The running storyline for Aleister Black has been his incessant need to find an opponent who is willing to “fight” him. In a professional wrestling company, you’d think it would be easy for him to come across at least one person who’s willing to throw down, but this has been stretched out for weeks now. Finally, the former NXT Champion had his wish granted on this past week’s episode of SmackDown Live, an ominous knock at the door interrupted his ravings and left him with a big grin on his face.
This Tuesday, Aleister Black is set to find out who answered the call to his challenge. The two will meet at the upcoming Extreme Rules pay-per-view, but as of writing, we have no idea whether to be excited for this match, or to dread it. Aleister is a very rare breed of athlete who can captivate an audience with both his impeccable in-ring talent as well as his alluring persona — he’s definitely someone that WWE don’t want to let go to waste like so many of his fellow NXT alumni.
Black’s initial run on the main roster was considered a mild success, being pitted alongside Ricochet in a tag-team that found itself in the midst of the SD Live Tag Title hunt at WrestleMania. Just as the two were starting to get some momentum going, naturally WWE decided to split them up and send them to opposite brands. Ricochet has since captured the United States Championship from Samoa Joe, whereas Black has been given these tedious backstage segments that haven’t really added anything to his mystique, nor left him with much anticipation for his re-debut.
With Black’s first appearance on the blue brand as a singles star looming, it’s high time for the crowds to be given a reason to get excited about the demonic figure. The best way to achieve this would be through a match that leaves the WWE Universe with mouths watering. Everyone knows that, when given the right time and freedom, Aleister Black can put on a show-stealer, but with this being the main roster, it’s hard to convince yourself that we’ll be seeing the same quality that we had on NXT. Nevertheless, matched against an opponent who is looking to make a similar impact on SmackDown Live could lead to magic.
So who could it be? With such a stacked roster over on SmackDown Live, there’s quite a few potential opponents to be matched up with Black. Firstly, we’re going to take a look at a former Cruiserweight whose had quite a history with Aleister Black, dating back to their time in NXT. Buddy Murphy has been teasing his eventual appearance on the main roster for weeks, occasionally showing up on SmackDown during commercial breaks to remind everyone that he exists. Murphy and Black have put on absolute classics during NXT live event tours and have always been heralded for having a natural chemistry. With Murphy being relegated to 205 Live for so long, it’s great to see him have the opportunity to bring his eclectic style to a main roster pay-per-view.
Murphy and Black could indeed steal the show if they were granted the same freedom they had in the smaller venues. A 15-20 minute bout between these two budding stars could certify their spots in the mid-card, potentially even the main event scene if it catches the minds of the right people backstage. With Eric Bischoff now in charge of directing SmackDown Live, who knows what he might have in mind for these two in the ring.
Meanwhile, we have a certain Fiend lurking around. Bray Wyatt has been subtly hinting at his first opponent throughout his Firefly Funhouse segments, and has made his presence felt with the various puppet cameos caught on episodes of Raw and SmackDown in recent weeks. Perhaps Wyatt looks to quell the other dark forces at work in the WWE?
A match between him and Aleister Black could make for a defining aspect of the new era. Should Heyman and Bischoff look to take WWE in a more edgier direction, then putting these two gents at the forefront of that movement is an absolute must. We’ve seen what Wyatt is capable of conjuring up when given creative freedom, with his love for all things satanic coupled up with Aleister’s obvious gothic tendencies, it would undoubtedly be a unique feature for SmackDown Live going forward.
A former rival of Aleister Black, Andrade has also been loitering around without a great deal to fight over. Andrade has a lot to prove in WWE, especially to fans of his work from NXT. Having lost twice to Aleister Black on Takeover events, including a crippling defeat for his NXT Championship, Andrade surely looks for redemption now that Black is on the main roster. I personally would love to see these two tussle once more. With Andrade’s rumoured favour backstage, it wouldn’t shock me if they allow him and Black to go all-out for their return match.
With many names left meandering about the scene on SmackDown Live, it’s easy to spot several other potential opponents amongst the locker room. Ali, Rusev and even Kevin Owens are all scrambling to find a feud worthy of being featured on TV. Seeing Aleister make a name for himself with any of the aforementioned bunch would make for some excellent wrestling, something which could act as a draw for the Extreme Rules pay-per-view, depending on who they book.
I think tapping into Black’s work on NXT would start to bring back the right fans for the product. Black’s legions of followers would all love to see him work with Murphy and Andrade, and would love even more to see these fantasy feuds with Wyatt, Nakamura and Balor come to life.
But who will be his very first opponent? We’ll find out for sure on Tuesday night. Make sure you drop your predictions in the comments below.
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