Aleister Black has explained the thought process behind his WWE return.
The former NXT Champion recently had an interview with WrestleRant. He talked about things such as how WWE creative process has changed under Triple H, being paired with his wife Zelina Vega on TV and more.
During the talk, the host also discussed the difference between his AEW debut which was kept a complete secret, and his WWE return, which was promoted in advance with vignettes.
Black was asked if there had been any discussion of keeping his return a secret, and the wrestling star noted that creative had toyed with many different ideas
They were toying with a bunch of ideas. I know at one point there was this conversation about, ‘Oh, maybe he's coming back to wrestle Randy Orton at Mania.’ That was an actual thing that was discussed.
I’m Very Grateful For: Aleister Black
Randy Orton was originally scheduled to face Kevin Owens at WrestleMania 41. After KO withdrew from the match due to his neck injury, then TNA Champion Joe Hendry made a surprise appearance at the show to wrestle The Viper. Aleister Black on the other hand, made his return on the SmackDown after the Show of Shows.
Explaining why the idea for him to face Orton was shot down, Black mentioned that the officials did not want him to lose in his return match:
It was counter-argued quickly because they were like, ‘Well, we don't want him to lose coming back at WrestleMania. That doesn't make any sense.’ 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.
Aleister attacked The Miz in his WWE return and then defeated him in a match the next week. He has had matches with the likes of Damian Priest and Cody Rhodes since then.
