WILW: Aleister Black
Aleister Black, the former Tommy End finally made his official NXT debut over Wrestlemania weekend. He had previously had a televised match during the UK tournament, billed as Tommy End, in a losing contest against Neville. But no longer. Aleister Black is here.And make no mistake, this guy is a fucking star.
Black has been wrestling all over the world since 2002. He was trained by current NXT star Kassius Ohno (Chris Hero) and current NXT commentator Nigel McGuinness among others. He became a star in the UK wrestling for promotions like Rev Pro, ICW, and wXw while making his name stateside in in EVOLVE and PWG. In the ring, Black strikes like a kickboxer which makes sense. Black has been training in kickboxing, and other martial arts, since he was a kid in the Netherlands. (kickboxing is huge in the Netherlands, btw) His matches are feature strikes in a variety of ways and just look damn cool. It’s not just strikes though with Black. He is a legitimate athlete that can mat wrestle as well as fly through the air. He features a unique take on the dragon sleeper hold, a personal favorite, as well as a number of different flips and dives to the outside. He has excellent ring psychology as well. He is the complete package as far as a modern wrestler is concerned.
Being able to do cool moves is only part of the package, however. Plenty of guys can do cool shit. Not everyone is as captivating as Black is upon first look. He has the elusive it factor; the thing that makes you stop and watch. Not many martial arts-influenced wrestlers come out looking like a member of a punk or black metal band. Black sports a long mowhawk, a long unkempt beard, and a ton of tattoos. He is covered in tattoos like few others in the business today and they are from a variety of influences. Some Japanese, some based on the occult, some with simple yet personal meaning, Black is damn near out of room for more ink. If I were a pro wrestler, I would want to look like Aleister Black. Add on to the cool look the fact that he cuts intense promos and has an amazing entrance, he rises from the ground on a platform like a goddamn vampire, with great music and you have a genuine big deal. Aleister Black is a future WWE champion right now and he is only getting better. The only possible derailment will come from the fact that Black is a satanist, an actual one too not a cartoonish villain, and his work has drawn criticism in the past for being somewhat over the top.
Check out the videos below for examples of his work. Follow him on Twitter @WWEAleister, buy his merch, support the hell out of this guy. It’s not often we get such a unique cat in WWE. Black has all the potential to reach Undertaker levels, seriously. Follow me on Twitter and instagram, @geekadedan, and let me know what you think of Aleister Balck. And if you have a minute please take the time to like, comment, or share the article. Until then…
