Aleister Black explains why he didn’t return at WWE WrestleMania 41
Aleister Black says he’s grateful to not have been Randy Orton’s opponent at WWE WrestleMania 41.
Some fans felt that Black would answer Orton’s open challenge at WrestleMania, a role that went to Joe Hendry. Black returned on the first SmackDown after WrestleMania instead.
During a recent interview with WrestleRant, Black said that the idea of him being Orton’s opponent on the show was discussed, but ultimately WWE felt they didn’t want Black to lose his first match back.
Black said during the interview:
“They were toying with a bunch of ideas (for his 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.”
“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.’”
He continued to say of his return:
“They felt that they wanted to give it the right attention, they wanted it to be, you know, specifically about me, which I’m very grateful for. And what happened happened and I really enjoyed it. It was a great night. It’s the same night that my wife, obviously, won her first singles title. Very unique few days. It was a very good memory. Very special.”
Black returned to WWE on the April 25 SmackDown in Fort Worth, Texas, hitting The Miz with a Black Mass. His wife Zelina Vega defeated Chelsea Green to win the WWE Women’s United States Championship on the show as well.
Black’s full interview with WrestleRant is available below. His comments about his return come in around the 24-minute and 57-second mark of the podcast (cued below):
Ian Carey is a writer from Toronto, Ontario, Canada, whose work has been featured in NOW Magazine, The Huffington Post, and more. A lifelong wrestling aficionado born in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, he has covered the industry for a decade and a half. He joined the f4wonline.com team in 2019.