WWE star Aleister Black spoke with SportsBoom about his excitement for his current run with the company.
Black said, “There is such a wide variety of older talent and also new talent coming through the ranks of NXT that have been moved up to Raw and SmackDown now that make for such an interesting thought process as to how are we going to move forward. Whether it’s to more established talents or with the younger talent, I think there will always be an interest there, because my character can go in so many directions in so many ways that there’s always something for me to do in that regard. The antithesis of the character is obviously to always bring out the quote-unquote worst in people, which he considers the best, which he feels is the true nature of man. In that regard, it’s interesting to see how a Je’Von Evans would respond to that. What is the dark side of a Je’Von Evans? What is the dark side of a Johnny Gargano, even though we kind of already saw that with Aleister Black back in the day? What would happen if we do it in this setting, or what would happen when we do it with the Roman Reigns? What can I drag out of them that the audience has not seen yet?
On working with experienced veterans like Randy Orton:
“Talk about a guy being able to elevate anybody, and Friday was proof of that. Anybody who touches anything with Orton turns into gold because he is who he is. The same goes for Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns. The sky is the limit with these guys, and they have the ability to make and break anyone because of the years dedicated to the industry and the business and the way that they have fought for their places within this industry and this company. Whatever they touch is just better than gold. It turns to the diamonds. CM Punk is another one. Obviously, everybody knows the history of CM Punk up and down, but when he’s there, everything becomes valuable; everything and everyone does better. That, in my opinion, is the sign of someone who is a true main eventer, when everything turns into money.”
On his dream WWE opponents:
“Roman Reigns, 100%. The Usos, it might sound strange, but Chad Gable is fantastic. I think he’s one of the most consistent, unique guys. He’s another one that you can throw a pink bow on him, and he’ll make it look gritty and violent and legitimate because of the nature of the athlete that just lives inside of him. Je’Von Evans is another one. Oba (Femi) is another one. Jacob Fatu, I think that’s very, very interesting, even though I only had a small little dance with him. Solo [Sikoa] is another one. Since I’ve left and come back, there’s just such a change of guard.”
On his WWE goals moving forward:
“Number one is to establish everything that you and I just spoke about on a broader spectrum, having it understood. My biggest challenge is to filter that. Luckily, I work with a very talented writer named Colin Clark, and he’s very good at making what I think chewable and giving it in small doses. As time progresses, hopefully we can do a lot more of that so that the character has a more of an established rooting and grounding. Number two is the winning of individual titles and finding the right motivation, other than he wants to win matches for myself. That doesn’t even have to be on display. I just have to make myself understand from this character’s point of view: what would somebody with the insights into what he thinks would want an individual title for?”
