Aleister Black recently revealed that while WWE creative initially discussed having him return to the company at WrestleMania 41 to answer Randy Orton’s open challenge, the idea was ultimately scrapped. The former NXT Champion stated he is grateful the plan was vetoed, as the concern was that he would lose his first match back, which WWE wanted to avoid. Instead, Black’s return was delayed by several weeks, allowing him to be the sole focus of his return segment.
The Decision to Avoid a WrestleMania Loss
After weeks of cryptic vignettes teasing his comeback on WWE programming, Aleister Black was a major topic of speculation leading up to WrestleMania 41 in Fort Worth, Texas. Many fans felt he would be the one to answer Randy Orton’s open challenge. However, that spot ultimately went to Joe Hendry, and Black did not make his first appearance until the SmackDown that followed WrestleMania. Speaking to WrestleRant, Black detailed the internal conversation that led to the delay.
“They were toying with a bunch of ideas (for his WWE return). I know at one point there was a conversation about ‘Maybe he’s coming back to wrestle Randy Orton at WrestleMania’, and that was an actual thing that was discussed.”
The creative team quickly shut down the idea, prioritizing the impact and protection of the returning star over the pop of a surprise WrestleMania appearance.
“It was counter-argued quickly because they said, ‘Well, we don’t want him to lose coming back at WrestleMania. That doesn’t make any sense.’ So it was just one of those, ‘Oh, maybe we can do that. No, because so and so.’”
The company opted to give his return the proper spotlight, with Black confirming they intended to dedicate the segment specifically to him.
“They felt that they wanted to give it the right attention, and they wanted it to be, specifically about me, which I’m very grateful for. And what happened happened, and I really enjoyed it. It was a good night. It’s the same night that my wife won her first singles title.”
Focusing on the Undisputed Champion
Since his return, Aleister Black has quickly established himself as a mainstay on the SmackDown brand. He was recently paired with his wife, Zelina Vega, on TV. On the November 7 episode of SmackDown, Black and WWE Champion Cody Rhodes had a confrontation that led to them having a match that night.
If you use any portion of the quotes from this article please credit WrestleRant with a h/t to WrestlingNews.co for the transcription. You can listen to the full interview with Aleister Black on the WrestleRant podcast.
