Line #24 Wrestling/AleisterBlack


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/xb31nezhypf41.png]]
2	[[caption-width-right:350:Allow yourself to fade to black.]]
3
4
5	-> ''"No man is ever truly good!''\
6	''No man is ever truly evil!''\
7	''I do the things you never could!''\
8	''And we will never be equal!"''
9	-->-- "'''Root of All Evil'''", his former Wrestling/{{WWE}} theme music
10
11	Aleister Black (real name Thomas Budgen, born May 19, 1985) is a former UsefulNotes/{{kickbox\|ing}}er turned {{professional wrestl\|ing}}er hailing from Alkmaar, North Holland, UsefulNotes/TheNetherlands, who is currently signed with Wrestling/AllEliteWrestling after being released by Wrestling/{{WWE}} on June 2, 2021. He has performed all over the world, most recently on the Wrestling/WWERaw brand. He was trained by Wrestling/ChrisHero, [[Characters/UniversalWrestlingFederationRINGSHolland Bob Schrijber]], Johnny Kidd, Mike Quackenbush and Wrestling/NigelMcGuinness.
12
13	He fought in Pro Wrestling Holland, Wrestling/Insane Championship Wrestling, Wrestling/PROGRESSWrestling, Westside Xtreme Wrestling, Over the Top Wrestling, Revolution Pro Wrestling and Pro Wrestling Showdown among others. He also worked for international promotions, such as Wrestling/{{CZW}}, EVOLVE, Wrestling/ProWrestlingGuerrilla and Big Japan Pro Wrestling. He held a plethora of titles including the wXw World Lightweight Championship (2x), ICWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship, CWN Mittelgewichtsmeisterschaft Championship, FWG Lightweight Championship, PWS Heavyweight Championship, wXw Unified World Wrestling Championship, SWE Tag Team Championship, FCP Championship and ICWA Heavyweight Champion as Tommy End, and the WWE NXT Champion as Aleister Black. He also held the wXw World Tag Team Championship (2x), ICWA European Tag Team Championship, ICW Tag Team Championship, PROGRESS Tag Team Championship and PWH Tag Team Championship as part of The Sumerian Death Squad.
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15	After being released from WWE, he showed up on the 7th of July episode of ''AEW Dynamite'' now going under the name Malakai Black.[[note]][[https://www.pwinsider.com/article/148547/how-the-former-aleister-black-was-able-to-debut-for-aew-.html?p=1 This]] was due to the fact that when Tommy was moved to the main WWE roster in 2019, the company failed to update his contract from the standard 30 day non-compete that NXT level talents receive to the 90 day non-compete that main roster performers are given.[[/note]] Alongside his work in AEW, he has also made many appearances in Wrestling/ProWrestlingGuerilla, becoming PWG World Tag Team Champions alongside Brody King. King and Buddy Matthews would later join Black in AEW as the Wrestling/HouseOfBlack.
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17	!![[Administrivia/TropesAreTools No trope is ever truly good, no trope is ever truly evil]]…
18	[[foldercontrol]]
19
20	[[folder:In General]]
21	* DarkIsNotEvil: Despite being a dark, brooding character who incorporates a lot of occult symbols into his appearance, he describes himself as being neither saint nor sinner, just someone who maintains the balance. Tommy End was even part of "The Sumerian Death Squad", a team with TheGimmick of being Illuminati hitmen while still presented as faces. [[DarkIsEvil Thoroughly averted]] in AEW however, where Malakai Black is strongly implied to be ''[[DemonicPossession possesed by the Devil himself]].''
22	* ExtremityExtremist: He has a ton of kicks and knees in his arsenal.
23	* FinishingMove: A Diving Double Foot Stomp called "Owari Death Stomp/Blood Moon Stomp", a modified Dragon Sleeper called "Owari Death Clutch/Dragon Slayer/Dark Ritual", and a Spin Kick called "Black Mass"/"The End."
24	* HappilyMarried: to [[Wrestling/TheaTrinidad Zelina Vega]].
25	* IKnowKarate: Kickboxing. He's a trained martial artist who incorporates a lot of kickboxing moves into his arsenal.
26	* KindheartedCatLover: He and Zelina have [[https://www.instagram.com/team_pomato/ six cats in total]] (they have three each).
27	* KnuckleTattoos: Has "Anti Hero" tattooed across his knuckles.
28	* TattooAsCharacterType: His body is covered with various religious and occult symbols, indicating his interest in the supernatural.
29	* TheMentor: Trained plenty of wrestlers as well, among them [[Characters/{{WWENXTUK}} Isla Dawn]], his long time TagTeam partner Michael Dante, and his kayfabe cousin Marc End. A more abarcative list can be found [[https://www.cagematch.net/?id=2&nr=1700&page=14 here]].
