Malakai Black's friend issues statement, reveals if he is leaving or retired after AEW Dynamite scare

The former WWE NXT Champion Malakai Black's friend provided clarification on whether the star is leaving or retiring after what happened on AEW Dynamite. Black's friend clarified the status through social media.

Malakai Black has been signed with AEW since 2021 and is currently a part of The House of Black faction alongside Buddy Matthews and Brody King. He gained prominence during his time in the WWE from 2016 to 2020 where he also won the NXT Championship. However, Black is yet to win a singles title in Tony Khan's promotion.

On AEW Dynamite this past Wednesday, Malakai returned to singles action after months as he took on Adam Cole. Cole and Black produced a great match but The Panama City Playboy managed to capture the win in the end. After the match, Adam Cole offered a handshake to Black but the latter gave him a hug instead before walking out of the arena.

After the hug between Malakai and Adam, fans on the internet have been speculating that this might be the brooding star's AEW farewell. However, Malakai's friend "Justin Whang" took notice of the speculations on X (fka Twitter) and clarified that the former NXT Champion is neither injured nor leaving or retiring:

"Was just chilling with him last week. He’s not injured, leaving or retiring," Black's friend Justin Whang wrote.

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Malakai Black's deal with AEW is reportedly set to expire

As mentioned earlier, Malakai Black has been signed with All Elite Wrestling since 2021 and it was unclear when his current contract will be up. Nonetheless, according to a recent report by the wrestling journalist Raj Giri, Black's deal with AEW is slated to expire in early 2025 and Tony Khan is working on re-signing him as well.

Moreover, Malakai continues to be prominently featured in Tony Khan's promotion. Only time will tell what's next for the former NXT Champion.