Aleister Black Discusses His “Cult Like” Upbringing and the Origins of His Character – Aleister Black has offered a deeper look into the real-life experiences that shaped the foundation of his dark, symbolic, and often unsettling on-screen character. Speaking on The Cody Tucker Show, the WWE star explained that his persona is not a work of fiction but a reflection of his childhood and the extreme religious environment that surrounded part of his family. The discussion clarified how his fascination with symbolism, the occult, and alternative belief systems began long before his wrestling career.
Black shared that one side of his family practiced a strict and severe form of religion, which left a lasting impression on him as a child. He said, “For me, it came from a childhood experience growing up in a family that had very… Very deeply religious ties, pressing cult like devotion on one side of my family, where my father was from.” Despite his father not subscribing to those beliefs, Black described the extended family as intense and apocalyptic in their worldview. He added, “The religion itself was very bleak, very end of the world type, everyone’s a sinner. The world’s coming to an end… Very devoted followers.”
His natural curiosity and discomfort with this rigid environment pushed him to question the structures around him. That curiosity sparked an unexpected journey. “Because of the strong ties to religion, and me not understanding religion and always questioning religion, I got a huge interest in religion,” Black explained. “You start also getting an interest in the counteracting parts of that. So I went from like, you know, religion to the occult.”
He described this shift as both a personal rebellion and an awakening. “I guess, in a way, you know, you rebel against the system that, like, you grow up in, because you don’t agree with it,” he said. “You realize that outside of those boundaries is where life really is, and we search for it more and more.”
Growing up in an era before the internet, Black sought answers through books, comics, and any material he could access. This search for what he called “forbidden knowledge” intensified his worldview and later shaped the tone and depth of his character work. Black recalled, “The more I read, the more knowledge I wanted to know, the more I knew, the more restless I became. I remember like being 11, 12, years old, and laying awake at three in the morning because I’m trying to figure out the universe.”
His candid reflections help explain why his WWE persona resonates with themes of inner conflict, mysticism, and psychological exploration. For Black, the character is not a fabrication—it is a direct extension of his upbringing, his questions, and his lifelong pursuit of meaning.
Aleister Black Discusses His “Cult Like” Upbringing and the Origins of His Character
WA on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/wrestlingattitude/
WA on Facebook (Women's Wrestling) - https://www.facebook.com/WrestlingDivas/
WA on X/Twitter - https://x.com/wa_wrestling
WA on Instagram (Women's Wrestling) - https://www.instagram.com/wa_wrestlingattitude/
WA on Google News - https://news.google.com/publications/CAAqBwgKMJf3owsw2oG8Aw
WA on Bluesky - https://bsky.app/profile/wrestlingattitude.bsky.social
