NXT Progress Report - Aleister Black
Names: Aleister Black
Manager: None
Age: 32
Finisher(s): Black Mass
Theme Song: Root of All Evil ft. Incendiary - CFO$
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Time in NXT (so far):
Tommy End made his first appearance on WWE television when he came out as a surprise opponent against Neville at the UK Championship Tournament in January of 2017. However Aleister Black as we know him from NXT debuted at NXT Takeover: Orlando in April of 2017, defeated Andrade Cien Almas in his debut match. Currently, Black has been wrestling on NXT television, but also appeared on WWE Main Event in May in a match versus Curt Hawkins, which he won.
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Bret Hart's Three Criteria for Grading Wrestlers:
Bret Hart has said that a wrestler can be graded in three overall subjects: Looks, Promo, and Ability in the ring. I will be using Bret's criteria to grade all of the NXT wrestlers. Please remember, this is a current rating, and not a potential rating they could have. Please also remember this is my personal opinion.
1. Looks/Gimmicks - 9/10
Black's got a very distinct and unique look. His body is covered in tattoos, and he is not particularly large; he's usually billed around 200 pounds. Not only does Black have a distinct look, but his gimmick itself is unique and original. He reminds me a lot of a metalhead, which is definitely influencing his theme song, a very metal and aggressive rock song. His entrance is fantastic; he seemingly levitates straight up before slowly making his way down the ring through fog and darkness. In terms of the gimmick itself, there is no distinct idea behind him. He is not a vampire, like Kevin Thorn. He is not a cult leader, like Bray Wyatt. He is simply a dark individual who treads the line between good and evil. He has embraced his inner self; he commonly stops in the ring and gets into a position of prayer, and he uses it to take out his enemies. I think this is a good thing; too many wrestlers fall into a gimmick that is one dimensional. There is no cap to Black's gimmick because it is not capped in terms of creativity. What is more important regarding Black's work is in the ring. I will say that while I do like his look, I think the fact that he isn't well cut does hurt him somewhat. It might not for me, but you know how the WWE operates, and given his low weight, we can only hope he isn't put into 205 Live. He doesn't belong there.
2. Promo - 7/10
Black hasn't had many opportunities to stand out in front of the Full Sail audience and cut a legitimate promo. He did voice over some vignettes that did play before his NXT debut, and I thought those were good. What he was saying was okay; he mentioned how he wasn't good nor bad, but simply a creation of his dark past. I like that. It is vague enough that it explains the look, but not so overreaching that it becomes an integral part of his character. Also, given how his character acts, you could argue that his whole intent in the WWE is for his actions to speak louder than words. However, in the end, he's going to have to talk in the WWE. That is simply how it works. 7 might feel a bit too low, but given his body of work in NXT, I can't give it a higher score. I did look into some of Black's promos when he was Tommy End, but it's not fair to consider those in the score when it has nothing to do with his current character.
3. Wrestling Ability - 8/10
Black's move arsenal is impressive, a more kick-oriented offense with a roundhouse kick finisher which he calls the Black Mass. When he wrestles, Black moves very precisely and smoothly. For his finisher, he uses his foot to first bring the opponent up to their feet before finishing them off. It's a nice touch and adds some to his character. I already discusses how he likes to bounce off the ropes into an Indian style sitting position to pray. He makes the move look easy and effortless. Of course, I would like to see Black go for a longer portion of time than we have so far. We have had a series of squash matches and then a match with Kassius Ohno, which was impressive, but a larger sample size is needed. Again, I don't feel comfortable with looking into his indies work to grade him, because he definitely changed his moveset to better fit his new character. All in all, though, I've liked what I have seen. When you put in as much time as he has in the wrestling industry, and THEN come into WWE, you can argue they have already proven that they can wrestle. However, Black seems already well-adjusted to the WWE style and fitting into his new moveset with his new character.
Black's move arsenal is impressive, a more kick-oriented offense with a roundhouse kick finisher which he calls the Black Mass. When he wrestles, Black moves very precisely and smoothly. For his finisher, he uses his foot to first bring the opponent up to their feet before finishing them off. It's a nice touch and adds some to his character. I already discusses how he likes to bounce off the ropes into an Indian style sitting position to pray. He makes the move look easy and effortless. Of course, I would like to see Black go for a longer portion of time than we have so far. We have had a series of squash matches and then a match with Kassius Ohno, which was impressive, but a larger sample size is needed. Again, I don't feel comfortable with looking into his indies work to grade him, because he definitely changed his moveset to better fit his new character. All in all, though, I've liked what I have seen. When you put in as much time as he has in the wrestling industry, and THEN come into WWE, you can argue they have already proven that they can wrestle. However, Black seems already well-adjusted to the WWE style and fitting into his new moveset with his new character.
Summary:
1. Looks: 9/10
2. Promo: 7/10
3. Ability: 8/10
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Best Matches (ratings according to WON):
1. NXT Takeover: Orlando - Aleister Black vs. Andrade Cien Almas (*** 1/4)
2. WWE UK Championship Tournament - Aleister Black vs. Neville (** 3/4)
3. NXT TV Taping - Aleister Black vs. Kassius Ohno
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Potential:
Best-Case: Finn Balor without an injury - It's tough to say where Finn Balor would be today had he not gotten injured, but the fact that WWE gave him the title so quickly in his WWE tenure is telling of their opinion of him. Balor and Black have a somewhat similar gimmick. They both channel an inner darkness when they compete. Balor, however, also lets the darkness take over from time to time when he turns into "The Demon". I think Black has the potential to be a high-card worker. I don't know if it's fair to say he can be in the WWE title picture, at least not yet, but given his in-ring work, the real issue lies in how he is book. If he is booked well, I think it could work. The man doesn't have to necessarily speak often; he lets his wrestling do the talking.
Worst-Case: 205 Live cruiserweight - Black does not deserve to be in the Cruiserweight division, but given he lingers around 200 pounds for weight, it can't be out of the question. Can Black do some good in that division? Of course. However, I think it would seriously cap Black's future prospects, especially if he becomes stuck in the division. I also just don't think he really fits with the other Cruiserweights to begin with. I don't see this happening, but if you want to talk "worst-case", this is it.
Overall: All in all, Black has the ability to become a consistently great wrestler in the WWE. I think that his physical look, aside from his tattoos and hair that make him stand out, might hold him back. Can he be a realistic threat to the likes of Roman Reigns? Possibly, if they treat him right. I just don't see it. I do think it is fair to say that Black does have some gold in his future. He would be served well with a United States championship run, I feel, or a level of that stature.
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WWE Ready: Yes
ETA: This is tough. His NXT debut was only in March, and while I think he's ready now, he's gonna have to do his time down there in some way. I would say that by WrestleMania 35 (around 2 years), Black will surely be up. It could definitely be sooner, but it's tough to say
Thanks for reading. Below, you can find all of the NXT Progress Reports that I've done!
#1 - Authors of Pain
#1 - Authors of Pain
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