We met the famous Dutch wrestler, Mr. Tom Budgen (his real name), during a long and heartfelt interview in which he shared his views on the value of living life fully, fighting for what you believe in, and never giving up when your deepest emotions are at stake.
Aleister, fighters are usually asked what their life story was that led them to fight and to compete. We’d like to know when exactly your love and interest in tattoo art began, and whether Holland, the world’s home of tattooing, had anything to do with it…
I am always appreciative when people mention the significance of the Netherlands to tattooing. It was absolutely a lot more socially present – not accepted, but as with many things in the Netherlands, a lot of cultural and societal things are far more visible for a lot longer than people realize. My interest comes from a TV show that I watched as a child where a man had two black dragons tattooed on his arms, and I was captivated by it – so much so that it really captured my mind. Once the internet made its way into my household, one of the first things I started doing was researching and looking up tattoos and their long culture.
One of your most iconic and largest tattoos is the figure of Lilith on your back. You could have easily chosen a “banal” historical figure (think Alexander the Great, Attila, or Julius Caesar) to emphasize your explosive strength, but instead you chose a woman, the first woman at all, perhaps the most important female figure in Jewish mythology. That says a lot about your way of thinking, doesn’t it?
Absolutely. She was the first to rebel against the “system,” the first one to say, “No, this is not for me,” challenging the status quo and being punished for it, and still not backing down.
It is no secret I have a love for lore, mythology, and religion, and as a young man Lilith story resonated with me and stuck with me.
In a systemic way you can relate a lot of viewpoints to that story and its sentiment – to how women have been placed in our society, especially relating to how religion at times has placed them. I have always gravitated to her story, but also the misconception of what she was and what she wanted and, because of it, what she was turned into; vilified for wanting to make her own decisions. There are many stories like hers throughout history and mythology that all carry the same concept of misconception and vilifying the real nature or motive of said character, and often portraying the opposing side as the hero (e.g., Medusa).
Let’s talk about the heart tattooed on your throat. What does the heart symbolize for someone like you? Is it something that beats and keeps us alive and healthy, or is it truly the only thing that matters in a human being, superior even to the brain?
For me, having “my heart in my throat” was a nod to anxiety and depression, but also – given the snake eye on it with an arrow piercing it – a reminder to let the venom out of your heart. I have done things I am not proud of because people did things to me that I am sure they aren’t proud of, and the latter can poison your heart. Hurt turns into venom, corrupting what you perceive as fair and numbing the care you should have for yourself and for others.
This has been especially relevant to my character over the past four to five years.
The idea that “everyone is corruptible” grew out of these experiences and, at the time, shaped a jaded view of the human race. Now, however, the tattoo serves as a reminder that we have grown older and wiser, worked through those emotions, and become better versions of ourselves. It is the same emotional source I draw from for promos, narratives, and character responses. The character sees no boundaries between good and evil and is hell-bent on proving how he can ruin everyone by bringing out their worst. It started in the previous company with Cody Rhodes (IG: @americannightmarecody), all the way to the WWE with Damian Priest (IG: @archerofinfamy), etc.
I’ve read that your sleeves illustrate the eternal duality between life and death. Are you hungry for the former and terrified of the latter? Or are you one of those who finds it useful to know that death is always present in human affairs?
I think I grew from having a fascination with death to having a fascination with life to having an obsession with how and what we can experience. On top of that I like balance, everything in life has an opposition that cannot be without one another. Love has hate, light has dark, plus has minus, life has death. The more I read about what the brain does postmortem, and what vibrations and frequencies mean for the soul the more I get a strange feeling in my heart as if there is a secondary adventure waiting for us after this physical place comes to an end. I wouldn’t want to call it heaven or God in the biblical sense, but the Universe is a frequency of ever expanding and moving knowledge where you and what you have learned will be absorbed into the universe and add to its structure and will exist beyond the physical.
Now I’ll ask you a slightly unusual question: I remember a photo of you taken in a tattoo shop where you were wearing a Madball t-shirt and standing next to a frame with flashes of Traditional tattoos from the famous Californian studio ‘Spider Murphy’s’. Since we @TattooLife.com have dedicated three books to this historic American tattoo shop, I wanted to know if you’d ever been there and if you’ve got any Traditional tattoos done by one of their artists…
Haha, yes, the famous tattoo shop that is my living room. My entire house is full of artwork. That photo was taken a few weeks back by my friend Ryan Loco (IG: @ryanloco), who is an incredible photographer. I have not been there, and I currently have no work done there. I hope that in the future I can stop by ‘Spider Murphy’s’ and change both of those, as it is an absolutely historical spot with incredible artists.
