Former AEW star to rejoin WWE after 3 years and unveil himself as leader of new ‘Shield’? Possibility explored

The WWE Universe recently saw four masked individuals wreak havoc at the 2025 NXT Vengeance Day. The group went after reigning champions of the developmental brand and attacked Nathan Frazer, Axiom, as well as Oba Femi. Interestingly, there is a possibility that Aleister Black could return to the company and unveil himself as the leader of this new Shield-like faction.

Black was part of WWE from 2016 to 2021, after which he joined the AEW as Malakai Black. However, unhappy with the creative handling of his character, the 39-year-old has now parted ways with Tony Khan’s company. Several fans already speculated that he would make a grand return to the Stamford-based promotion, and Black could do so by claiming himself as the leader of this faction.

Consisting of Dion Lennox, Saquon Shugars, Cutler James, and Osiris Griffin, the faction hasn’t revealed its name so far. Moreover, the group's true intentions also lay in the dark as of now. However, Aleister Black could return to WWE and unveil the name of this new group of Performance Center talent and dominate the developmental territory. While this is a significant possibility, all of this is speculation so far.

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Aleister Black could also return to WWE and join The Judgment Day

The Judgment Day is currently in a weak position since JD McDonagh is off television due to an injury. Therefore, Dominik Mysterio wants to recruit a new member to the crew. However, Finn Balor, JD’s tag team partner, is against getting more people onboard. However, there is a chance that Dirty Dom could still go behind The Prince’s back and bring someone in.

Interestingly, Dom could choose Aleister Black as the new member of the heel faction. This would strengthen The Judgment Day greatly by giving it a single dominant force, which the group currently lacks. It would allow the group to climb back on top again.

While there is a chance that Finn Balor may not mind someone so formidable joining forces with the crew, he could also pick a fight with Black. Thus, the resulting friction could lead to the inaugural WWE Universal Champion getting kicked out of the faction. It would be interesting to see what lies in the future for Black.