Tag: aleister black

MJF calls Malakai Black a ‘mark’ who used AEW as stepping stone

Posted on by Joseph Currier

MJF believes the AEW locker room became a better place without people like Malakai Black in it.

With Black having been released by WWE last month, there’s speculation over whether he could make a return to AEW once his 90-day clause is up. Based on what MJF said during his appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show today, it sounds like the AEW locker room would be opposed to that idea. MJF said there’s been a night and day difference for the better since wrestlers who viewed the company as a stepping stone were weeded out of AEW. He described Black as the biggest offender of those who had that mindset.

MJF clarified that he does not really know Black on a personal level, describing him more as a “mark” than a bad guy.

“I think it’s pretty obvious that [the biggest offender was] Malakai Black,” MJF said. “But I don’t know the guy, like, on a personal level. Do I think he’s a bad guy? No. Do I think he was a mark for wanting to have his, ‘Oh, I need my Mania moment.’ Yeah, and there were a couple of guys like that, and they got weeded out.

“And then they went over there and some of them found out the grass isn’t greener. And perhaps some of them did, for them the grass was greener. But I’d say a majority of the guys that were like, ‘I’m just going to use All Elite Wrestling to go back to WWE,’ I think you’re going to see a lot of those guys asked for a 50 percent pay cut from the office. Or you’re going to see a lot of those guys just get released. And it’s unfortunate because if you show up to our company and you work hard, there’s really no need to burn bridges.”

“Majority” of AEW locker room felt the same way about Black —

MJF noted that he was speaking as a team captain and relaying how the majority of wrestlers in AEW felt about Black.

“Like I said, I’m not sh*tting on him. I’m just simply telling you what I was told by a majority of the locker room about this specific individual,” MJF said. “So as a team captain, as a leader — even though, yes, I am 30 — and as somebody who has been part of this promotion since day one, I don’t want to deal with guys that don’t want to be team players. F*** off, go elsewhere. Or f***ing prove me wrong. I would love to be proven wrong. It would be great. Prove me wrong.”

Black joined AEW in 2021 following his initial release from WWE and was with the promotion until he went back to WWE in 2025. Though disputed by Black, there were rumors that he was reluctant to lose matches during his AEW run.

AEW has denied that it is already in negotiations with Black for a return. Swerve Strickland, another one of AEW’s top stars, was less abrasive than MJF but non-committal when addressing whether he would like Black to return, saying that he just hopes Black is able to find what he’s looking for in wrestling to make him happy.

Swerve Strickland comments on possible Aleister Black AEW return

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Swerve Strickland hopes Aleister Black’s next pro wrestling home is one that brings him happiness and fulfillment.

During an interview with Bootleg Kev, Strickland was asked about rumors that Black could end up returning to AEW when he’s contractually able to do so. Strickland did not directly advocate for or dismiss the idea of Black returning. Instead, he expressed hope that Black and his wife Zelina Vega will be able to find what they’re looking for in their next move.

“I just hope that Aleister — I’ll speak to, I hope Tommy [Black’s real name] finds what he’s looking for in this industry, this part in his career,” Strickland said. “[Black and Vega are] both very talented, incredible people. Incredible talents in itself. I just hope they find something that gives them the type of — I don’t know what it is that he’s really [looking for], whatever it is, I hope they find some place that gives them that, you know what I mean?

“Because he has so many great ideas. He’s one of the guys that got me into NXT. Like, him talking with Terry Taylor and he’s like, ‘This is the guy you gotta watch out for.’ I did tape studies with him in 2017. My last indie run, he was the guy I was going to. He really helped my mind a lot at that stage in my career. So I just hope, like, he finds the place that gives him whatever it is that can fulfill him in the industry again.”

Black and Vega were both released by WWE during the company’s April 2026 roster cuts. It was the second stint in WWE for each of them, with Black having wrestled for AEW as Malakai Black between his two WWE runs.

AEW has refuted reports that the company is already in negotiations with Black for a return. Whether he’ll be welcomed back remains to be seen given that Black chose to leave the company in 2025 in favor of WWE. There are rumors that Black was reluctant to lose matches during his time with AEW, though Black has denied those claims and said he loved being in the promotion.

