Malakai Black would have likely thrived in New Japan Pro Wrestling, but the security of WWE NXT was too much for him to turn down.
On a recent edition of the “Developmentally Speaking” podcast, Malakai Black recalled his WWE NXT run, and why he chose the gold brand over going to NJPW. He said,
“At the time, New Japan just started talking to wXw about possibly bringing me in. At the same time, I had NXT offers as well. So I was kind of like, ‘What am I going to do?’ I thought to myself, ‘Okay, so your NXT contract is three to five years guaranteed. New Japan might get you over and go well that was a fun three weeks, see you.’
“I was like, ‘If I’m 30 now, I sign with WWE, I have a three, maybe five-year run, hopefully it’s pretty decent. But at least whatever happens, I will have better financial stability and I will be a bigger star than I am now and it will help me in every asset, and who knows what can come with it.’ So, for me, it was the logical choice.”
Black, a former WWE NXT Champion, has yet to compete at a solely New Japan event, but did work the AEW x NJPW: Forbidden Door show in June 2022.
