A new report provides an update on Malakai Black finishing up with AEW and potentially returning to WWE.
Black last wrestled for AEW at AEW Full Gear in November. As previously reported, he was believed to be finishing up with AEW, with Mike Johnson of PWInsider writing that Black was not expected to appear again on AEW programming, though his contract wouldn’t be up until February or March. Black has widely been expected to return to WWE. In the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer reported that there had been talk about Black in WWE creative recently.
The Pro Wrestling Torch reported an update, noting that Malakai Black’s contract expiration date had been a “point of contention”, as AEW added injury time to the deal. The report noted that Black recently “pushed back” on time being added, and sources said that the two sides either reached a deal or are working on one that would allow him to be a free agent soon. However, though the exact timeline is unclear, sources said that he won’t be back.
Update On Potential WWE Return
The PWTorch also wrote that Malakai Black had told some people in the last year or two that he was burned out, and he wanted some time away. There’s no word on whether this is still the case, but “influential people” in WWE are said to be big fans of Black. These individuals are reportedly big fans of Black, and they see him as a possible top singles act in the company.
Furthermore, the PWTorch reported that some of Black’s colleagues in AEW were frustrated by the perception that he was resistant to “doing business.” This included a “reluctance to doing jobs” and frequent claims of injuries. Additionally, it was noted that Black and Tony Khan never developed a rapport.
Black has been with AEW since 2021, and he is a former AEW World Trios Champion. He previously had a run in WWE as Aleister Black, and he won the NXT Championship.
WrestleZone will provide more information as it becomes available.
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