Aleister Black Says WWE Main Roster Call-Up Was A "Last Minute Decision"

NXT has proven to be quite the breeding ground for fresh new talent for WWE. Recently an influx of talent debuted on the main roster. One of those debuting stars was former NXT champion, Aleister Black. Black joined fellow superstar Sheamus on his Celtic Warrior Workouts to talk about his career and current move.

"I was born in Amsterdam. I got into wrestling at the age of 4 or 5," Black recalled. "I didn't watch WWE until later. I watched Japanese style wrestling, European style wrestling, and WCW. It wasn't until I was 15 or 16 that I saw my first WWE Pay-Per-View and I was very confused. I thought there was only one thing (organization). Later on, I learned there were many, many promotions going. Because I was seeing faces, I saw in different companies, in WWE. I thought they changed their name."

For Black pro wrestling looked strikingly similar to another form of fighting popular in Amsterdam. So that is where is the road to pro wrestling began.

"To me as a kid, it looked like two people fighting," Black explained. "So, in my child's mind, I was like I need to do this. My parents signed me up for karate, Kung Fu, jujitsu because I thought that was what they were doing. It's when I started kickboxing, I realized that is not what they are practicing at all."

Black was quick to admit his time in NXT was short. And, as short as his time there seemed, the notice of his call up was that much shorter.

"I wasn't scheduled to be called up. It was a last minute decision," said Black. "I was just done (with a workout) and it was 11:30 and I didn't have to be at the live event until 1:00. So, I was just going to take a 45-minute nap. I had my phone by me, and my phone starts to go off and its coach Bloom. He said, 'I have some news for you' and as a joke, I said ' you are firing me'. And he said, 'Something like that, this Sunday your flying to Tennessee (so the debut could be kept a secret) and this Monday you make your debut on Raw and Tuesday on SmackDown."

You can watch the full interview and Black's workout above. If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit Celtic Warrior Workouts with Sheamus with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.