Aleister Black Discusses WWE Release, Vince McMahon Relationship, More

Aleister Black discussed his surprising release from WWE in a Twitch session Wednesday, expressing creative frustration from his time on the main roster but largely staying positive regarding his time with the company.

"I'm not sad. I'm not depressed," Black said. "I'm sure there will be dark days and bad days. It's all up and down. I got told it was budget cuts. Whether it is or not, it doesn't matter. I had a great time and had a phenomenal four or five years. I'm really thankful WWE has done for me. I was given a platform, even in a limited amount, I was able to give you parts of my character."

Black was released alongside Braun Strowman, Ruby Riott, Lana, Murphy and Santana Garrett as part of ongoing budget cuts within the company. Several notable performers have been released from their WWE contracts this year, along with cuts in NXT and people in behind-the-scenes roles, as the company seeks to maximize its profitability.

Black stands out among the most surprising names who have been given their release, in particular because he was in the infancy of a new storyline on SmackDown. He released a series of vignettes over the course of a month before attacking Big E on May 21, ostensibly to set up a feud between the two.

According to Black, he was not given any details on what the feud would entail but was "excited" about his Black Father gimmick. He said the gimmick was largely his creation and that he had the support of Vince McMahon.

"I was excited for the Dark Father stuff. It was mostly created by myself. I wrote a lot of the content. Slowly but surely it would unfold into more understanding of what I was talking about. It wasn't as cryptic as it was before, which was not my choice. Being on the main roster, in all my conversations with Vince, he was always positive. I had a good relationship with Vince. I always told him how I felt and he respected that about me. He praised me on my creativity and manners of respect while being honest about how they felt. You don't need to know why things ended why they did, but Vince was always high on me. We just couldn't nail down what Aleister was on the main roster compared to NXT."

Black, who wrestled as Tommy End on the independent circuit, signed with WWE in 2016. He instantly ascended to stardom in NXT, with top-of-the-card feuds with Hideo Itami, Velveteen Dream and Adam Cole. In 2018, Black defeated Andrade for the NXT championship and held the title for 102 days before losing it to Tommaso Ciampa. 

That level of success did not translate to Black's main roster stint, as he was shuffled between Raw and SmackDown and had several attempts at a storyline aborted—seemingly with no reason.

Black has a 90-day no-compete clause, but it's almost certain he'll find himself fielding offers around the wrestling world once he receives his final WWE check.