Aleister Black & Zelina's WWE SmackDown Promo Deemed Carbon Copy of Kross & Scarlett

Black and Zelina's promo was short but sweet as they spoke of feeling "accomplished" now that they were working together, and that it was "all part of a plan." This video segment also included clips of their actions on SmackDown the week prior, which saw Black defeat Damian Priest in a Last Man Standing match.

You can watch the video below:

While their gimmicks do share similarities, it's hard to avoid the promo segment echoing those involving Kross and Scarlett during their time in WWE. The pair made controversial exits from WWE in the summer after their contracts expired, and they couldn't agree on terms for extensions.

Kross and Scarlett were a dark and mysterious on-screen couple throughout their two runs with the company and some of their best creative work came at the very start in 2015. There were huge expectations when the duo arrived in NXT, especially after Kross took out former NXT Champion Tomasso Ciampa.

WWE's production team got to work creating a promotional package suitable to put the pair over and succeeded with an underrated hype video. The NXT roster was warned that the end was approaching as clips of their destruction were shown. It was made that much more impactful by the use of Jim Johnston's 'The End' used for Armageddon 2007 playing in the background.

You can watch the video below:

"Trying to replace Kross & Scarlett" - Fans Give Their Verdicts

The consensus on social media is that while fans are in support of Black and Zelina, they feel WWE are trying to replace Kross and Scarlett. This stems from the SmackDown promo, as one fan wrote:

"I like Alister Black and Zelina...but man that promo felt like it was pretty much a substitute for Kross and Scarlett."

Another added:

"I love Zelina Vega and Aleister Black but it just feels like they are trying to replace Karrion Kross and Scarlett."

One fan said:

"So they got Aleister Black doing Karrion Kross gimmick now. They had nothing else for him."

This was echoed by another viewer:

"WWE said why pay Karrion Kross and Scarlett when we got Aleister Black and Zelina."

Black returned to WWE in April after spending around three and a half years in AEW. The 40-year-old has ironically crossed over with Kross given the 40-year-old left four months later despite receiving huge support from fans who pushed for the company to hand him and Scarlett new contracts.