Malakai Black Was Originally Set to Face Randy Orton at WrestleMania 42

Before Cody Rhodes ever got the call, WWE’s original plan for Randy Orton at WrestleMania 42 reportedly involved a very different opponent: Malakai Black.

Black, who wrestled under his real name Aleister Black during parts of his WWE tenure, revealed that he was initially lined up to work against Orton at the show before those plans changed and Rhodes was slotted into the match instead. According to Black, the WrestleMania pitch had progressed far enough that he had already begun preparing for the program before it was scrapped.

The reveal is notable given the timing — Black was recently released by WWE, closing the book on a run that saw him go from a critically acclaimed independent and NXT standout to a somewhat underutilized upper-midcard presence on the main roster, despite flashes of the dark, methodical character work that made him a cult favorite. His most memorable WWE chapter came as the leader of the House of Black alongside Buddy Matthews and Julia Hart (later joined by Abadon), a stable that leaned into the horror-tinged aesthetic Black had cultivated for years. That group never quite got the sustained spotlight many fans felt it deserved before ultimately dissolving.

Orton, meanwhile, ended up on the opposite side of that pitch entirely. His WrestleMania 42 program with Cody Rhodes became one of the show’s headline stories, tying into the ongoing narrative threads WWE had been building around Rhodes since his own multi-year climb to the top of the card. Swapping in a program against Black would have represented a sharp tonal pivot — trading the finish-the-story, legacy-driven Rhodes narrative for a more atmospheric, psychological matchup built around Black’s supernatural in-ring persona.

It’s not unusual for WWE’s creative direction to shift dramatically in the months leading up to WrestleMania season, especially with a roster as deep as WWE’s and a card that has to balance star power, storyline momentum, and audience reactions gathered from weekly television. Pitches get discussed, wrestlers get told they’re being considered for a slot, and then business realities — a hotter angle elsewhere, an injury, a change in direction from the writing team — send those plans in another direction entirely. Black now becomes the latest example of a WrestleMania appearance that almost was.

What makes this particular swap sting a bit more is the context of Black’s release. Talent let go by WWE rarely get the chance to speak candidly about programs that were discussed for them internally, so hearing directly from Black about how close he came to a marquee WrestleMania slot offers a rare glimpse into how differently his WWE tenure could have played out. Instead, he heads into free agency with that near-miss as part of his story, while Orton and Rhodes’ actual WrestleMania 42 clash stands as the version fans ultimately got.

Where Black lands next — AEW, New Japan, or elsewhere on the independent scene — remains to be seen, but his stock as a unique, in-demand character worker figures to keep him plenty busy regardless of the WrestleMania pitch that never came to pass.