Malakai Black has his in-ring return lined up. Less than four months after leaving WWE, the former Aleister Black has been announced for three dates on PROGRESS Wrestling’s Odyssey Tour in September.
Black is set to appear in Edinburgh on September 4, Leeds on September 5, and Manchester on September 6. The tour also hits Bournemouth on September 12 and Birmingham on September 13, but he has not been announced for either of those dates.
PROGRESS has not yet announced opponents for Black but teased that he’s returning to the promotion with a specific goal that will be revealed at a later date. The bookings mark his first independent appearances since leaving WWE.
PROGRESS Wrestling @ThisIs_Progress Follow 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… Show more
6:03 PM · Aug 12, 2026The return to PROGRESS is also a homecoming of sorts. Before his first WWE run, while still working as Tommy End, Black captured the PROGRESS Tag Team Championship with Michael Dante and won the Super Strong Style 16 tournament in 2016.
Black left WWE on April 24 as part of the wave of cuts that followed WrestleMania 42. His final match came a week earlier on the April 17 SmackDown, where he competed in the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal won by Royce Keys.
Black also spent time in AEW from 2021 to 2025, where he adopted the Malakai Black name and held the AEW World Trios Championship alongside Brody King and Buddy Matthews.