The Further
Wrestler Malakai Black Moves from WWE to AEW With Bloody Horror Movie Short [Video]
The Devil Made Him Do It.
The artist formerly known as Aleister Black, Dutch professional wrestler Tom Büdgen was recently released by WWE, making a surprise appearance in rival promotion AEW last night.
Aleister Black is dead. Long live Malakai Black.
Black, who wrestled in NXT and WWE between 2016 and 2021, was released by the company on June 2nd, and his debut in All Elite Wrestling comes just one month after the fact. On last night’s episode of AEW Dynamite, Malakai Black made his presence known in the upstart promotion, attacking Arn Anderson and Cody Rhodes and beginning a new reign of terror.
Prior to Black’s debut in AEW, he had uploaded a short horror movie to Instagram, which features bloody gore effects from Jason Baker, part of Tom Savini’s makeup effects team.
The video essentially kills off “Tom” and ushers Malakai into the world, with Black slicing the throat of his doctor and escaping the mental institution he was being housed in.
After being underutilized in WWE in the wake of his shift from NXT to the main roster, it looks like Black is going to be getting a proper spotlight in AEW, and this promo video alone suggests that he’ll be leaning into the darkest aspects of the character. It’s not often you see a professional wrestler literally murder someone in a promo, we can sure say that much!
Check out the awesome introduction to Malakai Black below…
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The Further
Killer Shorts Horror Writing Competition Open NOW With New Category for Feature Screenplays!
The annual genre competition dedicated to finding and launching the next generation of horror writing talent, this year’s Killer Shorts is now officially open for entries!
Founded in 2019, Killer Shorts has established itself as a premier industry launchpad. The competition connects screenwriters and prose authors directly with the executives, managers, and producers who actively greenlight and option dark genre cinema.
But this year’s competition isn’t only about killer horror shorts…
For this brand new season, Killer Shorts is expanding its categories to include feature-length screenplays alongside its traditional short script, one-page script, and short story divisions.
The Top 10 finalists across all categories are evaluated by an elite industry jury composed of over a dozen horror legends, literary managers, and producers. The panel includes:
- Barbara Crampton (Horror Icon, Actress & Producer — Jakob’s Wife, Suitable Flesh)
- John Zaozirny (Literary Manager & Producer, Bellevue Productions)
- Tananarive Due (Author, Producer & Horror Historian)
- Lucas Ford (Producer, Ford Films — The Backrooms)
- John Squires (Editor-in-Chief, Bloody Disgusting)
- Sophie Carroll (Creative Director, ALTER & DUST at Gunpowder & Sky)
- Gigi Saul Guerrero (Director & Co-Founder, Luchagore Productions)
- Aaron B. Koontz (Producer & CEO, Paper Street Pictures)
Yes, yours truly is joining the Killer Shorts judging panel for the first time ever!
Killer Shorts has a proven track record of transitioning undiscovered writers into working professionals. Alumni success stories include Season 2 finalist Vanessa Võ, who signed with Bellevue Productions, and Season 3 finalist Kelly Nugent, who secured representation at Wonder Street.
Additionally, screenplays submitted for coverage that receive a “Recommend” rating qualify for inclusion on The Scream List. This real-time tracking board is monitored by top-tier genre companies, including Screambox, Raven Banner Entertainment, Zero Gravity Management, and Grey Matter Productions.
Submissions will be accepted across all major platforms, including the official Killer Shorts website, Scrybe, Stage 32, FilmFreeway, and Network ISA.
For full guidelines, prize breakdowns, and submission details, visit the official website!
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