During a recent interview with AlJazeera.com, WWE SmackDown Superstar Aliyah commented on main eventing an episode of WWE SmackDown earlier this year, wanting to wrestle in the Middle East, and more.
You can check out some highlights from the interview below:
On being in the main event of SmackDown earlier this year: “It feels surreal. This has been my biggest dream ever since I was a little girl. Growing up, I would watch wrestling and didn’t really see anyone that looked like me or someone that was Arabic. I hope I could set a good example and inspire other Arab females to come join the sport that they want.”
On her parents’ initial reaction to her becoming a wrestler: “The first time I told them, they were like ‘No!’ At first they weren’t supportive at all. So I had to hide it from them. I would tell them I was going to my part-time job but I would take the subway across town and I would train at this warehouse … My parents discovered knee pads and training shoes in my backpack and were like ‘what is this?’. They even showed up to my ‘job’ and I wasn’t there, so it was a red flag for them.”
On hoping to perform for WWE in the Middle East: “I visited Syria in 2002 for a few months. We vacationed there, and we have family that still lives there. I haven’t been there since … One of my biggest dreams is to be the first ever Arab female to perform [for WWE] in the Middle East. That would be a complete honour.”
You can keep up with all your wrestling news right here on eWrestlingNews.com. Or, you can follow us over on our Twitter and Facebook pages.
