Malakai Black Expected to Return to WWE Soon Following AEW Exit

Malakai Black could be making his way back to WWE, and it sounds like it’s only a matter of time.

According to Dave Meltzer in the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter, the former NXT Champion—known as Aleister Black during his time in WWE—is expected to return “imminently.”

Black, who dominated NXT from 2017 to 2021, captured the NXT Championship and won the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic before moving to the main roster. But in 2021, he was released in a move that stunned fans. He then spent the last four years in AEW as Malakai Black, but after parting ways with the company earlier this year, speculation about a WWE comeback has only grown louder.

That speculation went into overdrive when Black recently posted a fan-made highlights video of his WWE career on Instagram Stories. While he never directly referenced WWE or his plans, fans took it as a not-so-subtle hint that a return was in the works. It wasn’t the first time he fueled rumors—right before the 2025 Royal Rumble, he shared footage of himself watching an old Rumble match, leading many to believe he’d make a surprise appearance. That didn’t happen, but now, the latest report makes it clear—his return isn’t just wishful thinking.

Adding even more weight to the speculation, Black’s wife, Zelina Vega, is still with WWE, making the move a logical one both professionally and personally. With Triple H now fully in control of WWE creative, a return for Black—who thrived under The Game’s leadership in NXT—could be a perfect fit.