Malakai Black Wins PROGRESS World Championship On UK Return

Malakai Black has returned to the Indies, and has lifted gold straight away after becoming PROGRESS World Champion with victory over Cara Noir.

Stepping into a PROGRESS ring for the first time since 2017, Black’s PROGRESS return in Manchester also marked his return to the indies, with the win over Noir on September 6 Black’s first match since competing in the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal on the April 17 edition of WWE SmackDown.

Black’s return to PROGRESS has been in the pipeline since the Summer, with his 90 day no-compete clause expiring in July following his WWE release in April. Whether Black becomes a mainstay in PROGRESS is yet to be seen, with rumours suggesting Black held talks with Major League Wrestling shortly after his release. At the time of writing, it is unknown if talks between Black and MLW have progressed.

Wrestling under the name Tommy End, Black made his name on the UK and European indies in the 2010s, before joining WWE NXT in 2016. Black would wrestle for WWE until being released in 2021, then would join All Elite Wrestling for a four year run before departing the promotion for a return to WWE in 2025.

This win marks Black’s first singles title in PROGRESS, having previously reigned as PROGRESS World Tag Team Champion with Michael Dante. He also won the Super Strong Style 16 tournament in 2016.