5 heels Aleister Black could target on his WWE return

Aleister Black's lengthy absence from WWE television left many fans worried over the past few months. Now that he is back, it seems as though WWE has repackaged Black to some extent.

Although the character has always been rooted in darkness, the Dutch superstar's recent vignettes do highlight him differently than before. Thanks to an ancient book titled "Tales of the Dark Father," Black has expressed his dislike for the WWE Universe while shedding light on his backstory at the same time.

Despite his heel status, there are some interesting possibilities for a feud between two antagonists in this case. With that in mind, let's take a look at the five heel superstars Aleister Black could target when he returns to the ThunderDome.

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#5 Seth Rollins would need a new WWE opponent after Cesaro

Seth Rollins recently put over Cesaro on two separate occasions. The Swiss Cyborg is now moving on to a WWE Universal Championship match after his latest accomplishments, so where does that leave Rollins?

Out of all options, a potential feud between Rollins and Aleister Black could be a great storyline. The former was partly responsible for Black's heel turn, thanks to an entire angle that revolved around eye injuries last year.

Due to an eye injury, the Dutch superstar embraced his own vision and turned over to the dark side. Thanks to that development, Black is now indirectly exploring his heelish personality through cryptic vignettes.

But just because Black and Rollins are currently heels doesn't mean that the former would have completely forgotten about what went down between them.

Perhaps Aleister Black could resume their rivalry with some new context. He isn't exactly a hero anymore, so it should be interesting to see if Seth Rollins' own villainousness can overshadow Black's darkness in the long run.

If Black turns out to be the bigger heel in comparison, perhaps WWE could finally pull the trigger on Rollins' face turn. Then the latter may even cross paths with the biggest heel in WWE today — Roman Reigns. A future Reigns vs. Rollins clash was teased on SmackDown not too long ago, so this particular development would fit into the grander scheme of things.

#4 Sami Zayn vs. Aleister Black would be an oddly entertaining WWE feud

Sami Zayn is currently embroiled in a WWE SmackDown feud with his longtime rival — Kevin Owens. It doesn't seem like the two will keep on fighting for an extended period at this stage. After all, many thought their latest feud peaked at WrestleMania 37.

If the conclusion to Zayn vs. Owens and Aleister Black's in-ring return coincides perfectly, WWE could book an unusual storyline between Black and Zayn on SmackDown.

Zayn has built somewhat of a comedic niche for himself ever since he became the Blue brand's resident conspiracy theorist. Meanwhile, Black's current creative direction seems to be the exact opposite of Zayn's neurotic shenanigans.

Then again, the Dutch superstar has voiced his stance against humanity's weaknesses during his vignettes. SmackDown's conspiracy theorist happens to be driven by a lot of flaws in human nature, with greed being the biggest factor in his case. So it's reasonable to assume that Black may not be all in on Zayn's conspiracy agenda if they ever cross paths.

The bizarre clash of contrasting character tones between Aleister Black and Sami Zayn could result in some entertaining content. This idea might be worth a shot, especially if Zayn and Black's different personas mesh perfectly together in a feud.

#3 Could Aleister Black kickstart a WWE Intercontinental Championship rivalry with Apollo Crews?

Apollo Crews embraced his Nigerian roots on WWE SmackDown not too long ago. Thanks to this development and Commander Azeez's presence by his side, Crews is now the Intercontinental Champion. His ongoing feud with Big E started even before WrestleMania, so it will likely end sooner rather than later.

Meanwhile, Aleister Black could make his presence felt by aiming for a significant title upon his in-ring return. Directly pitting him against the Universal Champion, Roman Reigns, would be a rushed call, which is why Black vs. Crews seems to be the most likely possibility in comparison.

Apart from Crews' connection to the Intercontinental title, Black has another reason to target him on WWE SmackDown. For those who don't remember, the Dutch superstar suffered the wrath of Commander Azeez (fka Dabba-Kato) on RAW Underground last year.

While it didn't lead to a proper feud at the time, WWE may bring up the past if they wish to acknowledge that Azeez existed in the promotion before he aligned with Crews.

With or without a link to Azeez, Aleister Black and Apollo Crews could put on a great series of matches down the line.

#2 It might be a good time to revisit Murphy and Aleister Black's WWE feud

Murphy and Aleister Black have faced each other numerous times before in WWE. So why should the two stars rekindle their rivalry in 2021? For starters, no matter how many times they choose to fight each other, Black and Murphy will always have excellent in-ring chemistry.

Having been linked to Seth Rollins last year, Murphy was the one who directly injured Black's eye. So the Rollins-Black dynamic slightly applies in Murphy and Black's case as well.

Additionally, WWE fans haven't seen the Dutch superstar portraying a heel character during his battles with Murphy. So it would be interesting to see them fight again, despite both stars being on the same side of the heel-babyface equation this time around.

Murphy hasn't been a significant part of SmackDown ever since WWE scrapped his storyline with the Mysterio family. So in addition to all the points mentioned above, a feud with Aleister Black would help Murphy in terms of receiving television time.

Perhaps to move forward, Black may need to address his demons from the past by getting even with his longtime WWE rival.

#1 Edge could put over Aleister Black in a major WWE storyline

On the Road to WWE WrestleMania 37, Edge's heel turn ended up being an exhilarating moment for fans and critics alike. The Rated-R Superstar's fall to the dark side was motivated by his circumstances, which seemed like a more nuanced approach than most heel turns in WWE.

But since the conclusion of WrestleMania 37, Edge hasn't appeared on any WWE shows. Out of all the countless possibilities for his future feuds, a tussle with Aleister Black seems like an intriguing proposition.

Edge's approach to multi-layered storytelling is one of his biggest strengths, and Black's new creative direction, judging by his recent vignettes, is rooted in the same department. Pitting both of them in a rivalry should most likely result in a thrilling storyline.

If Aleister Black is to be viewed as a top-tier WWE character, feuding with Edge could be a good learning experience for him.

Moreover, if Black presumably defeats the legend, it would end up being one of the most significant milestones of his WWE career.

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In the comments section below, let us know which other heel superstars Aleister Black could soon target on SmackDown.