Aleister Black and Yokozuna are two wrestlers who couldn’t be more different. However, during an interview on “Nightcap” ahead of his and Zelina Vega’s sudden WWE departures, Black claimed that Yokozuna was one of the wrestlers who inspired him to get into the industry.
“So there is no wrestling in the Netherlands,” Black explained, recalling how he watched television with his dad one day as a five or four year old child, when his dad changed the channel to Eurosport. “Eurosport, for a brief time, had WWF … and he’s flicking through channels and I see Yokozuna – a brief moment – and I’m like ‘What’s that?'” Black stated that, for reasons he still doesn’t understand, that image of Yokozuna was burned into his memory.
Following years of watching 1980s action films, Black would pursue martial arts in his teens before picking up pro wrestling, with Muay Thai and kickboxing influencing his style. “So, one helped the other become a wrestling [style],” he added.
In a past interview, Black has gone into more detail about his fighting history. Later in his life, Black would find out that there was a difference between martial arts and pro wrestling; by 15, he’d solidify his dream of becoming a pro wrestler. While he identified Yokozuna as the first pro wrestler he ever saw, Black previously cited Jushin “Thunder” Liger as an opponent who helped him become the wrestler he is today. He expressed how he went into their bout not feeling ready, but his unique style amped him up and would eventually influence him and many other wrestlers.
If you use any quotes from this article, please credit “Nightcap” and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.
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