Aleister Black Reflects On WWE WrestleMania Debut: ‘That’s Something That Will Live Forever’

WWE

Former WWE star Aleister Black has reflected on his WrestleMania debut back in 2019, teaming with Ricochet.

Teaming for their match at WrestleMania 35, Aleister Black and Ricochet would be unsuccessfully challenge for The Usos SmackDown Tag Team Championship in a four-way match that also featured Rusev & Shinsuke Nakamura and The Bar (Cesaro & Sheamus).

Looking back on his first WrestleMania experience during his first run in WWE, Black shared his thoughts during a recent appearance on Nightcap, recorded prior to his most recent exit from the company.

Noting that his entrance at WrestleMania 35 is a moment which will stick with him forever, Black said:

“When I had my first WrestleMania experience myself, I remember, because obviously with my entrance, there’s the big rise-up. I remember the whole day, I wasn’t nervous. I came fresh out of NXT, we were doing NXT, SmackDown and Raw, back to back to back, I was tagging with Ricochet.

“I wasn’t nervous that day because in my head I’m like, ‘If I’m not ready now, I’m not ready ever.’ There were good nerves, and I remember, I can still see it in my head, I have a picture of it as well, when I rise up, and I see 78,000 people, and I see lights and all of it, I’m on top of this ramp. Even standing on top of it, I remember just getting goosebumps. That’s something that will live forever, that walk from the top, obviously having the match, but just that little fraction of a moment, five to eight seconds where you just stand there and everything slows down and stops…

“If you tell your 15-year-old self back in Amsterdam, ‘This is what you’re going to do one day.’ Obviously, I would’ve called myself a liar, but that is a moment for me that will live in infamy, until the day I am no longer present on Earth.”

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Released in June 2021, Aleister Black would return to WWE in April of last year, only to see his second run come to an end with a release in April 2026.

Betting On Black

Between two runs to date in WWE and one in AEW, the fortunes of Aleister (or Malakai) Black have been, to say the least, mixed.

An instantly recognizable star, Black has seen title success, being a former NXT Champion and AEW World Trios Champion (with Brody King and Buddy Matthews), yet when it comes to world championships, they have remained relentlessly just beyond his grasp.

On the surface level, Black embodies a dangerous persona, a player of mind games with a decidedly dark edge, and his in-ring game sees his legitimate martial arts background play into his offense. Such a skillset surely sets the star on a path to dominance when it comes to the main event picture, yet it hasn’t reaped the rewards that would seem to be obvious.

A star of independent wrestling before he first signed with WWE in 2016, Black has held singles titles across the international scene and stands a good chance of doing so again.

Doors rarely permanently close in wrestling, and there’s the potential that, one day, he may return to WWE or AEW once again.

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• wwe
• WrestleMania
• Aleister Black

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