Aleister Black has been off WWE television since his brutal loss on the January 2 2026 episode of WWE SmackDown, where he was defeated by Damian Priest in an ambulance match. The bout was positioned as a violent and definitive chapter in their rivalry, and Black has not appeared on screen in the weeks that followed.

Behind the scenes, the absence is understood to be intentional. The time away is part of a planned hiatus designed to sell the severity of the ambulance match and allow the storyline to breathe. While Black was said to be feeling the effects of the match, there is no indication that he suffered an injury serious enough to keep him off television if creative needed him.

That plan has also extended to live events. Black has not been featured on WWE’s current European tour, further reinforcing that his disappearance is storyline driven rather than the result of a long term medical issue.

For now, WWE has not given any indication of when Black will return or how he may re enter the picture once he does. His next appearance is expected to come once the company feels the impact of the ambulance match has been fully established.