What’s Next For Aleister Black/Tommy End?

Rest in peace, Aleister Black. Long live Tommy End.

Aleister Black
Source: WWE

‘The Dark Father’ was just about to take SmackDown Live by storm before having his legs cut from underneath him by the effects of Black Wednesday. Aleister Black was another shocking release on the list of superstars let go from WWE, alongside Braun Strowman, Ruby Riott and Buddy Murphy, leaving many devastated fans wondering what’s next for the demonic Dutchman.

Aleister took to his Twitch stream to explain his own surprise as well as his humbled thoughts on his time in WWE, expressing his gratitude and goodwill for those involved in the decision to release him. It’s a shame that WWE didn’t at least give his new persona a chance to get off the ground, but here’s hoping that it won’t be the end for Black’s limitless creativity as many new avenues open up on the independent scene.

Black confirmed that his former moniker of Tommy End will be making its return in due course, so where could we see the hard-hitter make his post-WWE debut? Might he take a trip to All Elite Wrestling or perhaps travel overseas to NJPW? Let’s run down a few ideas for what and who’s coming next for Tommy End.

 

All Elite Aleister

Aleister Black

Tommy End began his legacy on the indie scene, travelling across Europe and America displaying a hybrid style of pro wrestling and MMA. Fans of PWG and PROGRESS Wrestling fell in love with Tommy End, enjoying his stiff strike-fests against the likes of Chris Hero, Pete Dunne and Marty Scurll, which allowed him to build his reputation as one of the best on the scene.

There’s no doubt that similar success awaits him upon his return and now that there’s a much bigger spotlight on the alterative scene with the presence of All Elite Wrestling, there’s a perfect platform for him to continue his career. AEW might be the ideal place for End to unleash his inner creativity, finally making the Tommy End character everything he’s ever wanted it to be on mainstream television.

End made comments on how WWE were reluctant to really embrace the darker side of his persona, perhaps due to ratings restrictions or just generally not being comfortable with what the Aleister Black character encapsulated, however AEW never seem to have any qualms with taking a walk on the darker side. Just take a look at the late Mr. Brodie Lee and how his natural charisma and talent shined through with his cult leader gimmick. I see a very similar future for Tommy End, should he wish to take the plunge into new waters.

There’s a plethora of dream matches awaiting End in AEW, wrestlers like Darby Allin, Lance Archer, PAC and Kenny Omega would be ideal opponents to stand across the ring from End and trade some stiff shots. There’s no doubt that End could thrive in All Elite Wrestling and maybe even make it as far as the championship circle, especially with the eyes of the world now fully on him and his fellow released colleagues. Fans want to see Tommy End return and succeed, so let’s make it happen, AEW.

 

The Devil Arrives in Japan

Aleister Black
Source: TeamRock

With a style as hard-hitting and crisp as Tommy End’s, an excursion to the Far East might be the very best option on the cards. New Japan Pro Wrestling is known for its tougher style of matches, 20-30 minute bouts that put the two wrestlers through their paces with stiff shots and vicious grappling — Tommy End could easily find his feet among a roster wrestling that style.

There’d be plenty of wrestlers lined up for a dream match against ‘The Dutch Destroyer’— just thinking about booking him against the likes of Shingo Takagi, Minoru Suzuki or Kota Ibushi would make for some potential Match of the Year candidates. Tommy End could not only tick a few of those matches off the list but also make a huge name for himself overseas by entering the G1 Climax tournament this year, a series of amazing matches that’s often seen as one of the best periods of wrestling across the year.

With the IWGP United States Championship bringing guys like Jon Moxley to NJPW for the first time, it could very well be Tommy End’s in to the company. Once he’s there, he can finally remind everyone of just how good he can be in between the ropes. A lot of fans forget just how great his psychology and pacing is, so NJPW would be the perfect environment for him to showcase just that.

 

Other Independents

Aleister Black
Source: WWE

With Tommy End now free to explore the independents again, there’s lots of potential for him to take the world by storm once more. End has already entertained the idea of mixing it up with Andrade El Idolo again on the indie scene, with Andrade now forging his own success in AAA as he looks forward to his AAA Mega Championship match with Kenny Omega at TripleMania. Imagine if Tommy End were to show up in AAA for the first time and throw down the challenge to the new champion following his win.

Tommy End could also make his return to the UK indie scene which is still in the process of recovering from the pandemic. Even though PROGRESS is now fully affiliated with WWE, RevPro Wrestling remains a constant for the BritWres scene upon its return, a place where many former WWE stars have managed to prosper following their release. RPW would also act as a perfect gateway to NJPW if that’s where Tommy End decided to bring his services.

One other promotion that could benefit from Tommy End’s debut might be the renewed Lucha Underground, Azteca Underground. During its peak, Lucha Underground was great at presenting the darker, brooding characters of their roster: Mil Muertes, Marty ‘The Moth’ Martinez and Vampiro were all given these incredibly cinematic backstage moments that really added to their character. Of course, fans had to suspend their beliefs to fully enjoy this new take on kayfabe, but once the audience got on board with it, it only made the product ten times better. Tommy End could be a great addition to that environment to not only show off his full range of character work as well as his in-ring talents.

So where would you like to see Tommy End go from here? Have you got any dream matches in mind for him? Make sure you leave them down in the comments below.

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