEScoops with an H/t for transcription

The House of Black is set to return to AEW, and in full, the company has confirmed.

The group officially made its debut in January of this year, initially consisting of leader Malakai Black and Brody King.

The following month, Buddy Matthews would join the faction, which would recruit Julia Hart in May.

The Hiatus

At AEW All Out, Black, King and Matthews lost to the trio of Darby Allin, Sting, and Miro, and after the match, Black took a bow to the Chicago crowd.

Many saw this as a sign of Black’s exit from AEW, which was not the case, but the Dutch wrestler did confirm that he would be taking a break from wrestling for an unspecified time.

Not long after, Matthews would also announce his own hiatus from wrestling, though both confirmed they would return to AEW.

The Return

On Twitter, AEW’s official account shared a promo video highlighting the return of the House of Black.

All four members of the group appear in the video, hitting moves on various victims, intermixed with clips from their work on AEW programming.

An ominous voice warns that the human race has made “complacency and sub-par have become both standard and rewarded.”

New Members?

The four members of the House of Black were shown, but the video may have teased bringing in new members.

At moments in the video, masked figures were seen walking with the House of Black, which could be a sign that new members will soon be added.