Have you ever noticed tattoos dedicated to you on your fans’ skin? Can you tell me one that particularly struck you?
Yes, if you go to my Instagram page you will see a story button that reads “Devotion.” There are countless fans who have the House Of Black logo, masks, Aleister Black-related tattoos, or some of the phrases on their skin.
How do you react in such cases?
I am always incredibly humbled when fans send them to me; I will always try and collect as many of them to share, because that level of devotion speaks to the hardcore fans that my business is known for. On a side note, I have also seen and met fans that tattooed my personal tattoos on themselves and that, personally, is a little weird at times. While the intention is undoubtedly positive, I have seen a few trying to tattoo the Lilith back tattoo on their arms or chest, and it loses a lot of details as it’s not designed for a small area or that area specifically. I’ve also seen my heart-throat tattoo and even a few tattoos that I got done for relatives and friends that have passed away on some fans.
You have about 75% of your body covered in ink. Do you think that last 25% will be reserved for a later stage in your life (after all, you’re only forty…) or are you already thinking about adding a few more tattoos in the near future?
Maybe. I think the older I get, the less resistant I am to the pain. Obviously I deal with pain in general – as after 25 years of bumps, punches, kicks, getting thrown off things, through things, sitting in small planes and car seats for hours – my body has some bad days every once in a while, and I need to always keep up with flexibility and mobility. So sitting in a chair for hours at a time getting tattooed isn’t my definition of fun anymore. I also think that the excitement of getting tattooed has faded over the years.
I’m 40 years old, I started when I was 19, so the “tattoo buzz” for new work isn’t as high anymore.
But you still have some work in progress, right?
Yeah. That being said, Daniel Selleck (IG: @danielselleck) is finishing my rib piece sometime this month, and I’ll be glad when it’s done. My left leg has a lot of space and there are a few ideas, but mainly I promised my friend JP Tron Walker (IG: @jptronwalker) he can do a Vampire Hunter D tattoo, as that growing up was my favorite anime, and him being the absolute guy for anime tattoos, it makes sense. But truthfully, it’s more an exciting time for him as he’s always wanted to do one! I have also always wanted work from Lucas from ‘Black Casket Tattoo’ (IG: @blackcaskettattoo) – I nearly got it years ago but then the day of, both my wife and I tested positive for Covid, and this was amidst some later-stage lockdown period. Hopefully one day! There are a few ideas I have for the other side of my head (the left side was done by Ed from ‘Eternal Devotion’ @eternaldevotiontattoos in Orlando), as well as some jaw and temple tattoo ideas. I want to add more flames on my back piece (JP Tron Walker is currently doing them) to give it a bit more symmetry. Then, if I ever muster the willpower, I’d like to expand onto my lower backside and get that done too, which is obviously a horrendously painful spot to get work done.
You’ve been tattooed by the absolute greatest (Paul Booth, Derek Noble, Dave de Crom, Tim Beijens, JP Tron Walker, Daniel Selleck etc.) who have turned your body into a true work of art. Forgive me for asking a silly question, but is working with a great tattoo artist like finishing a great wrestling match? It doesn’t matter whether you win or lose, but maybe it’s all part of the journey toward “something”, a sort of complete experience…
I think that both wrestling and tattooing are true bastions of a renegade style of living as it is a self-made existence and not easy to make it and there is a correlation between the art of professional wrestling and the art of tattooing. From the amount of devotion you have to have to really become good at this thing to always chasing perfection in your work and when getting better or nailing that perfect match or tattoo getting the recognition for it; that’s where they both live.
Tattooing is an incredible thing, the ultimate form of art, where wrestling is the ultimate performance art, it is one take, and one take only.
From matches to promos, you only get to do each of them once and they have to be done so they can withstand the test of time and be able to serve as an example for others to watch and learn, just like tattoos and tattooing.
Last question – Do you have anything to add to your fans (and tattoo fans) at the end of this interview?
As always, I am appreciative and glad I can blend our two worlds and pull them a bit closer together. And I couldn’t do that if there wasn’t a demand for it via my fanbase. Keep your skin colorful, don’t care about what people think you should do or don’t do with it. You have this current existence so make it exciting and get some tattoos, travel for your tattoos and learn about where they are from and what they mean. And most importantly do whatever the hell you want!
