Malakai Black is making his way over to Coastal Championship Wrestling.
In the midst of the latest drama regarding Black and his status with All Elite Wrestling, CCW announced that Malakai Black will make his CCW debut this Saturday, January 11.
This will be the first match for the former NXT Champion in 2025 as Malakai has been out of action since Full Gear. The AEW star is relatively quiet and rarely does indie appearances these days. His last indie show was in 2023 with Prestige Wrestling, where he teamed with Kevin Blackwood to take on Jake Christ and Alan Angels. It’s a very interesting time for the AEW star to make an indie appearance as rumors about him finishing up with AEW are running rampant.
Granted, Black is still allowed to make appearances while under contract with AEW. In fact, CCW makes it clear that the 39-year-old is associated with All Elite Wrestling, but Black’s absence from television and the rumor mill will have people raising their eyebrows a little. Nevertheless, Coastal Championship Wrestling has been around since 2004, with the Florida based promotion featuring some of the biggest names in wrestling including Jacob Fatu, Brian Cage, Rich Swann, and Kamille.
Check out the official press release for the upcoming show.
TAMPA, FL — Coastal Championship Wrestling (CCW) is excited to announce the upcoming debut of MALAKAI BLACK. The All Elite Wrestling star and former WWE NXT Champion will be in action this Saturday, January 11, 2025, at CCW’s HAVOC & HAZE 9 at Magnanimous Brewing in Tampa, FL.
A rare independent appearance by Malakai. One you will not want to miss! Tickets are still available. Click HERE to buy yours today!
I don’t know much about his opponent, though if he’s a decent wrestler then this should be a really good match because Makakai is so darn good in the ring. As far as AEW is concerned, it remains a mystery on when he’ll make a return to television. Buddy Matthews and Brody King have been doing singles bouts recently, but there’s no sign that Black is coming in to join them. Maybe the rumors of him leaving AEW are true. Either way, it should be fun for fans to see Black in a different environment.