Malik Blade has officially returned to the ring after being sidelined for over a year due to a severe injury. The NXT star competed at a recent NXT house show in Bartow, Florida, marking his first match in 13 months. Blade had been out of action since October 2024 after suffering a torn ACL that required a lengthy recovery period.
In his return match, Blade faced off against recent WWE signee Cyril Coquerelle, who competed under his previous moniker, Aigle Blanc. Despite a valiant effort, Blade was defeated by the newcomer. Blade’s last in-ring appearance prior to this bout was on the October 18, 2024, episode of NXT Level Up, where he lost to Tavion Heights.
Following the match, Blade took to social media to share his excitement about being back in the squared circle. He reposted a report about his return with a brief message to his fans. Blade wrote: ‘We are so back!’
We are so back ! https://t.co/vLNLSgBYHj
— Malik Blade (@MalikBladeWWE) November 22, 2025
During Blade’s time away from the company, his former tag team partner, Edris Enofe, embarked on a singles run on the Evolve brand before eventually requesting and receiving his release from WWE. Blade, who was initially trained by WWE Hall of Famer D-Von Dudley, signed with the company in 2021 and became a familiar face during the NXT 2.0 era alongside Enofe. Here are the full results from the NXT live event (11/21), courtesy of Wrestling Bodyslam:
Jaida Parker def. Nikkita Lyons
Layla Diggs & Masyn Holiday def. Bayley Humphrey & Skylar Rae
Mike Derudder def. Aaron Fara
Zena Sterling def. Sirena Linton
Lexis King & Brooks Jensen def. Tate Wilder & Nathan Angel
Charlie Dempsey def. Shady Elnahas
OTM (Bronco Nima & Lucien Price) def. Dante Chen and a partner
Aigle Blanc def. Malik Blade
Zaria, Kendal Grey, Wren Sinclair def. Fatal Influence (Jacy Jayne, Fallon Henley, & Lainey Reid)
#NXTBartow Forging a new path on his own, @MalikBladeWWE finds his Boston Crab reversed into a pinning predicament for the loss. Despite his opponent's offer of respect, Blade storms out of the ring. pic.twitter.com/ua6nTJZ9Tc
— Jeff Reid (@JeffReidUP) November 22, 2025
Aigle Blanc a également obtenu sa toute première victoire à la WWE.
Il a battu Malik Blade lors du show non télévisé https://t.co/gsJvB91IOE pic.twitter.com/0mHeDH2tDt
— Catch-Newz (@CatchNewz) November 22, 2025