Aleister Black reportedly in negotiations for AEW return

Posted on by Ian Carey

Update:

AEW has denied to Fightful that they have entered into discussions with Aleister Black.

Bryan Alvarez wrote to his subscribers on Wednesday, “I know people in AEW who saw the report that AEW was negotiating with Aleister Black and I can tell you that they were absolutely astounded.”

Original:

According to a new report, Aleister Black could return to AEW.

Black was part of WWE’s post-WrestleMania 42 roster cuts revealed on April 24, 2026, after having returned to the company in April 2025. He spent from 2021 to 2025 with AEW.

SEScoops.com’s Michael Reichlin wrote on Wednesday that “a source with direct knowledge of the discussions” is stating that Black and AEW are in talks regarding his potentially returning to the company.

The news follows recent comments by Jim Ross and Tony Schiavone regarding Black.

On an episode of his Grilling JR podcast, Ross noted that he does not believe Black has burned his bridge with the company, despite reports of clashes with management during his time with AEW.

“No, I do not (believe Black has burned his bridge with AEW). But I think that his chances are running out,” Ross said.

“Trust is a big thing. Reliability. Are you reliable? There is I’m sure a small faction of some in the wrestling business that believe he’s missing something. I don’t disagree with that. But he’s not missing his attire, his look, his work ethic. So whatever his downfalls are, they seem to be stimulated from things outside the bell-to-bell. But I like the guy. I’d hire him in a heartbeat.”

Schiavone recently noted on an episode of his What Happened When podcast that he’s friends with Black, although he has not had a chance to speak with him following his departure from WWE.

“I was surprised, really, that they [WWE] released Malakai [Black] because he and I are friends. I haven’t really had a chance to talk to him since that time” Schiavone said.

Dave Meltzer on AEW potentially bringing back Aleister Black

In last week’s edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer noted that there were some in AEW who were not happy with Black during his previous run with the company.

Meltzer wrote:

“Black is an interesting case because he was a star in AEW, and was booked far better than in WWE. But he wanted to leave and there were people who were not happy with him as he didn’t lose often and once Paul Levesque was in power after Vince McMahon was gone, he tried to get out of his deal at the time.

Eventually he left. It’s basically a guy who would get over with the fans, but others note that AEW’s morale situation is the best it’s been in years and a guy who it was very clear was waiting to leave the last time may not be what they want, given his heart is clearly somewhere else.”

Meltzer also noted that a similar situation existed for Andrade el Idolo, who AEW did bring back. The full edition of the newsletter is available here for subscribers.

Tony Schiavone reveals he was surprised at WWE release of Aleister Black

Posted on by Jake Skudder

AEW commentator Tony Schiavone recently discussed Aleister/Malakai Black being released from WWE as part of the post-WrestleMania 42 fallout.

Speaking on his What Happened When podcast, Schiavone would reveal that he was surprised that his friend got released from the company, also implying that he hadn’t heard anything from Black to indicate that this was likely to happen.

Tony Schiavone reveals friendship with Malakai Black

Although Black wouldn’t have known if he was getting released from his contract, it does appear as though this was at least somewhat of a shock to him, at least in the sense that he didn’t tell some people around him that he thought it might be coming.

“I was surprised, really, that they [WWE] released Malakai [Black] because he and I are friends. I haven’t really had a chance to talk to him since that time” the AEW commentator noted.

Schiavone also discussed the ‘fallout’ from his comments that Nigel McGuinness is the best color analyst that he has ever worked with from the podcast last week.

“I think we’re very fortunate in AEW. As a two-man team, I really like working with Nigel and people say, ‘well, what about Jesse or what about Heenan? You worked with Dusty Rhodes in a two-man booth. What about those guys you worked with? You say Nigel’s better than [them]?’ Well, Nigel is the most prepared I’ve ever worked with.”

Reason for Aleister Black, Wyatt Sicks WWE releases revealed | Exclusive

Posted on by Ian Carey

An update is available regarding what led to several recent WWE departures.

