Malakai Black WWE Return & AEW Contract Update

The latest update has emerged on the AEW contract status of Malakai Black and the possibility of a return to WWE.

On tonight’s November 6 episode of AEW Dynamite, Black was beaten by Adam Cole, with the final moments of the match raising some eyebrows.

Black essentially invited Cole to kick him with his finisher, and then after the match, Black and Cole hugged in the middle of the ring.

This led to some people wondering if this was a ‘sendoff’ for Black as there have been rumors for a while about him exiting AEW so he can return to WWE.

Off the back of tonight, Fightful Select reports that while there’s no official confirmation of anything yet, “the word” backstage in AEW recently has been that Malakai Black’s deal could be ending in late 2024 or early 2025, depending on whether extension clauses are exercised by AEW.

When Tony Khan said in 2022 that Black was signed for “almost five years”, that five years reportedly included the optional years, so now it’s a case of whether those are activated by AEW or not – if they’re not, his deal is seemingly up very soon.

Black publicly stated in 2022 that he had requested his release from AEW, with many believing he wanted to return to WWE, but the release wasn’t granted as AEW essentially didn’t want to release anyone who could just end up going straight to WWE as there were others in the same boat around that time.

It’s also worth mentioning that there’s no confirmation at this point that a WWE return would be Black’s next move if he does leave AEW, but when he requested his release in 2022, that was believed to be his desire. We’ll keep you posted with any further updates as they emerge.

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