Former AEW star to return to WWE after 3 years; eliminate Seth Rollins from Royal Rumble? Chances explored

Seth Rollins has declared for the Royal Rumble Match in Indianapolis on February 1, aiming to win it and secure a title match at WrestleMania 41. Still, he will face tough competition, as fellow megastars, like CM Punk, Drew McIntyre, and Roman Reigns, have also declared their participation in the match.

The Visionary, though, could see a former rival return at the Royal Rumble and eliminate him, costing him the opportunity to get a title shot and become champion again. This rival is Aleister Black (aka Malakai Black).

Black is expected to leave AEW and become a free agent, as reports suggest that his contract with Tony Khan's company may have already expired. Thus, Black could return as early as the Royal Rumble and make his presence felt right away.

Aleister Black has unfinished business with the former World Heavyweight Champion and could seek revenge on Seth Rollins for an incident that happened nearly four and a half years ago, on July 27, 2020.

At that time, Rollins had aligned with Buddy Murphy and had assaulted Aleister Black, injuring his eye, before Dominik Mysterio (then a face) attacked both Seth and Buddy to even the odds.

Fast-forward to today, Black could return to WWE after three years and target The Visionary, taking revenge for that night and setting the stage for a match against Rollins at WrestleMania 41.

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Seth Rollins takes another shot at CM Punk ahead of Royal Rumble

Seth Rollins and CM Punk continued their rivalry, which is far from over and is expected to extend through at least WrestleMania 41.

Punk won the first match between the two on the RAW premiere on Netflix a couple of weeks ago, but Rollins is confident he will bounce back. In an interview with WWE backstage reporter Jackie Redmond, he took another shot at Punk and opened up about taking things with The Best in The World 'very personally.'

"Punk is not tough, he dipped. He dipped, he's not tough. I stuck it out when it was garbage, when I was getting dumped on over and over by everyone inside the company and outside the company, I stayed here and so I took all those attacks from everybody outside of here [WWE] and from him very personally. Very personally," Seth Rollins said. [H/T WrestlingInc.com]

It will be interesting to see what happens when Punk and Rollins square off at the Royal Rumble Premium Live Event.