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Aleister Black was once seen as one of the hottest prospects in WWE when he made his debut in NXT. After more than five years as one of the company's biggest stars, Black was one of the stars who was released from the company yesterday.
Black, Braun Strowman, Lana, Ruby Riott, and Buddy Murphy were the main roster stars released from the company while Santana Garrett was one of the stars released from NXT.
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Black has been underutilized in WWE over the past few years but was still a popular star with the WWE Universe. While the former NXT Champion will now be looking to address his future, here are five facts every fan needs to know.
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#5. Aleister Black has overcome a number of struggles in his WWE career
Aleister Black is a former NXT Champion and a star who was able to bring his character to life throughout his time in WWE. Whilst Black has been creating magic on-screen, the former Champion has also been facing his own struggles behind the scenes.
The Dutch Destroyer revealed that he was claustrophobic as part of a Youtube Q and A alongside his wife and former WWE star Zelina Vega. He also revealed that he struggled with both panic attacks and anxiety.
“I have claustrophobia, severely because I have panic attacks and anxiety. I’m not too keen on heights — god I’m gonna sound like a wuss with this. I’m like — the thing is I confront myself with a lot for my fears. I’ll put myself in situations like purposefully like so I can endure it. That’s what I did with spiders now I can pick them up and take them out of the house nowadays. When I was a kid I was terrified of them with good reasons because I had some weird experiences with spiders as a kid.
Black has made it common knowledge over the years that he allowed his fear to push him forward. Whilst he has severe claustrophobia and has battled with his anxiety over the years, he has also been able to use it as part of his character and it has helped him to stand out on WWE TV.
#4. The former WWE star comes from a poor home
Whilst many current WWE superstars have been outspoken about their upbringing, Aleister Black has used his childhood trauma to create his onscreen character.
The former Champion spoke to Lilian Garcia on her Chasing Glory podcast a few years ago and revealed that he comes from a poor family. Black stated that his father worked long hours to make ends meet and he wasn't able to have everything that he wanted. Black's father later suffered a mental breakdown which would have a huge impact on the star and his career in the business.
"We didn’t have new things. I couldn’t buy the toys that I wanted to buy, but gradually as I got older, it got better, but in the early days it was very tight."
Whilst Black was aware of the situation, he wasn't fully aware of the family's financial troubles until he was much older. The former WWE star was then able to use these issues to mold the Aleister Black character into what it later became.
#3. Aleister Black needed a visa so he could work for WWE
Aleister Black has become a popular star in WWE since his debut back in 2016, but many fans forget that the former NXT Champion is originally from Holland.
This means that when he was initially signed by WWE more than five years ago, he had to obtain a visa before he could work in the country. According to reports, it took Black more than four months to be able to complete the paperwork and then finally make his debut with WWE as part of their NXT brand.
This also meant that he had to move to the United States from Holland and bring all of his belongings over with him.
It's currently unknown how his WWE release will affect his current work visa or if Black will make the choice to return to Holland. Of course, given the fact that Black married fellow former WWE star and American citizen Zelina Vega back in 2018, he is now able to remain in the United States without needing a work visa.
#2. Aleister Black hated the last two years of his WWE career
Aleister Black's WWE career started off in NXT where he was seen as the company's next big star. Since his promotion to the main roster, the former NXT Champion has been unable to hit it off in any of the big feuds and has been underutilized by WWE's creative team.
The former WWE star's release yesterday came as a huge shock to the WWE Universe, but the star himself was able to share some of his thoughts as part of a Twitch live session.
“It’s bittersweet, cause I owe everything to WWE. Not to diminish my prior work, but obviously my prior work had gotten me to the dance. And, you know, I think the last two years were a slow death for me. I think that it was very hard to get the creative approved despite numerous conversations that I’ve had with Vince, and everybody trying really hard. It did numbers on my self esteem too. Because at one point you’re like ‘the ratings are good, the numbers are good, the merch is good, why are we not, you know?’ It’s like one of those things where they, like, the word intrigue was always there. ‘Oh we find you very intriguing.’ I’m like ‘okay good. Let’s present something there, let’s doing something.’
“I have thrown so many things at the wall, cause I keep creating. I keep creating characters and gimmicks and storylines over and over and over and over and over. You know? And it’s, I think my character like, the first conversation I ever had. The funniest thing is I remember all these things. I said to Hunter, I said ‘look, I just want to be all the metal bands that kids use to rebel against the system, against their parents.’ As cliched as that sounds, it’s relatable right? Because everybody, especially nowadays, especially when you’re young, it’s so difficult to be understood by a different generation. I wanted people to have the consensus of understanding that my character was a cool dude, a mysterious guy, and at the same time having a hard hitting style. But also having a sense of being relatable to the point of, you know, I understand what this character is going through.”
Aleister Black made it clear that the last two years of his career had not been enjoyable for him and now the release will allow him a fresh start.
#1. Former WWE star Aleister Black has his own clothing line
Like many current WWE Superstars, Aleister Black also has another career outside of the ring. Black's clothing line is called "Blxck Mass Clothing" and is co-owned by former WWE Superstar Rosa Mendes' husband Bobby Schubenski.
Aleister Black's persona comes through in his clothing since it's very similar to his on-screen character. He also allows many current and former WWE stars to model his newest releases as well as his wife Zelina Vega.
Of course, given Black's on-screen persona and the fact that he is very similar to this character off-screen, his clothing is very dark. The former NXT Champion has been able to bring in several religious aspects and elements into his clothing and often shares his designs on his Instagram page.
It's unclear at present as to whether or not the former WWE star will be able to focus on his clothing line much more following his WWE release since he now has at least 90 days on the sidelines to sit out.
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