Who is Malakai Black? The untold story of AEW's mysterious Dutch wrestler
Malakai Black, born Tom Büdgen, is a Dutch professional wrestler renowned for his dark, artistic style and haunting in-ring persona. He rose to fame in WWE as Aleister Black and later led AEW’s House of Black faction, driven by a lifelong passion for wrestling.
Source: Getty Images
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Key takeaway
- Tom Büdgen began his WWE career in 2017 as Aleister Black and captured the NXT Championship in 2018.
- He joined AEW in 2021 as Malakai Black, where he led the House of Black faction and won the Trios Championship in 2023.
- In April 2025, he returned to WWE after his run with AEW and has been married to Zelina Vega since 2018.
Profile summary
Real name | Tom Büdgen |
Nicknames | Malakai Black, Aleister Black, Tommy End |
Gender | Male |
Date of birth | 19 May 1985 |
Age | 40 years old (as of 2025) |
Place of birth | Alkmaar, Netherlands |
Nationality | Dutch |
Ethnicity | Caucasian |
Height | 6'0" (183 cm) |
Weight | 98 kg (215 lbs) |
Marital status | Married |
Wife | Zelina Vega |
Profession | Professional wrestler |
Net worth | $2 million |
Social media |
Malakai Black hails from Alkmaar, Netherlands
The AEW star was born Tom Büdgen on 19 May 1985 in Alkmaar, Netherlands. Now 40, Malakai Black spent much of his early life in Amsterdam.
While he has not shared details about his family, the wrestler has spoken about how his upbringing influenced his passion for wrestling and martial arts. During a 2020 interview with WrestlingInc, he said:
I watched professional wrestling at a very early age...I asked my parents if I could do martial arts. So, I was 5 or 6 years old, and I was doing karate and jiu-jitsu...I did kickboxing... At 15, I started training as a professional wrestler. I used martial arts to define myself as a wrestler in this business.
Source: Original
He began wrestling under the ring name Tommy End
Before joining WWE, Malakai Black wrestled on the independent circuit from 2002 to 2016 under the ring name Tommy End. He competed in Insane Championship Wrestling (ICW) and wXw.
Malakai captured both the wXw Unified World Wrestling Championship and the Tag Team Championship. He later revealed to Wrestling Headlines that this persona led to his WWE signing, saying:
People don’t realise that I got signed by WWE because of the Tommy End, cult-type character that I’d been doing for like years and years prior to that.
The Dutch star rose to prominence in WWE as Aleister Black
On 7 January 2017, Tom Büdgen debuted as Aleister Black, introducing his dark persona to WWE audiences. He joined the NXT roster the same year and captured the NXT Championship from Andrade “Cien” Almas on 7 April 2018.
By February 2019, he joined WWE’s main roster and later competed at WrestleMania 36, where he defeated Bobby Lashley. In 2020, a feud with Seth Rollins and Murphy ended in a kayfabe eye injury, an eerie moment that later inspired Malakai Black’s eye design in AEW.
After a final stint on SmackDown, he was released from WWE on 2 June 2021.
Source: Twitter
He later joined AEW, reinventing himself as Malakai Black
The WWE superstar debuted in AEW on 7 July 2021, reinventing himself under the name Malakai Black. He led the occult-themed House of Black with Brody King, Buddy Matthews, and Julia Hart, winning the AEW World Trios Championship from The Elite in 2023.
On 10 February 2025, it was reported that Malakai Black’s contract with AEW had expired and he would be departing the company. During an interview on The Ringer Wrestling Show podcast, he addressed his AEW experience, saying:
People want to desperately have a narrative. "He never wanted to be in AEW." That’s completely false. That’s absolutely not true. I had a great time in AEW. I had a lot of fun. Did I do everything that I wanted to do? No, but that’s okay.
April 2025 marked his return to WWE
After his AEW contract expired, Aleister Black made his WWE return on April 25, 2025, appearing on SmackDown and delivering a Black Mass to The Miz.
He soon began a feud with Damian Priest, defeating him in a Last Man Standing match on 10 October. In an interview with Denise Salcedo, he explained his decision to return, saying:
Towards the end of my contract with AEW, I sat down with Tony Khan...he gave me his vision...WWE gave my agent their vision. I kind of put them together...And my heart lay more with going back to WWE, in terms of the things that I still wanted to do.
Source: Getty Images
Malakai Black and Zelina Vega have been married since 2018
The WWE superstar married Puerto Rican-American wrestler Thea Megan Trinidad Büdgen on November 23, 2018. Malakai Black’s wife, known in the ring as Zelina Vega, is a former WWE Women’s United States Champion.
As shared with USA Today, she reflected on the significance of her husband’s long-awaited return to WWE, saying:
I was kind of just wowed by the fact that I was even seeing him at work again. I looked like a little schoolgirl. I was smiling all day long. You have dreams like that. But this time I didn't actually wake up.
His estimated net worth is around $2 million
According to Sportskeeda, Malakai Black’s net worth is $2 million. He built this through his wrestling career, title victories, and revenue from merchandise and appearances.
Source: Getty Images
FAQS
- What was Malakai Black's name in WWE? The WWE star is known as Aleister Black.
- Is Malakai Black leaving AEW? The AEW wrestler departed the company after his contract expired in February 2025.
- Is Malakai Black going to WWE? The former AEW star returned to WWE on SmackDown in April 2025.
- What happened to Malakai Black? The ex-House of Black leader left AEW following his contract expiration.
Conclusion
Tom Büdgen, known as Aleister Black in WWE and Malakai Black in AEW, is a Dutch wrestler renowned for his dark, captivating persona. His precision and presence make him one of wrestling’s most distinct modern talents.
READ MORE: Discover Tyrus' height and weight: Facts about the NWA champion and Fox News star
As Briefly.co.za published, Tyrus ranks among the 50 largest pro wrestlers in history based on his height and weight. His size powered his win at NWA Hard Times 3 on November 12, 2022, defeating Murdoch and Cardona.
Tyrus overcame the challenges of foster care and racial prejudice to become a Fox News host and the bestselling author of Just Tyrus.
Source: Briefly News
