We are living in extraordinary times.
Lockdown, border closures, everything we take for granted so often, pretty much grinding to a halt.
Sport as we know it has ceased to exist, but set against the backdrop of those losing their lives to the coronavirus, it is barely a fleck on the horizon.
But in amongst the gravity of the position we find ourselves in, there is still the need for escapism – that little bit of normality that can lift the gloom if only for a little while.
For many, that includes wrestling. And while eyebrows have been raised, as far as the WWE is concerned, the show goes on.
For talent such as Aleister Black, this offers something of a strange opportunity.
The very essence of his job has changed, the travel, the arenas, the fans, the surge of adrenaline at a pop, has gone. What’s left is an empty Performance Centre, devoid of atmosphere, energy, and the lifeblood of the performers – the WWE Universe.
So what is life like holed up with just a single show a week?
“It is kind of bittersweet,” Black explains. “Once you are on the road you always want some more time off, your body is beat up and mentally you are drained – so you get a couple of days off and it’s nice, but now I’ve had enough days off and I want to go back at it. I miss being on the road, I miss wrestling, I miss seeing my colleagues, I miss the audience. I miss what it is to be a sports entertainer. It is trying times for everyone including myself and my wife (fellow WWE star Zelinga Vega).”
Speaking to him, the dark exterior of his character on-screen is peeled back, with a man very in-tune with the well-being of humanity very much to the fore of his conscious. And while his focus is on an overall return to health and normality, Black is fully aware of the role he can play in raising spirits through sports entertainment.
“I genuinely care for people. I care for our fans, and I think about how difficult this must be for a lot of people, not just myself and my family.
“It is trying times for everyone so it gives me a good feeling knowing that for perhaps 10 minutes, maybe an hour, maybe the entire show, we were able to provide something for people to maybe get their minds off this entire situation that we are involved in right now. It is a very privileged position I was in to be able to do this, and continue to do this for the foreseeable future.”
With a background in martial arts and combat sports, it is easy to see where his spirit and poise comes from, but like everyone he has his tough moments.
Exercise is a big part of Black’s routine, his home gym is affectionately called ‘The Sane Asylum’, but it is in times like these he calls on control and positivity as he key coping mechanisms.
“I focus on things that I can control,” he says. “I can control what I do in the day. I can control how much news comes into my ears. I can control in the activities that I want to partake in whilst being in the house with the resources that we have.
“It is just about finding what can be the positives and what can help you during this time. If you are going to sit and think about all this being negative then it is going to be a very negative experience, and that’s not to undermine feeling anything, I am just encouraging people not to stay negative for too long as it is not going to help you in the long run – despite how difficult it is.”
And his message to those needing advice…..
“Try to stay level headed, try to breathe, look at the realistic option when it comes to this and look at what is really going on. It is a very serious matter, but even in that try to have some perspective.”
