BREAKING: The House of Black is out of snacks—and now Aleister Black is coming home.
After Ricky Starks power-walked from AEW to NXT, and Miro (aka Beefy Bulgarian Boy) stormed back into RAW as Rusev, it looks like WWE’s “cryptic guy in the fog” saga is about to pay off tonight on SmackDown—and spoiler alert, it’s almost definitely Aleister Black.
According to PWI Elite (who know more backstage gossip than a 2007 MySpace feed), Black is locked, loaded, and ready to return under his OG WWE ring name. No more Malakai-ing around. He even stopped by WWE HQ recently, because apparently, photoshoots with mood lighting are part of the onboarding process now.
If you’ve been wondering what all the moody vignettes were about—the “4” flashes, the masked figure with more symbols than a college math exam, and the “4.25.25”—you’re not alone. Turns out, it wasn’t a low-budget horror movie trailer. It’s tonight’s date, and it’s Aleister time.
Meanwhile, tonight’s SmackDown is coming to you live from Fort Worth, Texas (where smoke machines are apparently mandatory), featuring a triple-threat TLC match for the WWE Tag Team Championships. Plus, brand-new Undisputed WWE Champion John Cena is scheduled to appear, hopefully without introducing a sixth belt to the company.
Bottom line: Expect Aleister Black to rise from the shadows tonight, possibly with some slow-walking, unnecessary thunder sounds, and a spinning kick that will make you question your life choices.