3 Reasons why Aleister Black lost to R-Truth on WWE SmackDown

Another episode of WWE Friday Night SmackDown is now in the books. This special edition of the blue brand was the go-home show ahead of both Saturday Night's Main Event and the women's premium live event, Evolution.

The main event of SmackDown was a tag team bout. Accompanied by Tonga Loa and Talla Tonga, Solo Sikoa and JC Mateo took on the duo of Jimmy Uso and LA Knight. However, that wasn't the most interesting match of the night.

Arguably, the most interesting bout of the show saw R-Truth go one-on-one with Aleister Black. Heading into the event, fans were curious how it would end. Ultimately, Black lost his patience with R-Truth, nearly used a chair that Truth brought in, and was then quickly rolled up as the referee removed said weapon.

Fans were shocked to see Black lose after just returning to World Wrestling Entertainment less than three months ago. Now, many are wondering what the possible reason could be for the defeat. This article will take a look at three possible reasons for the former Tommy End's defeat.

Below are three reasons why Aleister Black lost to R-Truth on WWE SmackDown.

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#3. Aleister Black losing to R-Truth helped set up his potential heel turn

Aleister Black returned to WWE as a babyface. His first target was The Miz, and he also briefly feuded with Carmelo Hayes. He hasn't been a stereotypical babyface, butting heads with LA Knight, Damian Priest, and, of course, R-Truth.

Despite his attitude, Black has remained a babyface. However, that seemingly changed on SmackDown. Not only did the WWE star attempt to use a chair on R-Truth, but he also got into a major backstage altercation.

When Black was looking for R-Truth backstage to get some revenge for his loss, he ran into Damian Priest. The former World Heavyweight Champion tried to calm Black down. Instead, the former NXT Champion suckered Priest with a knee strike and assaulted him.

This means that this loss was likely to make Black frustrated, which ultimately set up his heel turn. The loss leading to the imminent turn makes the defeat worthwhile, even if it was to R-Truth by rollup.

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#2. His loss sets up a major match for SummerSlam next month

As noted, Aleister Black turned heel on WWE Friday Night SmackDown. He assaulted the former Judgment Day member and Rhea Ripley's Terror Twin, Damian Priest. This was unexpected, but with the benefit of hindsight, there were some signs that it was coming.

Multiple times now, Aleister and Damian Priest have had tense backstage altercations. These incidents were all related to R-Truth, who has been tight with Damian for a while despite previous drama between the Judgment Day and The Awesome Truth.

Triple H was clearly slowly setting up a story for Damian Priest and Aleister Black. Now, less than a month out from SummerSlam, it seems obvious that the two are going to collide at The Biggest Party of the Summer.

A match between Damian Priest and Aleister Black is truly unique and quite interesting on paper. The imminent heel turn is what truly set it up, and that loss from R-Truth was necessary to get to this point.

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#1. R-Truth needed a big win after recent events with WWE

Aleister Black aside, R-Truth's win on WWE Friday Night SmackDown was more necessary than many people realize. This is due to how his career has been in recent months, and, really, for years now.

The truth of the matter is, outside of his run as RAW Tag Team Champion alongside The Miz, R-Truth has primarily been used as a comedic figure or as an enhancement talent. He rarely wins big matches.

Despite that, ever since before he re-signed with the company, he has been working with names such as John Cena, JC Mateo, MFT, and now Aleister Black. These are serious, heavily pushed stars.

R-Truth needs to have wins under his belt if he's expected to be credible against these stars. As much as Truth was a comedic character for so long, he has now changed. As a result, he has to prove he can pick up wins, and Black's loss on Friday Night SmackDown was a major step in giving the legend more credibility.