How Wrestling Stars Malakai Black And Zelina Vega Met And Fell In Love

Professional wrestling is filled with couples working together in the business. That’s no surprise, seeing as how it’s a job, just like any other. It certainly has to help to have your partner there with you on those long nights on the road, but what’s difficult are those wrestling couples who work in different companies. For example, Buddy Matthews is in AEW, while Rhea Ripley is one of the biggest stars in WWE. This was also the case for Malakai Black and Zelina Vega, with the former once part of the House of Black in AEW, and the latter in WWE. This has changed recently, as Black has left AEW and returned to WWE. Will work with his wife, who he met there and has now been married to for years?

UPDATE: 2025/05/25 17:00 EST BY BENJAMIN VIEIRA

In professional wrestling, competitors being in relationships and wrestling in different companies is common. For Zelina Vega and Aleister Black, they did that for quite a while. In 2021, Black was released from his WWE contract and joined AEW. Vega, however, remained in WWE. In that time, Vega became a WWE Women’s Tag Team Champion and later a member of the LWO. As for Black, he became the leader of the House of Black, and was an AEW World Trios Champion. But, for the first time in a while, the couple is finally reunited and wrestling under the same roof.

Zelina Vega & Aleister Black Met In WWE

The Couple Discovered That They Had A Lot In Common

• Aleister Black is from the Netherlands and wrestled first as Tommy End.
• Zelina Vega is of Puerto Rican descent and got her NXT start managing Andrade.
• Black and Vega are both into video games.

At first glance, Aleister Black and Zelina Vega don’t seem like they’d be a couple. Black is from the Netherlands and covered in tattoos from head to toe, while Zelina Vega is of Puerto Rican descent and not covered in ink. They grew up halfway across the world from each other, but it was working as wrestlers in WWE that brought them together. Vega signed with WWE in 2017, where she became Andrade’s manager in NXT. Black, who had been known as Tommy End, debuted in NXT the same year as Aleister Black.

In a 2018 Q&A on YouTube, Zelina was asked how she and Malakai hit it off. She said:

“I mean, initially, obviously it was that physical attraction. I was like ‘wow, who’s that, he’s hot.’ But then it was getting to know you as a person and how cool you were and how funny you were and sweet you were and then how much we had in common in video games and nerdy stuff. And that’s when I was like, ‘I want this one.’” (h/t WrestleTalk)

When asked on Twitter in 2023 how they met, Zelina responded:

“In his DMs”

Zelina Vega Spoke About How Hard It Was To Work In Separate Companies

Aleister Black Left WWE In 2021

• Black and Vega got married in 2018.
• Black was the leader of AEW’s House of Black faction.
• Vega and Black built their dream house together.

Black and Vega were quiet about their relationship at first, but eventually they went public before getting married in 2018. Both wrestlers ended up making it to the main roster of WWE, with mixed success. While Vega was still in WWE, Black left in 2021 and quickly jumped ship to AEW. He became one of their top stars as the leader of the House of Black faction, but his success meant he and his wife spent a lot of time apart.

In an interview with Seconds Out, Vega opened up about how hard it was to work apart from her husband.

“It’s tough but it is something that’s nice that we both are in the business that we understand. I mean we both used to work, you know for WWE. Well, he used to. But it’s something that it’s so important to us like once we get home, there’s no phones. There’s just him and I and the cats. We just built our dream house that we’ve been trying to do for like three years. So, it’s just having that realness outside of the craziness is so important for us.” (h/t WrestleTalk)

The Wrestling Couple Was Able To Make It Work

They Had Success In Their Respective Companies

• Zelina Vega and Malakai Black own and operate Dark Arts wrestling school and gym.
• Malakai Black is no longer with AEW.
• As Aleister Black, Triple H made him an NXT Champion.

In the same interview, Zelina was asked if she’d like to see Black in WWE someday. She said:

“Absolutely. Yeah, absolutely. I mean any extra time that I can spend with my husband is the better.”

The couple has found a way to stay close to each other, despite working in different companies. They own and operate their own gym and wrestling school called Dark Arts, and their bond is so strong that last year Black surprised Zelina Vega, proposing to his wife all over again on Christmas Eve. Vega raved about it in a social media post.

The Married Couple Have Been Reunited In WWE

Aleister Black Rejoined WWE This Year

• Black returned to WWE on the April 25, 2025, episode of SmackDown.
• Vega won the WWE Women’s United States Championship on the same night.
• They have not been in the same wrestling promotion since 2021.

For months, rumors circulated about not if, but when, Black was going to be back in WWE. On April 25, 2025, Black finally returned on SmackDown. He attacked The Miz and has been feuding with him and Carmelo Hayes over the last month. It was a tremendous moment for Black, but he was not the only member of his family to have a big moment on that night’s SmackDown.

On that same episode, Vega faced Chelsea Green for the WWE Women’s United States Championship. She was able to successfully capture the title, making her only the second person to hold it in history. It is also Vega’s first singles title in her time with WWE. It was a great night for both Black and Vega, who are reunited in the same company for the first time in years.