Former WWE & AEW Star Malakai Black Set For Indie Wrestling Return
After being released from WWE this past April as part of the company's post-WrestleMania cuts, Malakai Black, formerly known as Aleister Black, is set to make his return to the independent circuit this coming September.
On Wednesday, PROGRESS Wrestling announced that Black will be competing on three back-to-back dates as part of "The Odyssey Tour" in the United Kingdom. At this time, it's yet to be announced who Black will be facing in his return to the ring, but the three cities that he'll be wrestling in have been revealed.
"THE ODYSSEY TOUR – MALAKAI BLACK WILL BE COMPETING. One of the biggest names in professional wrestling is coming to Edinburgh, Leeds and Manchester for his first matches back on the independent wrestling scene! He's held gold in every major company he's set foot in and returns to PROGRESS with one major goal... Malakai will be competing during the tour at the following venues; @EdinburghCornEx, @o2academyleeds, @o2ritzmanc. Tickets via Ticketmaster or on the PROGRESS Website."
⛵ THE ODYSSEY TOUR – MALAKAI BLACK WILL BE COMPETING ⛵
One of the biggest names in professional wrestling is coming to Edinburgh, Leeds and Manchester for his first matches back on the independent wrestling scene!
He's held gold in every major company he's set foot in and... pic.twitter.com/fZlb9YTuL6
— PROGRESS Wrestling (@ThisIs_Progress) August 12, 2026
Following his three-year stint with AEW, Black returned to WWE after WrestleMania 41 in April 2025, but outside his feud with Damian Priest and a few United States Championship opportunities, he struggled to find himself in the main event scene. Leading up to WrestleMania 42, Black was rumored to be part of the Undisputed WWE Title picture following his matches with Randy Orton and Sami Zayn, which made his release from the company somewhat surprising. Since his departure, many fans have questioned if Black will return to AEW, but his chances of working for the Jacksonville-based promotion again is unlikely due to reportedly being difficult to work with during his time with the company.
In addition to Black, two other recently released WWE stars will be appearing on "The Odyssey Tour," as Nikki Storm, formerly known as Nikki Cross, and Kay Lee Ray, formerly known as Alba Fyre will fight one-on-one for the first time in 10 years.