WWE News: Aleister Black to debut at NXT TakeOver: Orlando
What’s the story?
It was confirmed last night on NXT that, former independent wrestling standout, Tommy End will make his in-ring NXT debut at NXT TakeOver: Orlando. Now billed as Aleister Black, the Dutchman will take on Andrade ‘Cien’ Almas at the pre-WrestleMania 33 event in a match that could well go on to steal the show. The TakeOver: Orlando card currently only has four matches confirmed for the show, with just over a week to go until the first bell.
In case you didn’t know...
Tommy End was a standout performer on the independent wrestling scene for a number of years before WWE came knocking in 2016. End performed all over Europe, Japan and North America, making a name for himself in PWG and wXw with his unique move-set and character. End signed with WWE in June 2016 and reported to the Performance Center four months later, and the Dutchman has mostly been kept under wraps since then.
After a surprise appearance in a showcase match against Neville at the WWE United Kingdom Championship tournament, vignettes began airing on NXT TV promoting the arrival of a mysterious character. The imagery and theme of the vignettes hinted strongly at the arrival of Aleister Black, and his debut has now been confirmed.
The heart of the matter
With just over a week to go, NXT TakeOver: Orlando isn’t quite inspiring the same amount of excitement as previous editions. The announcement of Aleister Black vs. Andrade Almas may well change that, however, as two top tier performers will go one-on-one in a match that is genuinely difficult to predict.
Also read: WWE News: Tommy End billed as Aleister Black
Almas is currently in the middle of a character rejuvenation since his heel turn, and it will be intriguing to see whether NXT decides to sacrifice Almas to the debuting Black or whether they will be brave enough to give the Dutchman an L in his first match.
What’s next?
The show takes place on April 1, 24 hours before WrestleMania 33 itself. Last year’s pre-WrestleMania TakeOver show was one of the high-points of WWE’s 2016, and the stars of NXT will be looking to somehow top that incredible high. Aleister Black vs. Andrade Almas could well be the match that steals the show.
Author’s take
The news that Aleister Black is to make his NXT in-ring debut is extremely exciting, but the choice of Almas as an opponent is puzzling, to say the least. Almas has just started gaining some momentum following his heel turn, and a potential loss to a performer making his debut could be seriously damaging to the former La Sombra. It does, however, represent a welcome change from the usual TakeOver debut of independent stars, who usually find themselves taking on whomever the resident NXT jobber happens to be.
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