WWE WrestleMania 36: A case for Matt Riddle/Aleister Black replacing Roman Reigns
By Erik Boyer
The lights go extremely dim in the arena/performance center/wherever and all you can hear is a slow, angry whine from a guitar, eventually followed by a few solemn drum beats.
From the side of the stage [assuming there is a stage], a man with his arms crossed rises from a sarcophagus-like nook. Suddenly, we hear…
NO MAN IS EVER TRULY GOOD,
NO MAN IS EVER TRULY E-VIL,
I LIVE THE LIFE YOU NEVER COULD,
AND WE WILL NEVER BE E-QUAL
Aleister Black stoically makes his way to the ring to face Bill Goldberg, who is perplexed, as he’s pompous enough to have no idea who Aleister Black is.
My second favorite choice of WWE superstar to face Bill Goldberg for the Universal Championship is none other than Aleister Black. I am a big fan of his, yes, but I am going to leave that out of the equation.
The WWE has been very careful with Aleister since he was called up to the main roster. Before that, he was downright dominant in NXT and is a former NXT Champion, so that right there gives him a great deal of street cred.
Having said that, he knows how to be a dominant champion. He would absolutely elevate the belt – something which I think the Universal Championship has needed. Yes, it’s supposedly on the same level of the WWE Championship, but let’s face it: it was created less than four years ago.
It has no extensive history, no real lineage – at least not when stacked up against the WWE Championship. The Fiend did an excellent job as the Universal Champion, running down opponents with psychology and brutality on a level inconsistent with WWE’s PG rating.
That being said, the Universal Championship was not a huge deal to The Fiend. He didn’t need it. His feuds were blood feuds – every one of them. He was crossing names off of lists like Steve Buscemi’s “People to Kill” list from the movie Billy Madison.
The Universal Championship was an afterthought for every single one of his matches – despite Bray getting his very own personalized version of the championship belt (that looked more like a freaky, satanic cummerbund than a title belt).
For that reason, I do not mind that he lost the Universal Championship. I wish it was not to Bill Goldberg, but I understand why they did that. Aleister on the other hand, that’s a different story.’
Ever since getting called up from NXT, Aleister has been nearly unstoppable.
He has Black Massed his way to an outstanding record – or, he would have, if WWE kept silly things like “records.” He has been booked very strongly as a mid-card talent and has only lost due to unfair measures taken by opponents. If he were to step into the ring with Goldberg at WrestleMania, despite being extremely happy and excited, no one would “bat an eye,” so to speak. Why?
Because he looks like a serious badass, for one.
Two, Black is a serious badass – in the ring AND on the mic.
Black has run through a great deal of enhancement talent, so they’re obviously trying to help him look strong. Further, he connects with an audience the WWE desperately needs back – the 18-34 crowd.
Black is a millennial and generation-Y poster-boy of what’s considered “cool.” He is tattooed from head to toe, for one, and we all know how much we millennials and generation-Yers like desecrating our bodies.
Being intelligent, informed, and standing for something are also all attributes highly touted by the youth of our nation (and others around the world). Aleister Black has proven he has and does those things already, without much exposure or time given to do it in.
During his quick, 20-30 second “pick a fight” promos, he showcases his intelligence and awareness by utilizing big words in conjunction with one another, while he makes points that make a great deal of sense.
In addition to his intellect, he’s a legitimate tough guy. Despite not being 6’9 or 370 pounds, the look he possesses, along with his extremely educated arms/hands and legs/feet, makes me (and the vast majority of the WWE Universe) believe that he could very well defeat the likes of Goldberg or Brock Lesnar with one well placed Black Mass.
To be completely candid, he could very well be the savior of the WWE – if they give him this golden opportunity to take the Universal Title off of Goldberg and strap a rocket to his back.