Published: Mar 4, 2026 by Dave Adamson | Last Updated: Mar 4, 2026 by Dave Adamson
Dave has been a website writer for WrestleTalk since October 2022, having previously written for Den of Geek, among a number of wrestling, movie and television-related sites. Dave has been around the independent wrestling scene for more than a decade, including behind-the-scenes.
WWE
A WWE star has teased a feud against Randy Orton following their recent match on SmackDown that spawned a viral moment.
The February 20 episode of SmackDown saw Aleister Black defeat Randy Orton in the main event of the show, with Drew McIntyre interfering and laying out The Viper with the Undisputed WWE Championship.
While McIntyre is set to face Orton at WrestleMania 42, Black has pitched a feud with the highly decorated WWE star.
In a recent interview with Forbes, Black would note that the sight of him in his sit-down pose and Orton in his Viper stance had gone viral online, going on to hint at the future for the pair, saying:
“This was the first button of what should be a lot more. Obviously, you never know, because the things in our industry change so quickly. But with that reaction, and with the viewership, and with the viral clips coming out of that match, clearly a lot of people were highly interested in it.
“There’s such a style contrast, and I think that’s what captivated people a lot, where with myself I think forever I’ll be seen as this guy from NXT, where he made his name in the WWE, and rose through the ranks. Orton being a generational wrestler coming from a third generation himself, and having made such a name for himself at a young age, still being at the highest echelon in a completely different style and a different era being brought up.
“These two things are being put together almost at the right time, because obviously I’m seasoned enough to garner my skill to match that of his, and he is who he is.
“I think for a lot of people, it was just like this can be very interesting in terms of the styles, and obviously with the verbiage being spoken and the insinuation of a possibility of a Randy Orton that we all once very much feared — right on top of the Randy Orton that everybody already normally fears – throw back to the 2009 era if I can play my cards right.”
Orton won the men’s Elimination Chamber match on February 28, eliminating Cody Rhodes, who had chased off McIntyre on the aforementioned episode of WWE SmackDown.
The victory for Orton saw him progress to WrestleMania 42 on April 18 & 19 and the Undisputed WWE Championship match against McIntyre.
Transcript from Forbes.
To make sure you stay up to date with all the biggest wrestling and WrestleTalk news, follow us on Threads by clicking this link!
mailing list