Aleister Black, Zelina Vega, and The Wyatt Sicks (Uncle Howdy, Joe Gacy, Nikki Cross, Dexter Lumis, and Erick Rowan) were all part of WWE’s post-WrestleMania 42 roster cuts revealed earlier this month.

In the latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer wrote that WWE felt they had “got all they were going to get” from the Wyatts and didn’t have much in the way of ideas for Black or Vega.

Meltzer wrote:

“It was just felt that the group had run its course. Even at first there were those who saw it as a short-term idea. It was basically a tribute to Bray Wyatt and was over big at first but it was limiting how they could be used with that gimmick over the long haul.”

Meltzer later added:

“The feeling was they got all out of the Wyatts they were going to get and Black and Vega was just a decision made on who they weren’t going to do anything more with. The reality is that even though they recruited Black hard to get out of AEW, once he returned, they really didn’t have much in the way of ideas for him.”

Regarding rumors that WWE made the releases due to TKO not wanting “darker” characters on WWE programming, Meltzer wrote:

“Regarding the story that the Wyatts and Black were released because TKO didn’t like dark characters, we were told that was ‘bullshit’ and that these were not decisions that even reached that level.”

Meltzer later wrote that AEW had reached out to Zelina Vega the last time WWE had let her go, which was in November 2020, but she “ghosted” the company.

Meltzer continued, “(Tony Khan) did negotiate with Zelina when she was let go the last time, but she pretty much ghosted him and signed back.”

The full edition of this week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter is available here for subscribers.

Eric Bischoff reveals just how over Aleister Black was with Paul Heyman

Posted on by Jake Skudder

Former WCW President and WWE SmackDown Executive Director in 2019 Eric Bischoff recently discussed Aleister Black and his release from the company. One of the points that Bischoff raised was just how over Black was with Paul Heyman, who was the WWE RAW Executive Director during that same time period in 2019.

Speaking on his 83 Weeks podcast, Bischoff said in a half joking way: “when he [Black] first came in to WWE, Paul Heyman was huge on him. Paul was like, ready to put a blood on the table commitment to him.”

“You know, he [Heyman] really, really saw something” Bischoff added. “I was intrigued because Paul’s got a pretty good track record, right? When he gets excited about something, whether you like it or not, you’ve got to pay attention, because it’s probably going to go somewhere. So I started paying attention to him [Black], I talked to him a few times, tried to get a feel for, you know, where his head was at, what his vibe was like, learn a bit about, you know, what he saw as his character.”

If you use any of the quotes from this article then please link back to this page with a credit to F4WOnline for the transcription

FAQ and Context

Why was Aleister Black released from WWE?

WWE announced Black’s release as part of a wider round of post-WrestleMania 42 cuts in late April 2026, alongside names including Kairi Sane, Zoey Stark and Santos Escobar.

What is Eric Bischoff’s connection to Aleister Black?

Bischoff served as WWE’s SmackDown Executive Director in 2019, working alongside Paul Heyman who held the same role on RAW. That period overlapped with Black’s main roster call-up, which is the basis for Bischoff’s first-hand take on how the company viewed him at the time.

Jim Ross gives insight into current Aleister Black & AEW relationship

Posted on by Ian Carey

Jim Ross says he doesn’t believe Aleister Black has burned his bridge with AEW.

Speaking on his Grilling JR podcast, Ross referred to Black as a “main event” talent and said he and Zelina Vega are “two keepers.” However, Ross suggested that Black take some time off before returning to the ring.

Ross said:

“I like Aleister Black. I think he could do himself a favor by simply stepping away for a while. He’s got a 90-day no compete anyway. How much can you improve in 90 days, Aleister? That’s my question to you.”

Ross said he’s not sure why Black has had conflict with management previously, but encouraged him to not be so critical.

“He seems to run afoul of the establishment from time to time and I don’t know why that is. I’m not there to work with him in that regard, so I don’t know why that is, but whatever it is, my advice to him would be to get over it. Don’t be so critical of things. Just be critical of your own work and making it better.”

Conrad Thompson asked Ross why Black’s run in AEW wasn’t more successful, and Ross answered that he feels Black looked at his time in the company as a “step down.”

