After weeks of vignettes, former NXT Champion Aleister Black made his official return to WWE during the 4/25 episode of WWE SmackDown.
Below is an excerpt from Roy Nemer’s WWE SmackDown recap with Black’s return.
Back from commercial, The Miz is already standing in the ring. He says since 2007, he has been an integral part of WrestleMania. But this year, he had no match, no mention, no where to be found. He says he main evented WrestleMania, beating John Cena, retaining the WWE Championship. Something that Cody Rhodes could not do. And yet Cody gets the cheers, the pyro, the spot light. He gets it, Cody was Champion. But when Rey Mysterio come hobbling in at WrestleMania, he goes to someone who has been there for two weeks. Miz has been there for 20 years. He asks himself if he has to wear a lucha mask and call himself Rey. Owens goes down and the fans want someone who is an internet meme, someone who is an internet trend. He is sick and tired of people showing up in WWE, people that cannot lace his boots in the ring. He is tired of them getting opportunity. He is the A-Lister, the most Must See WWE Superstar of all time. He is The Miz and he is Awesome.
The lights go black and we see Aleister Black rising in screen! He begins walking to the ring! He rolls into the ring and sits down in the middle of the ring. Black stands up as the lights come back on. The fans chant “Welcome back” and cheer. The Miz asks him “Who the hell do you…” and Black with a spinning kick to the face takes Miz down. Black sits back down in the middle of the ring as his music hits and the lights go dark.
Black was initially released by WWE on June 2, 2021. He would then make his AEW debut as Malakai Black during the Road Rager themed episode of Dynamite on July 7 that same year. In AEW he is a one-time World Trios Champion with Brody King and Buddy Matthews.
Black left AEW earlier this year, with his last match taking place on the February 19 episode of Dynamite in a loss against Adam Cole. After the match he hugged Cole, thus beginning speculation Black was on his way of the company. Soon after that match, AEW began doing backstage segments with Julia Hart, Brodie King and Buddy Matthews moving on without their leader of the House of Black. The three have since formed the new Hounds of Hell faction.