3 things AEW have done right with Malakai Black and 2 things they've done wrong

#1 Right - AEW gave Black a dominant victory over Cody Rhodes on his debut

At AEW Dynamite: Road Rager, Malakai Black stunned the live crowd on his debut by laying down Arn Anderson and Cody Rhodes with a pair of scintillating Black Masses. The stage is set to face Rhodes on his AEW in-ring debut. In an interview with talkSPORT, the Dutchman reflected on working with the American Nightmare:

“It was Tony’s idea in line with Cody. No big deal – compete against one of the best wrestlers in the world, one of the biggest names, biggest lineages in the world of pro wrestling and someone who’s in charge of a big part of that company – no pressure [laughs]. I have a tremendous amount of respect for Cody. It wasn’t about pinfalls for me, it was about how far I could push Cody."

Needless to say, Malakai made a big first impression with a hot fued to kickstart his AEW career. Dynamite: Homecoming on Aug. 4. saw the wrestler make quick work of Rhodes. The company made the right decision by giving Black a dominant debut victory right off the bat against a recognizable star.

His subsequent rivalry with Rhodes saw him win the series overall with two victories and elevate him to a star status not seen since his NXT days. Malakai has the potential to become one of the industry's biggest stars as long as AEW keeps letting the wrestler tell compelling stories and provide higher-profile opponents.