“I don’t think he wanted to, Conrad. I don’t think he was happy there. I think he looked at it as a step down. He’s in the minor leagues or some s–t. But that’s that WWE mentality rubbing off on you, and that’ll happen. It’s unstoppable and it can’t be helped. That’s kind of how I looked at his situation.”

Ross continued:

“I like his game a lot and his wife is a hell of a hand. You’ve got two keepers in those two people.”

Asked if he feels Black has “burned his bridge” with AEW, Ross responded:

“No, I do not. But I think that his chances are running out. Trust is a big thing. Reliability. Are you reliable? There is I’m sure a small faction of some in the wrestling business that believe he’s missing something. I don’t disagree with that. But he’s not missing his attire, his look, his work ethic. So whatever his downfalls are, they seem to be stimulated from things outside the bell-to-bell. But I like the guy. I’d hire him in a heartbeat.”

Black’s initial run with WWE lasted from 2016 until he was released on June 2, 2021. He debuted in AEW the following month. Black left AEW in February 2025 after it was reported that his contract had expired. He returned to WWE in April 2025 and was part of WWE’s post-WrestleMania 42 roster cuts a year later.

The full episode of Grilling JR is available below. The player is cued to his comments about Black.

Aleister Black and Zelina Vega need to go to Japan, not TNA or AEW | Column

Posted on by Jake Skudder

Aleister Black and Zelina Vega were two of the WWE Superstars released from the company on what is now being dubbed as the latest “Black Friday.” While a lot of people are fantasy booking them as a top-tier TNA act and some are hoping Black returns to AEW, I’d much rather see Black/Tommy End and Zelina Vega head to Japan.

I was a big fan of Tommy End when he was a regular on the UK and European scenes, especially his work in PROGRESS and wXw. There, Black was able to focus more on the in-ring rather than cutting promos for television, so there was less pressure on character beyond his look and abilities when he was actually wrestling.

I think Japan, specifically New Japan, would work perfectly for Black/Tommy End at this point in his career. Having someone with his presence in a world where his in-ring work will do the majority of the talking will do wonders for him. I’m not saying that Black is a bad talker by any stretch, not at all, but I think that bringing his ‘character’ back to the Muay Thai specialist that can finish a match in a heartbeat is where he needs to go right now.

Tommy End can craft a more solid persona outside of America

For me, a lot of the issue with Black’s character in WWE and then AEW is that there wasn’t a huge amount of cohesion. The last time I truly felt like I got his motivations and direction is when he was in NXT doing the aforementioned Muay Thai killer, he didn’t say a whole lot, he got in the ring and produced some incredible work on the black and gold brand.

The Velveteen Dream feud and his matches with Tommaso Ciampa still hold up as the clearest version of this character anyone’s put on screen, for me anyway. The House of Black was a cool stable, and yes Black likely had a lot of input there, but something always felt slightly off.

I think that End needs to have the chance to truly establish what his character is again, away from a creative team, away from outside forces and just let him become who he needs to be. We’ve seen so many times now that acts leaving WWE and then forging their own path have come back even more successful, you just need to look at how Cody Rhodes fully fleshed out his act after dropping WWE/Stardust and how Drew McIntyre became a genuine main event level star at ICW, IMPACT et al before finally making his return.

The problem for Black has been constant repackages, repositions, returns that fizzle out quickly and creative teams pulling him three directions at once. Black needs to rebuild from scratch, away from WWE creative and away from the outside noise.

Zelina Vega can work in STARDOM

Not to make this all about Black though, because Zelina Vega is a solid performer herself and is in no way an afterthought. Thea Trinidad can either work as Black’s mouthpiece in New Japan, work in STARDOM or ideally…do both.

Granted, it has been a long time since Vega appeared in STARDOM (November 2016 was her last match there), but she actually has almost the polar opposite of what Black/End brings to the table. Vega/Trinidad is great on the microphone, and she just needs to be given the opportunity to speak more and be a character performer for a promotion like STARDOM/NJPW, help elevate some of the incredible Joshi talent and bring a different element to the overall presentation.