30	* SignatureMove: A Modified Octopus Stretch called "Anti Cross", an Exploder Suplex, an O'Connor Roll, a RoundhouseKick, a Running Knee Strike, a Saito Suplex, a Spinning Heel Kick, a Springboard Moonsault and a Springboard Moonsault Plancha.
31	[[/folder]]
32
33	[[folder:As Tommy End]]
34	* BadassBoast: While in The Sumerian Death Squad, in a promo for a match against The London Riots, whilst pointing towards Michael Dante:
35	--> ''"I am the Devil and I've brought hell with me!"''
36	* BashBrothers: With Wrestling/ChrisHero.
37	* CombatCommentator: Took part on the booth on ''BJW World Triangle Night In Osaka'', a {{crossover}} between BJW, Wrestling/{{CZW}} and wXw.
38	* CrowdChant: "Tommy, Tommy, Tommy Fucking End" and "You're going to get your fucking head kicked in".
39	* HeterosexualLifePartners: Very seldom you would see Dante and Tommy separated.
40	* PowerStable:
41	** Legion, with Chris Renfrew, Michael Dante and Mikey Whiplash.
42	** The Mind, with Adam Polak, Wrestling/{{WALTER}}, Michael Dante and Karsten Beck.
43	* RedBaron: "The Anti-Hero" and "The End".
44	* TagTeam:
45	** "Chocolate City Saga", with Andrew Patterson.
46	** "Crimson City Saga", with Wrestling/ZackSabreJr.
47	** "Heroes Eventually Die" with Wrestling/ChrisHero in EVOLVE.
48	** "Next Generation Superstars" with Steve Douglas.
49	** "The Sumerian Death Squad", with Michael Dante/Anthony Zeus.
50	* TournamentArc: Won several tournaments: wXw World Lightweight Tournament 2006, FWG Lightweight Title Tournament, wXw Chase the Mahamla, wXw 16 Carat Gold Tournament 2013, Super 8 Cup 2, wXw 16 Carat Gold Tournament 2015 and [[Wrestling/PROGRESSWrestling Super Strong Style 16 2016]].
51	* UnrelatedBrothers: Has a kayfabe cousin, Marc End.
52	[[/folder]]
53
54	[[folder:As Aleister/Malakai Black]]
55	* AbortedArc: He was released from WWE right after he was given a new [[TheStoryteller storyteller]] gimmick where he would talk about the "Dark Father", which was introduced in a series of intricate vignettes. His final appearance on [=SmackDown=] set up a feud with [[Wrestling/BigELangston Big E]], attacking him during a four-way match for the Intercontinental Championship and allowing champion Apollo Crews to pin him for the win, but where it would've gone from there remains a mystery.
56	* AllJustADream: The Instagram vignette which introduced Malakai Black reveals that Aleister Black was actually the result of visions Tommy End had while incarcerated in a mental hospital over the past five years. [[OrWasItADream Maybe]], as Tommy End denies this, and upon becoming Malakai Black he regains the facial bruising that Seth Rollins and Murphy gave him in WWE.
57	* AntiHero: Cast this way in NXT. Brutal, brooding, and frankly scary looking — yet pushed, at least nominally, as a babyface. (For bonus points, he has "Anti Hero" tattooed on his knuckles.)
58	* ArchEnemy:
59	** Wrestling/JohnnyGargano, who was the one who put Black out of action prior to ''[=TakeOver:=] Brooklyn IV''.
60	** Buddy Murphy, Black's most prominent and best-received main roster rival. After a feud which would see Murphy disrespect Black even when he [[WorthyOpponent tried to acknowledge Murphy's skill]] and throw literally everything in his arsenal at the Dutch Destroyer, Black ultimately emerged with an utterly lopsided 3-0 win-loss record against his rival, a humiliation which would drive Murphy to align himself with Wrestling/SethRollins' new faction.
61	* BloodKnight: On the main roster, especially. Half his promos are him literally ''begging'' someone to come "pick a fight" with him.
62	* BoringButPractical: His Black Mass finisher isn't the ''most'' visually impressive thing you'll see in a wrestling ring. But as one might expect, if someone eats a spinning heel kick to the face they tend not to get up for a while.
63	* CanonWelding: As Malakai Black, he keeps damaged right eye that Seth Rollins and Murphy gave him in WWE.
64	* {{Catchphrase}}: Took him a while to get one, as he [[TheQuietOne just didn't talk often enough]]. Nowadays, if you're an enemy of his, he will promise to make you "fade to black."
65	* DeathGlare: Black is fond of giving them to the camera.
