Aleister Black and Zelina Vega have finally aligned on WWE television, but the seeds for their partnership were planted years ago. Speaking with The Takedown on Sports Illustrated, Black revealed that WWE had initially planned to pair the real-life couple together on screen shortly before his release in the summer of 2021.

According to Black, WWE had already begun working on creative ideas for the pairing. “We started shooting little vignettes for it, and we started creating outfits for it,” Black shared. Interestingly, he revealed that the concept influenced the look he would later debut with in AEW.

“That first mask that I ever wore when I worked with [AEW] was actually one of the masks that was utilized,” Black explained. “If you remember the Dark Father character that was at the end of my initial run [with WWE], that would eventually see my wife joining me… that was one of the pitches.”

The revelation marks a major shift in perspective for Black, who previously dismissed the idea of teaming with Vega. During a past interview with Cincinnati’s ESPN1530, he expressed confidence that they would never be paired on WWE television. However, he said the “aesthetic of them together caught the eye of upper management,” which led to the plan being revisited.

Those creative plans were shelved following Black’s 2021 departure. However, when he returned to WWE earlier this year, discussions reignited. After some internal back-and-forth, the idea was finally approved, leading to their on-screen union. The duo are now engaged in a heated rivalry with Damian Priest, who returned last week on SmackDown and cost Black the United States Championship.