The package deal is what makes this work: Black needs a stage that lets him be quiet and brutal and Vega needs a stage that lets her talk. NJPW and STARDOM, run as a joint move and it solves both problems in one stroke: he handles the in-ring, she handles the mic in NJPW and gets her matches in with STARDOM, and both of them can rebuild value that WWE has spent years failing to develop.

Kairi Sane, Aleister Black, Motor City Machine Guns reportedly among WWE cuts

Posted on by Vincent Verhei

The WWE continues to cut multiple names from its roster. News of the departures of Zoey Stark and Alba Fyre, among others, broke earlier today. Now more cuts have been identified this evening, including Aleister Black and the Motor City Machine Guns.

The latest batch of cuts was initially reported by Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful.com.

Black had initially joined WWE as a member of NXT in 2016. He was called up to the main roster in 2019, but he was released in June of 2021. He spent several years in AEW in the House of Black with Brody King and Buddy Matthews before returning to WWE last April. (The initial vignette teasing his return aired one year ago this weekend.) After pairing with his real-life wife Zelina Vega, he was involved with Randy Orton’s build to WrestleMania, but was pulled from the program to make room for Pat McAfee.

Vega is also among those reportedly released. 

The Motor City Machine Guns—Alex Shelley and Chris Sabin—had been teaming for over 15 years, mostly in TNA, before finally joining WWE in 2024. They won a pair of tournaments to name top contenders for the WWE Tag Team Championships, and finally defeated Tama Tonga & Tonga Loa to win those belts in October of 2024. They lost the belts to #DIY in December of that same year. 

Other names on WWE’s cut list, according to Sapp:

  • Former WWE US and Intercontinental Champion Apollo Crews.
  • Former NXT Cruiserweight Champion Santos Escobar.
  • Tyra Mae Steele, who won a gold medal in wrestling in the 2020 Olympic Games under her real name, Tamyra Mensah-Stock.
  • Three-time former WWE Women’s Tag Team Champion Kairi Sane
  • Developmental prospects Malik Blade, Dante Chen, Luca Crusifino, Tyson Dupont, Chris Island, Tyriek Igwe, Sirena Linton, and Trill London.

Aleister Black clarifies rumors about his WWE Saudi Arabia status

Posted on by Joseph Currier

According to Aleister Black, his tattoos are no longer a barrier to him competing in Saudi Arabia.

Black was brought to Saudi Arabia this January but did not end up competing in WWE Royal Rumble 2026. There was speculation that his tattoos, which include art of demons, were the reason why he was held out of the match. Black tells The Stunner that the tattoos were once an issue, but that is no longer the case. He was just held out of the Rumble because it was the best thing for his storyline with Randy Orton.

“No, that is not true,” Black said about the rumors why he wasn’t in the Royal Rumble. “I was supposed to be in the Rumble, but then they were going to start myself and Randy, and I felt like, man, if we are going to do that story and we’re going to start in the Royal Rumble, it’s just going to get snowed under. And we don’t want it to just go to waste for them to just be two guys that are being dumped out or anything like that. So why don’t we save it for the weeks to come?

“I think the initial setup of Saudi Arabia, my tattoos did come in question. That is absolute fact. In the initial setting, it was definitely like, ‘Well, we don’t know how they are going to respond.’ I’m talking five years ago when it all first started. That was definitely a conversation at the time I had with Vince [McMahon] and also was brought to me. But that is no longer the case. The last time I was in the ring with R-Truth, even though the segment was small, I was still presented on TV and everything was still pretty much there. My arms were exposed. Obviously, the side of my head is always exposed. You could still see a lot of my tattoos. I think that became just like, ‘Well, because it happened back then perhaps that’s the reason why it happened now.’ But no, that was not the reason why.

“It was, in my opinion, a very smart decision. Because looking back at what me and Randy did, it got its own life on SmackDown in the main event. That little clip between me and Randy where we both sit down at the same time got millions and millions of views. And I don’t know if it would have been able to exist in that way if we would have done it at the Rumble… Now it was able to live on its own, which, obviously, that’s what you want. Because that optimizes it. But no, that was not a thing. But, again, I always see those things or hear about those things, and I always consider it to be coming from a place of genuine care from fans, which I always appreciate. Because it’s a good thing, right? It’s good to know that fans care. It’s always good to know that people care.”

