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Malik Blade was among the talent released by WWE following WrestleMania 42, and the former NXT Superstar is already looking ahead to his next chapter as a free agent. Blade has revealed that working in Japan is one of his goals moving forward. His departure was part of a series of NXT-related releases that also included Kairi Sane, Aleister Black, Zelina Vega, The Motor City Machine Guns, and others. Blade was perhaps best known during his WWE run as the tag team partner of Edris Enofe. The duo competed extensively in NXT, with Blade making his final WWE appearance in late February. Speaking with Justin Dhillon on the “Casual Conversations With the Wrestling Classic” podcast, Blade discussed how he learned that WWE had released him. While he admitted that he was initially upset by the news, his mindset quickly shifted, and he became excited about the opportunities that could come next. You can check out some highlights from the podcast below: On his WWE release: “It’s a bit weird. It’s just a phone call from a person that I’ve never met. They just simply say, ‘Business decision. We’re moving on.’ That was really it. It was a few second phone call. The first season, I was kind of upset, but a few hours later, I got excited about the fact that I could go anywhere.” On his goals: “I have a big goal of wrestling in Japan. Now, I’m free to do that. I have no reason to stay in the States, and I’m able to expand my wings in wrestling. WWE is amazing, but it’s a bubble. Now, I can go anywhere and do anything. As much as it was scary, it’s also very exciting. I do believe that in Japan, my style is more high-flying and athletic. I do believe it’ll be more appreciated over there. I would love to explore that, whether it’s NOAH, All Japan, New Japan, I would love to take that up.” NOTE: If you have any news tips or podcast recaps that you’d like to send in for us to post (full credit will be given to you), please email me at [email protected].