Aleister Black Denies He Was Kept Off WWE Royal Rumble Due To His Tattoos

Aleister Black has shot down rumors that his tattoos kept him from competing at the WWE Royal Rumble in Saudi Arabia. The Smackdown star was noticeably not part of this year’s Rumble, which took place in Riyadh, and some fans speculated that his tattoos were the reason. Black’s ink includes depictions of demons and given Saudi Arabia’s strict adherence to religious concerns, some believed that might have kept him from performing.

Black spoke with The Stunner and shot down the notion. He acknowledged that there was concern about it back when the Saudi deal began back in 2021, but said that his not appearing in order to benefit his storyline with Randy Orton. You can see the highlights below:

On Rumors That His Tattoos Kept Him Appearing In Royal Rumble:

“No, that is not true. I was supposed to be in the Royal Rumble, but then they were going to start myself and Randy, and I felt like if we are going to do that story and start in the Royal Rumble, it is just going to get snowed under. We do not want it to just go to waste for them to just be two guys that are like being dumped out. Why do we not save it for the weeks to come?”

On Having That Concern Initially In the Saudi Deal:

“The initial setup of Saudi Arabia, my tattoos did come into question. That is absolute fact. In the initial setting, it was definitely like, ‘Well, we do not know how they are going to respond.’ I am talking five years ago when it all first started. That was a conversation I had with Vince. But that is no longer the case. The last time I was in the ring there, even though the segment was small, I was still presented on TV and my arms were exposed. The side of my head is always exposed. You could still see a lot of my tattoos.

“No, that was not the reason why. It was a very smart decision because looking back at what me and Randy did, it got its own life on Smackdown in the main event. Millions and millions of views. I do not know if it would have been able to exist in that way if we would have done it at the Royal Rumble. I appreciate you taking the time to clarify. It is good to know that fans care.”