Former Aleister Black Talks Pitching Gimmick's Central Conceit To Triple H In WWE NXT

Though he now performs under the name Malakai Black in AEW, once upon a time WWE's NXT brand was built around the man known as Aleister Black. During a recent appearance on "The Undisputed Podcast" hosted by fellow NXT veteran Bobby Fish, Black discussed the origins of the Aleister character.

Black recalled a poem about the biblical Lucifer, with the AEW star coming away from the words fascinated by the idea that Lucifier's actions stemmed from being denied love from his father. According to Black, the poem framed Lucifier as a character with an arc and "room for redemption."

"I've always been obsessed with that idea," Black said. "So when I pitched the idea for Alistair to [Triple H], ... I said, 'The idea that I have is — what if Lucifier was cast out, and he fell down, and ... he woke up and he had no idea who he was. But he knew that he did something awful, but he couldn't put his finger on it. He knew he did something so heinous, so bad, that no matter what he did he has this quiet urge to redeem himself, but he doesn't know why. And that's the conversation me and [Triple H] started having about ... the Aleister character."

The AEW star stated that he's interested in villains with "a redeeming quality," which isn't typically how people think about "bad" individuals in real life. Black pointed out that nobody views themselves as a villain, and everyone has their own motivations to do the things they do.

During his days on the "black and gold brand," the Netherlands native held the "WWE NXT" Championship for just over 100 days. He was eventually brought up to the company's main roster before receiving his release in June 2021.

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit "The Undisputed Podcast" with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.