On the January 2, 2026 episode of “WWE SmackDown,” Damian Priest concluded his feud with Aleister in the main event of the show, with Priest picking up the win in a wild and chaotic Ambulance Match. Priest has since moved on from the Black feud and has found himself back in the main event scene, where he has the chance to become the number one contender to the Undisputed WWE Championship at the Saturday Night’s Main Event show on January 24. However, Black has not been seen since and has reportedly been rehabbing an injury, and in the latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer detailed why Black has been away from TV.
Meltzer reported that Black actually suffered a broken tailbone during the match with Priest, believing that the injury occurred during the final bump of the match. With that said, Meltzer was told by WWE sources that Black’s injury isn’t that serious, but he was already scheduled to take some time off after the Ambulance Match which is the main reason he hasn’t been on screen. There is no timetable for when Black will return to WWE, but since the injury is minor, there is every chance that Black will be back in the fold in time for WrestleMania 42 in April.
Black has been lucky with injuries throughout his career, despite constant rumors that he had a back injury during his time in AEW. The only time has truly been injured was during his original run with WWE, where he accidentally shattered one of his testicles in to seven pieces during a match with Tommaso Ciampa at a “WWE NXT” live event in July 2018. Black did have to take time off to heal up, but he was back on the road by November of that year, and remained injury free until he crossed paths with Priest.
