What happened to Aleister Black's eye?

Malakai Black, formerly known as Aleister Black in WWE, has officially signed with All Elite Wrestling. On the July 7th episode of AEW Dynamite, Black officially jumped ship over a month after his WWE release.

HOLY S**T ... Malakai Black ( @TommyEnd) has arrived in @AEW!Tune into #AEWDynamite NOW on @tntdrama pic.twitter.com/CgU959OPkI

— All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) July 8, 2021

What many fans noticed about Black right upon his AEW debut was that his eye still looked as damaged as before. So what happened to his eye?

In what can only be perceived as dedication on Aleister Black's part, the "injured eye" is a part of a storyline that he has carried over to AEW from WWE. On the July 27th, 2020 episode of RAW, Murphy drove Black's eye into the edge of the steel steps.

Aleister Black would return with a bandage over his eye, but right around October, he lost a feud to Kevin Owens before getting drafted back to SmackDown. After that, he would be absent from WWE TV for over half a year.

Only after WrestleMania 37 did the company start promoting the return of Aleister Black. He wasn't in the first set of cuts on April 15th, 2021 and it was reported that WWE had plans for him. They began to air vignettes and he finally returned to SmackDown on May 21st, seemingly starting a feud with Big E.

When Black returned to WWE in May, his injured eye was still a part of the storyline. While the company had new entrance music and an entirely new presentation planned for him, it was all nixed when he was released due to budget cuts.

Why did Aleister Black jump to AEW and how did he do it so quickly?

Aleister Black officially became Malakai Black when he debuted in AEW in July. While WWE Superstars normally have a 90-day non-compete clause after getting released, Black reportedly only had a 30-day non-compete clause in his, as per Dave Meltzer of WON.

Our @davemeltzerWON is reporting that Black only had a 30-day non-compete, hence why he was able to appear tonight. ^JN https://t.co/uzjOxtOOIZ

— Wrestling Observer (@WONF4W) July 8, 2021

PWInsider further reported that WWE made a "blunder" and forgot to update his non-compete clause from 30 days to 90.

On his Twitch stream, Black was full of praise for AEW, calling it the "right move" for him to make:

"It was the right move to make for me, my family, my career, [and] the state of mind I'm in. It's just a really good company. I can't say enough good things about it. They have a bright future. There are a lot of dedicated people and I'm really glad to be part of it," said Malakai Black (H/T - Fightful)

Malakai Black continuing a story from another promotion is an example of his dedication to the craft.