• New SmackDown Star Says WWE Nearly Booked Him Against Randy Orton At WrestleMania 41
Aleister Black confirmed that WWE briefly considered him for a match against Randy Orton at WrestleMania 41. While the match never materialized, Black said talks did take place behind the scenes. In an interview with Le10Sport, Black said, “From what I’m told, there was a discussion about it. But for obvious reasons, it didn’t go any further because they had another plan. But the option was considered. It was one of those, ‘What if we do it? Well, maybe not. Okay.’ That’s all I heard.” At the time, Orton had issued an open challenge for WrestleMania after Kevin Owens was sidelined due to injury. This led to speculation that Black, who was on the verge of returning to WWE, might be the surprise opponent. However, the spot was ultimately filled by then TNA World Champion Joe Hendry.
Black said he was flattered that WWE even thought of him for the match. “The fact that they even considered it is pretty cool,” he said. “I would have jumped at the opportunity with open arms. Anytime I get to wrestle Randy, it’s a great experience. He’s Randy Orton and to do it at WrestleMania? How could I say no? I’d be scared sh*tless, but I’d do it. It would be insane.”
Although the WrestleMania match didn’t happen, Black returned to WWE the Friday after the event, appearing on SmackDown. He recently shared the ring with Orton in a King of the Ring Fatal 4-Way tournament match that also included LA Knight and Carmelo Hayes. Orton came out on top in that contest.
• Booker T Reacts To People Saying They Don’t See Anything In Stephanie Vaquer
On his Hall of Fame podcast, NXT commentator Booker T spoke out in defense of the current generation of professional wrestlers. He specifically responded to criticism aimed at RAW Superstar Stephanie Vaquer. “It pi$$es me off… when I hear people criticize this generation and what they’re doing,” Booker said. “When I hear someone say something like, ‘I don’t really see anything in Stephanie Vaquer,’ that’s a bitter person talking. That’s someone with a really warped perspective.”
Known for mentoring talent in both WWE and NXT, Booker T didn’t hold back when addressing those who still judge today’s wrestlers by outdated standards. He made it clear that wrestling today is different, and that’s not a bad thing. “This generation, this era… it’s theirs,” he said. “They’re going to shape it the way they want, not the way we did in our time.”
Booker also acknowledged that times have changed for the better. “Honestly, I think I’d rather be part of this generation in many ways. Back in the day, we had to deal with so much… the Dark Side of the Ring stuff. You feel me? I’d rather be on this side. I was lucky and blessed to survive what I went through. Let the younger generation do things their way. It belongs to them. That’s how I see it.”
• Kevin Nash Reveals Which Current WWE Matches Lack Creativity
On a recent episode of his ‘Kliq This’ podcast, 2-time WWE Hall of Famer Kevin Nash didn’t hold back his opinion on the current structure of Fatal 4-Way and Triple Threat matches in pro-wrestling. WWE recently did several Fatal 4-Way matches as part of the King & Queen of the Ring tournaments.
Nash criticized the format, saying it’s become too rehearsed and lacking in creativity. “Yeah, I’ve made this f**king point a million times,” he said. “It’s become such a formula that there’s a f**king formula for production. Where basically, they just shoot the f**king canvas and nothing outside of it. They don’t shoot the f**king floor. There are no high shots. They keep everything f**king inside the ropes.”
He also described the pacing of these matches as too mechanical. “Those two f**king people go for two minutes with a bunch of high spots,” Kevin explained. “And then when it’s a cover, they go into a little f**king false finish, a little flurry. It’s cover, cover, ‘Oh!’ And then the person from the outside makes the hard f**king save.”
According to Nash, the pattern repeats without much variation. “Then the person they made the save on oversells it to the point where they go out of the ring, and then the other two go right into their f**king menagerie of high spots.”
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