Malakai Black

Awards & Honours

Awards Won

Honours

Rankings

Covers

Records

Malakai Black's career is defined by championship success across three continents. He is one of the few wrestlers to hold titles in WWE, AEW, and major European promotions like wXw. His NXT Championship win in 2018 came in a critically acclaimed match at TakeOver: New Orleans. The Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic victory with Ricochet showcased his tag team versatility. In AEW, he led the House of Black to the trios titles, holding them for nearly six months. His 16 Carat Gold Tournament win in 2013 remains one of the most respected achievements on the German independent scene. He was inducted into the wXw Hall of Fame in 2017, a rare honor for a wrestler still actively competing.

AwardsBüdgen has won multiple wrestling championships across major promotions. He captured the NXT Championship once and the AEW World Trios Championship once. On the independent circuit, he won the wXw Unified World Heavyweight Championship, wXw World Lightweight Championship twice, and wXw World Tag Team Championship twice. He also won the Progress Tag Team Championship and Insane Championship Wrestling Tag Team Championship. Tournament wins include the wXw 16 Carat Gold Tournament and the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic. He was inducted into the wXw Hall of Fame in 2017.

Honours & Distinctions

wXw Hall of Fame

Westside Xtreme Wrestling·2017

Inducted for his contributions to the promotion.

PWI 500 - Ranked No. 14

Pro Wrestling Illustrated·2018

Highest career ranking in the annual list.

Most Improved Wrestler

Pro Wrestling Illustrated·2017

Awarded by Pro Wrestling Illustrated.

Breakout Star of the Year

Wrestling Observer Newsletter·2018

Recognized for his rapid rise in NXT.

Rankings & Lists

#14

PWI 500

Pro Wrestling Illustrated·2018

#22

PWI 500

Pro Wrestling Illustrated·2019

#47

PWI 500

Pro Wrestling Illustrated·2020

#89

PWI 500

Pro Wrestling Illustrated·2021

#56

PWI 500

Pro Wrestling Illustrated·2022

#34

PWI 500

Pro Wrestling Illustrated·2023

Magazine Covers

WWE Magazine

2018-04

NXT TakeOver: New Orleans

Pro Wrestling Illustrated

2018-06

NXT Champion

Records & Feats

First Dutch-born NXT Champion

Career Milestone·2018

Büdgen became the first wrestler born in the Netherlands to hold the NXT Championship in 2018.

Only wrestler to win the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic and NXT Championship in the same year

Historic First·2018

In 2018, he won both the Dusty Rhodes Classic with Ricochet and the NXT Championship, a feat no other wrestler has achieved.