5 Things You Didn't Know About Aleister Black 

Aleister Black was Lilian Garcia's first NXT guest on her Chasing Glory podcast where the former NXT Champion opened up like never before. Black isn't your typical professional athlete. He is intensely deep, filled with thoughts that are more akin to a college philosopher than that of your average everyday run of the mill professional wrestler.

Black, an avowed Satanist, opened up to Garcia about his troubled childhood, his struggles with inadequacy, and much more including his struggles with organized religion. In the following, we examine the inner mind of wrestling's most enigmatic performer, Aleister Black. Join us as we unpack 5 Things You Didn't Know About Aleister Black.

#5. Black Has No Interest In Being The Next Undertaker

Aleister Black makes one of his famous NXT entrances

Aleister Black has become one of wrestling's darkest most terrifying characters. Although he may seem like The Undertaker on the surface, there are vast differences between the two and Black would like fans to comprehend them. Black was asked recently about whether he had any desire to be the next Undertaker and replied curtly and in a matter of fact manner, 'No.'

Black expresses a high amount of respect and gratitude for The Dead Man and acknowledges that The Undertaker opened the door for darker characters in the world of professional wrestling. Black; however, focuses on being the first and only Aleister Black. Additionally, he professes a complete inability to ever fill The Undertaker's shoes, as there will only ever be one Undertaker.

Black, in fact, never even heard of The Undertaker when he was younger and didn't watch a WWE related match until he was 16 years old. Instead, the Amsterdam native grew up watching WCW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, as that was what was available in his neck of the woods.

Black addresses those who attempt to label him as the next Undertaker, "I would not say that I am the modern-day version...of The Undertaker. I am not and I would also not feel comfortable saying that. Darkness is darkness by definition, but darkness can be interpreted in many different ways."

#4. Aleister Black Grew Up Poor

Aleister Black - NXT

NXT Superstar Aleister Black didn't grow up with a silver spoon in his mouth, as some may have. He isn't a multi-generational talent with a rich father who helped ease his transition into the wrestling business. Instead the former NXT Champion grew up poor, although he admits to hardly noticing it, due primarily to his father's hard work. Black's father worked incessantly to ensure that Black and his siblings had everything they needed to get by. Eventually Black's father, who often worked from 5AM - 4PM and then more at home, suffered a mental breakdown that lasted more than half a decade. The trauma of that breakdown would affect Black for the rest of his life.

Black recalls not being able to get certain toys he wanted and having nothing new, but not being fully aware of his circumstances until he was older. Money was always difficult to come buy in Black's family. Black told Lilian Garcia, "We didn’t have new things. I couldn’t buy the toys that I wanted to buy, but gradually as I got older, it got better, but in the early days it was very tight."

Black used the difficult times he faced in his childhood to build his troubled Aleister Black character.

#3. Black Is Driven By Fear

NXT's Aleister Black Uses His Own Fears To Energize His Terrifying Character

Aleister Black has been terrified since he was a small child. As an eight year old little boy, he began researching the occult, conspiracy theories, cults, and devil worship. He became so overwhelmed with anxiety that he developed a paralyzing fear of the dark that 'paralyzed' him for years to come.

While Black eventually overcame his fear of the dark, deeper fears have plagued him throughout the majority of his childhood and the entirety of his adult life. Black was terrified of his father. According to Black, his own father's childhood was so troubling that he prefers not to talk about it. Black compares his father to The Terminator, the cyborg assassin played by Arnold Schwarzenegger. Black says about his father, "I often reference my dad as my best friend and my worst enemy." Black used his once troubled relationship with his father as fodder in building his professional wrestling character.

Black credits fear with playing a huge role in his life, "A lot of fear. I feel that’s where my anxiety comes from. A lot of fear. I always feel fear, even just in daily life I feel fear. [Even now] I’m frightened a lot...I remember a lot of fear, being frightened, anxiety, sadness, anger, injustice. It’s a lot of headbutting emotions."

#2. Black Is No Fan Of Organized Religion

NXT's Aleister Black

In all his early research, Black also had time to consume plenty about organized religion. Raised a Christian, Black is now a professed Satanist, who doesn't believe in God or an actual devil.

After beginning to question his own faith at 15, Black developed a sense of skepticism and determined that there was no way a loving God could allow all the bad things to happen in the world and still be watching over the people he loves. At 16, Black came to the following conclusion about God, "'If God made us, then if I don't believe in God and when I pass, then he won't judge me for it because he meant for me to be this way."

As Black has progressed in his own personal spiritual pursuit, he has come to acknowledge religion as 'absurd.' Black began to notice a great deal of hypocrisy and religious people who, 'Used religion to get away with whatever they wanted to get away with.'

Black ultimately decided that the main issue with religion is that people of faith never really question their beliefs, "There are so many world religions and each and every person that has religion feels that their God is just and their story is right. Each and every person that worships a set God feels that their God is gonna be there for them at their passing or in their life and I find that whole behavior fascinating because I don't have that. I don't understand that. I don't feel that way."

Black instead compares modern religion to ancient religions now considered fantastical like Greek and Norwegian mythology. Black believes that we may one day see major religions considered the same, "Maybe in 200-300 years, we'll look back and say, 'This is what people believed back then. This is called the Christian mythology."

Although Black doesn't believe in a literal devil, he views the biblical Satan character sympathetically, as a child who has lost his father.

#1. Black Struggles With Inadequacy

Former NXT Champion Aleister Black

Aleister Black doesn't love himself, at least that's what he claims. He also hasn't ever really been authentically happy, a fact he was forced to admit while seeking therapy.

Black saw his NXT Championship win as a victory for those with mental health issues and claims that, "I wanted people to know that no matter how far you're sinking, you could still swim up." Still, the victory and his rise to prominence didn't make things any easier for Black personally, who never took the time to truly appreciate the fruits of his labor and instead focused on what he lacks and how to get to where he desires to go.

Black is never content, "I feel like I'm never good enough. I feel like I'm never doing enough. I feel like I'm never chipping in enough."

Black is also no fan of being complimented and those who try, often find their efforts backfiring. Black admits, "I can't take a compliment." Instead he focuses on his constant need to improve, which often times helps him as a professional wrestler, but can also be debilitating as a human being.

His feelings of inadequacy and constant need for self-improvement often cause the NXT Superstar a great deal of grief, "I will hammer myself down more for the one thing I did wrong than for the 50 things that I did fantastic. It's terrible."

*My full transcript of Lilian Garcia's interview with Aleister Black is available via WrestleZone.