Aleister Black signed with WWE in 2016. Before he went to the main roster in 2019, Black won the NXT Championship in 2018 at NXT Takeover: New Orleans. Before signing with WWE, Black wrestled for 14 years for promotions such as Pro Wrestling Holland, WXW in Germany, ICW in Scotland, Progress, OTT and many other top European companies.
Black was known as Tommy End in his pre-WWE career. He recently told SI.com that when he was signed to NXT in 2016, Triple H told him he didn’t want to change anything about who he was as a performer.
“The good thing about what Hunter did, or as I call him, ‘Boss,’ he believed in me and he never tried to change me,” Black said to SI.com. “He told me, ‘I signed you for you. Don’t be something you’re not. Never forget that.’”
Black continued to say that despite the confidence Triple H expressed in him, he felt lost at first in NXT.
“When I started in NXT, I felt super insecure,” he continued. “For a very long time, I was completely lost. I lost my identity, I lost all sense of who I was.”
He said this feeling helped him create a new sense of identity in NXT.
“That’s part of this process,” said Black. “It’s a process that is not pretty, but it’s something every professional has to go through. That’s helped to understand myself a lot better, not just as a performer but as a human being.”
Aleister Black on Wrestlers Who Influenced Him
Also during the interview, Black spoke about wrestlers who influenced him growing up.
“I watched New Japan growing up, and later WCW,” said Black, who listed Hayabusa, Yuji Nagata, Jushin Liger, Tiger Mask, and Toshiaki Kawada as his early influences. “I loved the Japanese wrestlers.”
Black also noted that he enjoyed the Mexican-based wrestlers he saw in WCW and the European stars he saw on World of Sport.
The full interview with Black can be read here.
