Ex-AEW star to return as Randy Orton's WrestleMania 41 opponent after Kevin Owens' injury? Looking at the chances

A major yet former AEW name could make his grand return to WWE to fill in for Kevin Owens as Randy Orton's opponent at WrestleMania 41. Should the company decide to pull the trigger, this would be an interesting move.

Malakai Black has been linked to WWE after his exit from the Tony Khan-led promotion in early February. His last matchup in WWE was back in 2020, and he could join Andrade, Cody Rhodes, and CM Punk as those who have returned to where it all started after runs in AEW.

Randy Orton is without a WrestleMania match, seeing as Kevin Owens announced that he'll be taking a hiatus and missing the Showcase of Immortals due to a major neck injury that needs surgery. The Viper attacked Nick Aldis after being told his match had been canceled. This frustration could force him to hijack the show until Aldis and management find someone to fulfill his wishes.

This could be the perfect time for WWE to have Malakai make his return as Aleister Black. This would be similar to Cody Rhodes returning to the company to face Seth Rollins in WrestleMania 38. The former AEW star would be a perfect candidate for a blockbuster match for Orton.

Another teaser for the former AEW star seemingly aired tonight on WWE SmackDown

Moments ago on SmackDown, another cryptic vignette was aired, seemingly teasing the return of Aleister Black.

During his previous run with WWE, Malakai kept his gimmick of being a mysterious individual shrouded in darkness. He brought this to AEW and even formed the House of Black. He could get back this gimmick in his return to the Stamford-based promotion.

See the teaser below:

The promotion has created many debuts and returns to start 2025, and with Rey Fenix now officially a member of the roster, they could pull off another big moment and have Aleister Black back in WWE after almost five years.