Malakai Black has his first announced booking since WWE let him go, and it is in the country where he built his name.
PROGRESS Wrestling has confirmed Black for three dates on its Odyssey Tour next month: Friday, September 4 at the Edinburgh Corn Exchange, Saturday, September 5 at the O2 Academy in Leeds, and Sunday, September 6 at the O2 Ritz in Manchester.
The promotion’s announcement says he will be appearing at all three, which is worth noting. PROGRESS has used the word competing for other names on the tour, including Kay Lee Ray and MxM Collection. Whether Black wrestles has not been stated.
WWE released Black and his wife Zelina Vega on April 24. His last appearance for the company was the André the Giant Memorial Battle Royal on the April 17 SmackDown, where Royce Keys eliminated him. It ended a second WWE run that began just under a year earlier and never found the singles push he was brought back for. A planned pairing with Randy Orton heading into WrestleMania 42 was scrapped in favour of Pat McAfee.
He has been quiet since, beyond a video last week showing a new look. His Instagram handle now uses his real name, with Tommy End listed in the profile, which is how British audiences knew him before WWE ever signed him. Vega has started going by Xelina and appeared at WrestleCon over SummerSlam weekend.
PROGRESS is a sensible landing spot. Black worked the promotion as Tommy End during its early years, and it is now owned by Nikki Storm and Big Damo, better known to WWE audiences as Nikki Cross and Killian Dain.
The Odyssey Tour continues on September 12 at the O2 Academy in Bournemouth and September 13 at the O2 Academy in Birmingham. Black is not currently announced for either.
