Aleister Black is officially back in WWE — and according to him, this return hit differently.
While speaking on The Battleground Podcast, the former NXT Champion opened up about stepping back into WWE under new leadership, describing the experience as surreal, emotional, and unexpectedly welcoming.
When asked what stood out about this second chapter in WWE, Black made it clear the biggest change wasn’t the arena, the fans, or even the backstage layout — it was how he felt about himself.
“Me. I felt different. And obviously, you know, the players are no longer the same players that were there, you know, handling the business when I was there. Well, I mean, they were there, but they weren’t handling it the way they’re handling it now. And the atmosphere backstage is so good, man.”
He admitted to feeling overwhelmed when stepping back through Gorilla Position for the first time, especially considering how unexpected his initial WWE exit was.
“When I first stepped in, obviously, you know, there’s a lot of old emotions that kind of come up for a little bit because it’s something that you unwillingly left behind. And you know, you’re very, very lucky that you’re one of the few people that gets another shot at something.”
Despite the nerves, he said the day ended up feeling almost seamless — like no time had passed at all. What really struck him was how different the current leadership team made things feel compared to his last run.
“It was a very thoughtful day. But in a strange way, it felt like I never left, because everything was still the same in the most positive sense of the word. And then having the people that have always rallied behind me being in charge of everything and giving me the directions that I need—and taking the time to have the conversations with me leading up to all of this—felt like anything short of having the red carpet rolled out for me, you know what I mean? And it was a great feeling. It was a great day.”
Before stepping through the curtain, Black took a quiet moment with himself to reflect — and realized he was exactly where he needed to be.
“I was very nervous. But then I took a second. I put my headphones on and I just kind of stood in it, you know? I was kind of like, ‘Okay, this is about to happen. How do you feel?’ And at that moment, there was nothing that I’d rather do than be right there. It was really good.”
After months of speculation, Aleister Black’s WWE return isn’t just a homecoming — it’s a reboot under a system that finally feels right to him.
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