Aleister Black Reveals Scrapped WrestleMania Orton Match

Aleister Black disclosed that WWE creative teams considered booking him as Randy Orton's surprise opponent at WrestleMania 41 earlier this year, a matchup that ultimately featured TNA World Champion Joe Hendry instead. The former NXT Champion shared these details in a recent interview, explaining how internal discussions shaped his highly anticipated return to the company after a prolonged absence.

Black's comeback had been building for weeks through cryptic vignettes on WWE programming, fueling fan speculation that he would answer Orton's open challenge during the event in Fort Worth, Texas. Orton, marking his 20th WrestleMania appearance, defeated Hendry in the bout, preserving his undefeated streak in such high-profile spots. However, Black did not appear until the following episode of SmackDown on April 25, also in Fort Worth.

In his conversation with WrestleRant, Black recounted the brief deliberation over the WrestleMania idea. "They were toying with a bunch of ideas," he said. "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 plan was quickly abandoned...