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WWE sold a majority stake to Endeavor for over $9 billion in 2023

WWE reportedly released Aleister Black on Friday afternoon with their latest wave of cuts. Black returned to WWE after an AEW stint last April about one full year before the release came out of the blue today. Many wrestlers were released from WWE over the past few hours with their annual cuts of lowering the budget after WrestleMania season. Black stood out among the most surprising names since they treated it like a big deal when signing him.

Sean Ross Sapp and Fightful reported the following about Black and his wife Zelina Vega getting released:

“Aleister Black and Zelina Vega are believed to be among the WWE departures, Fightful Select has learned. Black last wrestled on the April 17 episode of WWE SmackDown, competing in the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal.

He has been regularly featured on television throughout 2026, feuding with Damian Priest to start the year and Randy Orton during the early months. He was most recently in segments and matches with Sami Zayn and Matt Cardona.”

Black was getting pushed earlier in the year with noteworthy matches against upper card names like Randy Orton and Sami Zayn. However, it appears WWE lost interest in Black’s mysterious character to cut bait now rather than letting the angle play out.

Will Aleister Black Return To AEW?

Tony Khan has proved that he doesn’t hold grudges and will bring someone back if they leave for WWE. Andrade returned to the company and has been pushed into a prominent role with victories over top AEW stars like Kenny Omega.

However, Khan has also mentioned having a good relationship with Andrade and understanding his desire to work with his then-wife Charlotte Flair in WWE. Black was a controversial name in AEW due to rumors of him allegedly refusing to lose matches.

Despite disputing that rumor himself, Black has dealt with fan criticism since he rarely lost any matches in AEW. A return seems less likely than Andrade, but it is not out of the realm of possibility. Black must have a tremendous character pitch and come in with an open mind for a return this quickly.

Why WWE Lost Faith In Aleister Black

WWE has gone hot and cold with Black in both of his tenures with the promotion. Black was a tremendous NXT Champion and thrived under Triple H’s booking. However, he struggled working under Vince McMahon’s leadership and ultimately got released.

Triple H was the one to bring Black back to WWE and made fans expect greater things due to past success under his creative direction. However, Black failed to stand out and become a must-watch character at a time when television time is more valuable.

WWE has a deep roster of great talents and recently called up a new class of rookies from NXT. Black lost the confidence of Triple H’s booking and no longer held that same relevance from his NXT time. WWE didn’t believe Black would become a bigger star and felt it was worth saying goodbye now instead of forcing another push.