Aleister Black On Which WWE Star Pitched His Ring Name, Which RAW Star He Wants To Work With
Current reigning and defending NXT Champion Aleister Black recently spoke with pro wrestling veterans Edge and Christian on E&C's Pod Of Awesomeness. Of note, Black talked about how he got his ring name, writing the lyrics to his entrance song, career goals, and having an intriguing future opponent in the Demon persona of inaugural Universal Champion Finn Bálor.
Black, who used to go by Tommy End on the indies, shared that Triple H came up with his 'Aleister Black' ring name, possibly a reference to English occultist Aleister Crowley.
"The name was kind of a collaboration between me and Triple H." Black explained, "I think when I originally started pitching some ideas, he was seeing where I was going with it. And I think Triple H has a really sharp mind for these kinds of things and he was like, 'well, what do you think about Aleister Black?' And I was like, 'that sounds great – that sounds amazing.'"
Interestingly, Black indicated that he was very involved in the process of developing his entrance theme. Apparently, 'The Dutch Destroyer' even wrote the lyrics to his entrance song.
"When it came to the music, CFO$ and all those guys, and Neil [Lawi] from WWE Music, I gave them examples of what I think Aleister Black's music should be and they let me write the lyrics, which was really cool." Black continued, "and then, Brendan [Garrone] from Incendiary, sang the lyrics. And Incendiary is one of my favorite hardcore bands, so that was a trip as well. So they had me pretty involved in the whole process from what I was to what I became in NXT."
Black indicated that his goal now is to perform on pro wrestling's biggest stage, WrestleMania. 'The Anti-Hero' said it should be the goal of every performer in the genre.
"WrestleMania, that's that one picture I have in my head, especially now, coming here." Black elaborated, "like when I had that first match and I had that first taste of what WWE brings to the table, and I saw that grands stage the day after, I was like, 'right there. That's it. That's the one.' That's what I'm aiming for. And I know it sounds cliche, but I feel as any professional wrestler, any performer that works in this industry, I think that should be your goal. With all due respect to anyone who thinks different, but, for me, in my opinion, that is where it's at. Right there."
In addition to wanting to face the former #DIY teammates Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa, Black indicated that he has been thinking about a program with Finn Bálor a lot lately.
"That's definitely something that [has] been inside my upper chamber as well." Black said, "that's definitely something that has been on my mind for sure because I think the contrast yet similarities are fantastic and that guy, his wrestling ability is on a different level. He is truly unique."
HERE WE GO! If you use any of the quotations that appear in this article, please credit E&C's Pod Of Awesomeness with an H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.
Source: E&C's Pod Of Awesomeness