Malakai Black Holds Preliminary Contract Talks After WWE Release (WWE News)
The latest on Malakai Black's post-WWE future.
Having become a free agent last month, there's now some new information on the future of former WWE and AEW star Aleister/Malakai Black.
Per Fightful Select, there has been "preliminary contact" between Black and MLW several months ago, believed to be a couple of weeks after the talent was given his WWE release. This report notes that those talks "didn't go very far", but that the discussions "didn't go awry", suggesting the door remains open for the two parties potentially working together down the line. However, with Black having officially become a free agent as of July 23rd, talks have yet to pick up again between the Dutchman and MLW.
As for a possible return to AEW for the one-time AEW Trios Champion, Fightful adds that, as of now, All Elite sources haven't heard any rumblings of Malakai Black being brought back into the fold.
Aleister Black was one of a number of talents who were released as part of WWE's annual post-WrestleMania cuts earlier this year, including his wife Zelina Vega, Kairi Sane, the Wyatt Sicks, Santos Escobar, Zoey Stark, and the Motor City Machine Guns. All of those names became free agents on July 23rd, and some of them have already resumed their in-ring careers elsewhere, most notably the Motor City Machine Guns signing with AEW last month. Elsewhere, the New Day became free agents at the start of this month, with the tandem opting to leave WWE rather than take a pay cut, as they look set to land in AEW imminently. Similarly, Sheamus was another who chose to depart WWE rather than take a pay cut, and the Celtic Warrior is believed to hit free agency on October 1st.