[REVISION HISTORY]

Malakai Black professional wrestling career status

Updated 6 times since CLSTR started tracking revisions of this situation.

What changed

2026-09-27 21:41 UTC → 2026-09-30 15:05 UTC · added ~~removed~~

Following his release from WWE in April, professional wrestler Malakai Black has been navigating his status as a free agent. While reports indicate he held preliminary discussions with Major League Wrestling (MLW) shortly after his departure, those talks did not progress significantly. Rumors regarding a return to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) have been denied by the promotion. Black officially returned to the ring on August 22 at his own wrestling school, Dark Arts Gym, where he defeated J. Villa. This return preceded his scheduled appearances with the UK-based PROGRESS Wrestling as part of ‘The Odyssey Tour’ in September. Black achieved significant success in the United Kingdom, winning the PROGRESS World Championship by defeating Cara Noir in Manchester, ending Noir’s 126-day reign. However, his championship reign was short-lived. At PROGRESS Chapter 198 in London, Cara Noir defeated Black to reclaim the PROGRESS Men’s World Championship, ending Black’s 21-day reign. Following the loss, the Dutch wrestler announced he is abandoning the Malakai Black persona to return to his original ring name, Tommy End. Addressing the crowd, he noted his deep connection to the promotion, stating that PROGRESS helped facilitate his previous opportunities in WWE and AEW. He expressed his intention to remain with the company long-term, citing support from leadership figures Big Damo and Nikki Storm. This name change marks a return to the identity used prior to his 2017 WWE debut as Aleister Black and his subsequent tenure in AEW. Reflecting on his tenure with WWE, Black previously described his year with the company as a “dud” that failed to meet initial expectations, expressing frustration that creative direction did not align with the “mountain” of promises made to him.

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