Aleister Black recently addressed the rumors that his tattoos affected his appearance in WWE events in Saudi Arabia. The WWE star clarified that it had nothing to do with why he missed the WWE Royal Rumble earlier this year.
Black was actually in Saudi Arabia but did not appear in the Men’s Royal Rumble match. His absence surprised many fans, as he had been appearing regularly on WWE SmackDown throughout 2025.
After the event, an online rumor started that Black’s tattoos meant that he wouldn’t appear in the Royal Rumble. Some believed this could become an issue because Saudi Arabia’s values don’t agree with visible body art.
Aleister Black Says the Concern Is No Longer an Issue
In a recent interview with The Stunner, Black shut down those rumors. He said that his tattoos did not lead to his removal in the Royal Rumble.
“No, that is not true. I was supposed to be in the Rumble, but then they were going to start myself and Randy, and I felt like ‘Man if we are going to do that story and start in the Royal Rumble, it is just going to get snowed under.’ We don’t want it to just go to waste for them to just be two guys that are like being dumped out. So, why don’t we save it for the weeks to come?” Black said.
But although he denied the rumors, Black admitted that his tattoos were a concern earlier when WWE first started doing shows in Saudi Arabia.
“The initial setup of Saudi Arabia, my tattoos did come in question. That is absolute fact. In the initial setting, it was definitely like, ‘Well, we don’t know how they are going to respond.’ I am talking five years ago when it all first started. That was definitely a conversation at the time I had with Vince, and also was brought to me. But that is no longer the case,” Black said.
He also mentioned that he has already appeared on Saudi Arabia broadcasts with his tattoos fully visible. “The last time I was in the ring there with R-Truth, even though the segment was small, I was still presented on TV and my arms were exposed; obviously, the side of my head is always exposed. So you could still see a lot of my tattoos,” he added.
Black believes skipping the Royal Rumble was actually the better decision. Instead of a quick appearance amid the chaos, he had a main-event match with Orton on SmackDown three weeks later.
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