Black has never wrestled in Saudi Arabia but did appear last June for the SmackDown segment he referenced with R-Truth.

The Black-Orton rivalry led to them facing off in the main event of SmackDown two weeks ago. Black won that match, getting help from interference by Drew McIntyre.

Orton has since gone on to win the men’s Elimination Chamber match and secure a WWE Championship shot at WrestleMania 42. McIntyre is the current champion, though he has a title defense against Cody Rhodes this Friday night.

Aleister Black ‘very, very happy’ for Brody King’s AEW success

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Aleister Black is happy to see his former stablemate Brody King thriving in AEW.

Before Black departed AEW for WWE, he led The House of Black with King, Buddy Matthews, and Julia Hart. King has since held Tag Team gold with Bandido and reached World Championship contention before ultimately losing to MJF. In an interview with The Stunner, Black said he knew his AEW faction members would fare well after he left. He had a conversation with King and Matthews prior to leaving AEW where they all agreed that shaking things up might be for the best.

“It was a very thorough conversation between me, [King], and Buddy. They were in agreement. They were like, ‘Yeah, we also think that it might be best, you know, to change course.’ Because we felt that we were hitting a wall constantly. Not in a malicious way, not in a bad way. Like, there’s only so much room and so much time for everybody, which is fine,” Black said.

“I said to [King], ‘I think once I go one direction, I think you will eventually see a big explosion in regards to how you are being perceived as.’ And I’m glad that we see that now because the whole reason why I initially told Tony [Khan] about Brody was because I already saw that. I knew how good he could be. And even when we first started moving around with him, I had to kind of tone him down a little bit because he’s a big human being. He came out of an era where a lot of big guys would still do flips and stuff like that. I would say, ‘I’d like for you to be more effective. One elbow from you equals dude on the ground and not getting back up.’ Instead of like five forearms and a clothesline.

“He picked up on that tremendously. He saw that it was more effective. He saw that it helped his character get over. He was just one of those guys that I feel was a big diamond in the rough. He’s a good dude. I have a lot of love for him. We fight like brothers, even back then, and sometimes I’m his dad and sometimes he’s my dad. We’ve always had a good relationship, and I am very, very happy for him. Because that’s what should happen. Unique guy, charismatic guy, talented guy.”

Matthews has not been able to have the same success as King due to an ankle injury that has now sidelined him for more than a year.

In November 2024, Black wrestled his final AEW match before eventually departing the company in February 2025. He is now on the WWE SmackDown roster and works alongside his wife Zelina Vega.

Title match, Elimination Chamber qualifiers set for WWE SmackDown

Posted on by Joseph Currier

The road to Elimination Chamber officially kicks off on tonight’s post-Royal Rumble edition of WWE SmackDown.

WWE has announced that the first Elimination Chamber qualifying matches in both the men’s and women’s divisions will take place on SmackDown tonight. Both are triple threat matches. The women’s bout features Lash Legend, Tiffany Stratton, and Chelsea Green, while Randy Orton, Aleister Black, and Solo Sikoa will face off on the men’s side.

Elimination Chamber is being held in Chicago on February 28 and will decide WrestleMania opponents for the remaining World Champions that are not challenged by the Royal Rumble winners. With World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk vs. Roman Reigns already locked in for WrestleMania, the men’s Chamber winner will be challenging WWE Champion Drew McIntyre.

Women’s Royal Rumble winner Liv Morgan has yet to reveal whether she’ll be challenging Women’s World Champion Stephanie Vaquer or WWE Women’s Champion Jade Cargill at Mania. Tonight, Morgan appears on SmackDown as she contemplates her decision.

Along with these matches, WWE has announced that Rhea Ripley & IYO SKY will defend their Women’s Tag Team titles against Giulia & Kiana James tonight. The show is taking place from in Charlotte, North Carolina at the Spectrum Center.

