The top 5 WWE Superstars of Middle Eastern heritage

With a massive global following, WWE has become one of the most popular sports entertainment brands today. Weekly shows such as Raw and SmackDown showcase wrestlers from different nations, motivating aspiring talents to reach new heights. The WWE’s prestigious titles held by stars from countries like Ireland, England, and Australia only add to this inspiration. Its biggest events, including WrestleMania, Royal Rumble, and Money in the Bank, attract millions of viewers worldwide, including at the best Middle East mobile sports betting apps. With a significant fanbase from the region, we want to take a closer look at the top 5 WWE superstars of Middle Eastern descent who are inspiring these fans.

Noam Dar

Noam Dar was born in Israel, before moving to Scotland at a young age. Dar made his name on the independent circuit in the United Kingdom, working for huge companies such as British Championship Wrestling. He won titles throughout his time on the circuit, and was involved in some high-profile matches throughout 2012 against stars such as Prince Devitt and Zack Sabres Jr. Dar was picked up by ICW in 2010, and competed with them until 2016 when he was contracted by the WWE.

Dar first competed on 205 Live and made his Raw debut in tag team action in August 2016. He would then compete in the newly-established NXT UK from 2019 until 2022, competing at NXT UK TakeOver: Cardiff in April 2020. However, since the closure of the brand, he has been competing in NXT, making his return in April, defeating Miles Borne in a non-title match.

Mojo Rawley

Mojo Rawley was born in the United States, but he is of Middle Eastern descent on his father’s side. Rawley is a former defensive lineman but switched his hand to wrestling after being picked up by NXT in 2012. He perfected his skills at the Performance Center in Orlando before he made his television debut in a battle royal in May 2013. Rawley returned to action in NXT by going on a long winning sequence, which eventually ended at an NXT TakeOver in 2015.

His most successful run in the WWE would come between 2015 and 2017, beginning with his run in a tag team alongside Zach Ryder, called The Hype Bros. The team was then called up to the main roster in 2016, where they made a winning debut at Summerslam. However, they would eventually come up short in their bid for tag team gold. Most recently, Rawley had been competing in the 24/7 division, in which he held the title on seven occasions.

Aliyah

Aliyah is one of the trail-blazing Middle Eastern female superstars in WWE history, becoming the first Arab-Canadian wrestler to ever win a championship in WWE. She made her first steps into wrestling on the independent circuit in 2013, where he competed in Squared Circle Wrestling and Pure Wrestling Association, before getting picked up by WWE in 2015. After pursuing the women’s title in NXT, she aligned with Liv Morgan and Ember Moon at NXT TakeOver: Toronto in November 2017, winning the match.

She took a break from NXT for two years before returning in 2019 and competing in a number of high-quality matches. In 2021, she was drafted to SmackDown and made her debut in a tag match alongside Sasha Banks and Naomi. In 2022, she scored the quickest-ever win in WWE history after beating Natalya in 3.17 seconds, before she competed in the Women’s Royal Rumble match. Aliyah then landed title success for the first time in her career by winning the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships alongside Raquel Rodriguez.

Mansoor

Mansoor made history in 2018 by becoming the first Saudi Arabian wrestler signed to the WWE. After competing on the independent circuit until 2018, he was signed by the company in 2018 following trails before the first WWE show in Saudi Arabia in 2018.

He made his first appearance on WWE television at the Greatest Royal Rumble, before later returning to Saudi Arabia with the company in 2019 to land success in the 51-man battle royal. He would later pick up further success in his home country by defeating Cesaro at Crown Jewel, and then Dolph Ziggler at Super ShowDown in Riyadh. Mansoor continues to be a prominent figure on WWE television, as he is involved in the Maximum Male Models stable, under the ring name ‘mån.sôör’.

Sami Zayn

There are few hotter stars in the world of wrestling right now than Sami Zayn. Both of his parents are Syrian immigrants, and the family relocated to Canada in the 1970s. Zayn made history earlier this year alongside childhood best friend Kevin Owens, as the pair won the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championships on night one of WrestleMania. The match was the first time since WrestleMania 1 that a tag team match had headlined the show, and the contest against The Usos was regarded as one of the best matches of the weekend.

Zayn has long been a cult hero among WWE fans, having won the NXT Championship and the Intercontinental title on three occasions. However, his popularity sky-rocketed throughout 2022 after aligning himself with the Bloodline, led by Undisputed WWE World champion Roman Reigns. This led to a match between the pair at Elimination Chamber in Montreal, where Zayn came up short. But Zayn is rightly regarded as one of the finest wrestlers on the planet.

Final Thoughts

The WWE has become a global phenomenon that inspires aspiring talents from different nations to reach new heights. With a significant fanbase from the Middle East, we have highlighted five WWE superstars of Middle Eastern descent who are inspiring these fans. From Noam Dar and Mojo Rawley to Aliyah and Mansoor, these superstars have made history by breaking barriers and achieving success in their respective divisions. Sami Zayn, a cult hero among WWE fans, has become one of the hottest stars in the world of wrestling, cementing his legacy with his recent alliance with the Bloodline. These superstars’ success stories serve as a source of inspiration to millions of people worldwide, proving that with hard work, dedication, and talent, anything is possible in the WWE.