Wrestling On FanNation

BREAKING: Aleister Black Makes WWE Return On Friday Night SmackDown

Aleister Black is back in WWE and he took out the Miz in his first official act as a member of the SmackDown roster.
Rick Ucchino|
Aleister Black is back!
Aleister Black is back! | WWE.com

Aleister Black is back in WWE.

The former NXT Champion made his highly anticipated re-debut during Friday night's episode of SmackDown in Fort Worth.

Black interrupted a segment with The Miz. The former WWE Champion was cutting a promo about how it was absurd that he was left off the WrestleMania card, when guys like Rey Fenix and Joe Hendry were called upon as last minute replacements.

Miz said he was tired of people showing up in WWE and stealing his spotlight. The lights then went dark and the familiar WWE theme of Aleister Black permeated the Dickies Arena. He slowly made his way to the ring amid a sea of 'welcome back chants' and eventually dropped The Miz with a Black Mass.

It's been nearly four years since Black was last seen in a WWE ring. He was abruptly released by the company in June of 2021, just days after he ended a lengthy hiatus from television to start a new program with Big E.

He quickly took his talents to over to the company's top competitor. Malakai Black debuted for All Elite Wrestling at Dynamite Road Rager about a month after his WWE departure. He would spend years cultivating his House of Black stable by recruiting stars like Buddy Matthews, Brody King and Julia Hart to walk in the shadows of darkness alongside him.

The group had varying degrees of success, including a run for Black, Matthews & King as the AEW Trios Champions. Hart would later win the TBS Championship as a singles competitor.

Black himself would compete for singles gold on multiple occasions, including against Adam Copeland in Barbed Wire Cage Match at Double or Nothing 2024, but he came up short in his efforts to secure the TNT Title.

Reports began to surface late last year that Black's contract was due to expire and he officially hit free agency earlier this year.

Aleister Black now joins Rusev, Ricky Saints and Rey Fenix in making the jump to WWE, after all four talents departed AEW within mere days of one another back in early February. A clean sweep for WWE from a talent acquisition standpoint.

The Latest On WWE, AEW & More

Chelsea Green Grateful For Fan Support After Being Left Off WrestleMania 41 Card [Exclusive]

Major Update On Mariah May To WWE Rumors

Matt Hardy Gives Major Critique Of Cody Rhodes vs John Cena WrestleMania Main Event

WWE Reportedly Exploring Another Las Vegas WrestleMania In The Very Near Future

Published
Rick Ucchino
RICK UCCHINO

Rick Ucchino is the Assistant Editor & Content Coordinator for The Takedown on SI. He also works full-time for 700WLW Radio in Cincinnati, Ohio as a local news and sports anchor, in addition to his time covering the Cincinnati Bengals for Sirius XM. Rick has been on the professional wrestling beat since 2019, having provided coverage for a number of outlets, including Fightful, SB Nation’s Cageside Seats and the Bleav Podcast Network. With an educational background in theater, creative writing and journalism, Rick focuses primarily on the storytelling aspect of pro wrestling, but he’s no stranger to the squared circle himself. He had the privilege of training with former WWE & WCW cruiserweight Jimmy Wang Yang for nearly two years and retired early due to back issues with a perfect 1-0 record in singles competition. Rick is a married father of two incredibly adorable children, who are budding pro wrestling fans themselves. Much to the chagrin of their mother. You can reach Rick at rwucchino@gmail.com

Home/WWE