66	* DemonicPossession: The debut vignette for Malakai Black, [[https://www.instagram.com/tv/CRB9ln2hyUu/?utm_medium=copy_link "The Devil Made Me Do It"]] ends with the implication that Black is either possessed by the Devil, or at least is insane enough to wholeheartedly believe he is. [[MaybeMagicMaybeMundane The conveniently-timed blackout that facilitiates his brutal escape]] suggests that the former is quite possible.
67	* DissonantSerenity: Black's signature taunt, just sitting down and ''waiting''. He's capable of sliding into it from just about anything and once he starts he won't stop until his opponent bites the bait. The speed at which he can pull it off makes him feel like a snake, coiled and ready to ''strike''.
68	* DrawAggro: His first match on NXT's television proper was him sitting in the middle of the ring...and catching the poor fool that took the bait with the Black Mass kick.
69	* EarlyBirdCameo: His in-ring debut on NXT was actually in an exhibition match during the [[TournamentArc UK Championship Tournament]], where he wrestled as Tommy End against [[Wrestling/AdrianNeville Neville.]]
70	* EyeScream: A secondary victim in 2020 of Wrestling/SethRollins and his "Monday Night Messiah" obsession with eye-gouging (although in Black's case it was at the hands of old rival Murphy on Rollins' orders). The attack left Black with mismatched eyes, one of his irises darkened from a light blue to black, and seems to have [[PhysicalScarsPsychologicalScars had an effect on his]] [[FaceHeelTurn mental state as well.]]
71	* FaceHeelTurn: On the August 24 episode of Raw, Black return in The Kevin Owens Show and attacked Wrestling/KevinOwens and turned heel first time in WWE.
72	* HellBentForLeather: Aleister's entrance gear invariably includes a black leather vest, often decorated with tarot designs and sometimes incorporating SpikesOfVillainy.
73	* HollywoodSatanism: Averted. Black isn't your usual screaming fanatic and takes Satanism very seriously.
74	* ALighterShadeOfBlack: As fitting for his name, his coolly menacing demeanor and seemingly complete disinterest in engaging friends or fans evokes this compared to his more arrogant and hostile heel rivals.
75	* MythologyGag: In AEW, his spinning heel kick finisher was renamed "The End," which was his RedBaron in the independent circuit.
76	* NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast: "Aleister Black" definitely has some foreboding feeling to it.
77	* OneHitKill: The Black Mass is ''insanely'' well-protected in an era where finisher kickouts have become a hallmark of great matches. Generally speaking, one good kick from Black is enough to put away a solid 98% of his opponents.
78	* PerkyFemaleMinion: Had one in Nikki Cross for a while, after she let it slip that she knew who had attacked him. Nikki would pop up in Aleister's wake to {{troll}} anyone in the vicinity.
79	* PivotalWakeUp: The literal "tilting-to-upright-by-their-feet", albeit with the aid of lying on a platform.
80	* PreMortemOneLiner: Delivered an ''amazing'' wrestling version of one right at the end of his match at ''NXT [=TakeOver=]: [=WarGames=] II''.
81	-->'''Black:''' I absolve you of all your sins.
82	-->''[immediately annihilates Gargano with the Black Mass]''
83	* PutOnABus: Attacked in the parking lot on NXT in August 2018, resulting in his withdrawal from an upcoming championship match, his disappearance from NXT for a couple of months, and an entire "whodunit?" angle where Regal and other onscreen NXT officials try to figure out who attacked him. On the October 24th taping, as Black already knew who the perpetrator was on the previous episode and was actively looking for him, the audience got their answer in the form of [[FaceHeelTurn a superkick from]] Wrestling/JohnnyGargano.
84	* TheQuietOne: He's not very talkative, as it took several months after his debut to finally speak.
85	* RedBaron: Two of them, to be precise: "The AntiHero" and "The Dutch Destroyer".
86	* RedEyesTakeWarning: If Malakai appears with his damaged right eye is bright red instead of white, it's an omen of an important event taking place imminently, for instance his eye was red before the debut of Buddy Matthews.
87	* ReligiousBruiser: Very apparent, although the specifics of his 'faith' are skated around somewhat.
88	* TarotMotifs: His jackets have certain Tarot motifs sewn on them, aptly describing his opponents and the situation they're in.
89	* UnstoppableRage: After he was informed of the perpetrator of the sneak attack that put him on the shelf for several months. Black was ''not happy''.
90	* WrestlingMonster: A rare tweener variation. His OneHitKill finisher has beaten countless wrestlers flat, while Black himself has very rarely been pinned or submitted, and every time it happened was the result of some kind of interference, screwjob, or other assorted shenanigans. He's protected like a top face but with a more imposing character that better fits that type of booking.
91	[[/folder]]

Context Wrestling / AleisterBlack