Wrestling On FanNation

Malakai Black's Future in Question After AEW Dynamite; Match Ending Fuels Fan Speculation

Could Malakai Black's time in AEW coming to an end after his loss to Adam Cole Wednesday?
Rick Ucchino|
Malakai Black hugs Adam Cole after his loss on Dynamite
Malakai Black hugs Adam Cole after his loss on Dynamite | Lee South - All Elite Wrestling

Many wrestling fans were left wondering if we've seen the last of Malakai Black in AEW after Wednesday night's episode of Dynamite.

Black's match against Adam Cole had a very strange ending. Malakai willingly sat down in the ring and definitely appeared to ask Cole to finish him off by dropping the boom knee strike.

The aftermath saw Black reject a handshake attempt and instead offer up an embrace. Adam Cole then put Malakai over on the microphone as one the best opponents he's faced in his career, prompting a showing of appreciation from the audience.

Needless to say, the online wrestling community had some questions.

Amid the speculation that last night was a "send off" for the former AEW Trios Champion, Fightful Select dug into the matter but were unable to confirm if Malakai Black is in fact done with AEW.

"The word backstage in AEW in recent months was that they believed [Black] would be done towards the end of 2024 or early 2025," said Fightfuls' Sean Ross Sapp. "Tony Khan himself in 2022 had said that AEW had Malakai Black under contract 'for almost five years.' However, since then, we've been told that those include option years."

Black debuted in AEW in June of 2021 following his release from WWE, but rumors began to swirl just a year later that Malakai wanted to go back to WWE. AEW traditionally has not shown much interest in letting people out of their deals early, especially given it would open them up to join the company's biggest competitor.

Former TNT Champion Miro asked for his release from AEW earlier this year. There's been no update on his contract situation in the weeks since that report.

—Your one-stop shop for all things professional wrestling—

AEW In-Person TV Experience Set For Major Overhaul In 2025

Exclusive: QT Marshall On Staying With AEW, His Relationship With Cody Rhodes, WWE ID

Swerve Strickland Would Bring These Four AEW Stars To A Bar Fight

Published
Rick Ucchino
RICK UCCHINO

Rick Ucchino is the Assistant Editor & Content Coordinator for The Takedown on SI. He also works full-time for 700WLW Radio in Cincinnati, Ohio as a local news and sports anchor, in addition to his time covering the Cincinnati Bengals for Sirius XM. Rick has been on the professional wrestling beat since 2019, having provided coverage for a number of outlets, including Fightful, SB Nation’s Cageside Seats and the Bleav Podcast Network. With an educational background in theater, creative writing and journalism, Rick focuses primarily on the storytelling aspect of pro wrestling, but he’s no stranger to the squared circle himself. He had the privilege of training with former WWE & WCW cruiserweight Jimmy Wang Yang for nearly two years and retired early due to back issues with a perfect 1-0 record in singles competition. Rick is a married father of two incredibly adorable children, who are budding pro wrestling fans themselves. Much to the chagrin of their mother. You can reach Rick at rwucchino@gmail.com

Home/AEW