WWE SmackDown (Friday, February 6) —

  • Elimination Chamber qualifying match: Lash Legend vs. Tiffany Stratton vs. Chelsea Green
  • Elimination Chamber qualifying match: Randy Orton vs. Aleister Black vs. Solo Sikoa
  • WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions Rhea Ripley & IYO SKY defend against Giulia & Kiana James
  • Women’s Royal Rumble winner Liv Morgan appears
  • Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Tama Tonga

Report: Aleister Black traveled to Saudi Arabia, not expected in Rumble

Posted on by Ian Carey

Aleister Black reportedly won’t be taking part in the Royal Rumble.

According to a report from PWInsider, Black is in Saudi Arabia but will not be in the men’s Rumble match. Mike Johnson is reporting that the decision was made to hold off on Black’s return to WWE programming and bring him back in a different way on WWE SmackDown.

In 2019, Black did not travel to Saudi Arabia for Super ShowDown in Jeddah that year, with Dave Meltzer reporting his not participating was due to tattoos he has that were “religious in nature.” Black has never wrestled on a show in the country.

Meltzer wrote in the May 27, 2019 edition of The Wrestling Observer Newsletter:

“We were told it had to do with tattoos he had that were religious in nature. It wasn’t made clear where the Saudis told WWE he couldn’t appear due to those tattoos, or WWE made the decision thinking the tattoos would offend the hosts.”

Black hasn’t appeared on WWE programming since dropping an Ambulance Match to Damian Priest on the January 2, 2026 episode of SmackDown.

Ambulance match headlines next week’s WWE SmackDown

Posted on by Vincent Verhei

WWE’s SmackDown returns to a three-hour length next week, on a live show headlined by Aleister Black vs. Damian Priest in an ambulance match.

SmackDown will air live on Friday, January 2, from the KeyBank Center in Buffalo, New York. Aleister Black will face Damian Priest in the main event. Black and Priest have been feuding for months, but there was little new on this week’s SmackDown to promote the match—Black simply called out Priest in a backstage promo. WWE then announced it would be an ambulance match on social media.

Two other matches have also been announced for next week’s show. Michin will face Jade Cargill in a non-title match; should she win, she will get a shot at Cargill’s WWE Women’s Championship. 

There will also be an eight-woman tag team match pitting Alexa Bliss & Charlotte Flair & Rhea Ripley & IYO SKY vs. Nia Jax & Lash Legend & Asuka & Kairi Sane.

WWE SmackDown (January 2)

  • Ambulance match: Damian Priest vs. Aleister Black
  • Alexa Bliss, Charlotte Flair, Rhea Ripley, and IYO SKY vs. Nia Jax, Lash Legend, Asuka, and Kairi Sane
  • Non-title: WWE Women’s Champion Jade Cargill vs. Michin

Aleister Black explains why he didn’t return at WWE WrestleMania 41

Posted on by Ian Carey

Aleister Black says he’s grateful to not have been Randy Orton’s opponent at WWE WrestleMania 41.

Some fans felt that Black would answer Orton’s open challenge at WrestleMania, a role that went to Joe Hendry. Black returned on the first SmackDown after WrestleMania instead.

During a recent interview with WrestleRant, Black said that the idea of him being Orton’s opponent on the show was discussed, but ultimately WWE felt they didn’t want Black to lose his first match back.

Black said during the interview:

“They were toying with a bunch of ideas (for his return). I know at one point there was a conversation about ‘Maybe he’s coming back to wrestle Randy Orton at WrestleMania’, and that was an actual thing that was discussed.”

“It was counter-argued quickly because they were like, ‘Well, we don’t want him to lose coming back at WrestleMania. That doesn’t make any sense.’”

He continued to say of his return:

“They felt that they wanted to give it the right attention, they wanted it to be, you know, specifically about me, which I’m very grateful for. And what happened happened and I really enjoyed it. It was a great night. It’s the same night that my wife, obviously, won her first singles title. Very unique few days. It was a very good memory. Very special.”

Black returned to WWE on the April 25 SmackDown in Fort Worth, Texas, hitting The Miz with a Black Mass. His wife Zelina Vega defeated Chelsea Green to win the WWE Women’s United States Championship on the show as well.

Black’s full interview with WrestleRant is available below. His comments about his return come in around the 24-minute and 57-second mark of the podcast (cued below):