On the most recent edition of Wrestling Observer Radio , Dave Meltzer explained the supposed reason why WWE made the decision to turn Aleister Black heel on this week’s Monday Night Raw .
As quoted on Tuesday by WrestlingNews.co , Meltzer explained the move was related to the recent storyline developments between Seth Rollins and Rey Mysterio. Previously, Kevin Owens was introduced into the feud as a contingency plan, in the event Mysterio chose not to re-sign with WWE. However, with the veteran grappler reportedly signing a three-year contract to remain with the company, “KO” was left without a rival, hence the decision to give Black his first heel turn on the main roster and set him up for a feud with the former Universal Champion.
“Nope, didn’t see that coming,” Meltzer related, later adding that the shift to a villainous role for Black “is what it is.”
On this week’s Raw , the character change was set in motion when Black appeared as Owens’ guest on his in-ring talk show segment. Per Sportskeeda , this came weeks after Rollins’ stablemate Murphy pushed him into the steel steps outside the ring, thus allowing WWE to write the Dutchman off television with an eye injury. With Black returning on Monday night with a cloth over his eye, Owens probed him about the storyline injury, which made him “flip the switch” and attack his former ally in the ring. According to the outlet, this could have been done because the red brand is in need of new heel wrestlers.
As further opined, Black’s turn could give his character an additional dimension while giving him and Owens something to do on the red brand’s programming. Sportskeeda also predicted the two could end up having a match at this weekend’s Payback pay-per-view, or at the very least, have their feud play out on future episodes of Raw .
Prior to his hiatus from WWE television, rumors suggested the promotion’s chairman, Vince McMahon, was not entirely sold on Black’s potential to emerge as a top main roster talent. This was around the time that he and several other purported favorites of former Raw executive director Paul Heyman were rumored to be losing their strong pushes due to the change in creative leadership. However, a subsequent report from Meltzer suggested McMahon is actually a “huge fan” of Black and was only concerned that his character at the time might limit his upside due to its supposedly gimmicky nature.