Ariya Daivari
 Daivari in 2016 | |
| Born |
April 11, 1989[1] Plymouth, Minnesota, United States [2] |
|---|---|
| Residence |
Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States[3] |
| Family | Shawn Daivari (brother) |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) |
Ariya Daivari[3] Arya Daivari[4] Sheik Ariya Daivari[5] Sheik Mustafa Bashir[6] |
| Billed height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)[3] |
| Billed weight | 190 lb (86 kg)[3] |
| Billed from |
Minneapolis, Minnesota By way of [3] Tehran, Iran[6] |
| Trained by |
Shawn Daivari Arik Cannon Ken Anderson Shelton Benjamin |
| Debut | September 26, 2006 [7] |
Ariya Daivari (born April 11, 1989) is an American professional wrestler signed to WWE, performing on 205 Live and Raw in the cruiserweight division.[3]
Professional wrestling career
Independent circuit (2006–2016)
After a high school background in Tae Kwon Do and amateur wrestling, Ariya was trained in professional wrestling by Shawn Daivari and fellow wrestler Arik Cannon.[1] He also trained with former WWE performers Shelton Benjamin and Ken Anderson.[8] His debut match was at a Midwest Pro Wrestling Academy event on September 26, 2006, held at the First Avenue nightclub.[7] Until his WWE debut in 2016, he performed in promotions across the United States, including Ring of Honor ,[9] Global Force Wrestling,[10] and Total Nonstop Action's India project Ring Ka King.[4][6]
WWE
Cruiserweight division (2016–present)
Daivari's first experience with the WWE was wrestling in a non-televised match for WWE SmackDown at the Target Center in 2013.[8] The following year he participated in a tryout at the WWE Performance Center.[11] On June 13, 2016, Daivari was announced as a competitor in the WWE Cruiserweight Classic.[3] On June 23, 2016, Daivari was eliminated from the tournament in his first round match by Ho Ho Lun.[12] On the October 10, 2016 episode of Raw, Daivari made his main roster debut as part of the cruiserweight division on Raw, losing by submission to the Cruiserweight Champion T.J. Perkins. On the Hell in a Cell pre-show, Daivari teamed with Tony Nese and Drew Gulak in a losing effort to Cedric Alexander, Lince Dorado and Sin Cara.[13] On the Survivor Series pre-show, Daivari, Nese and Gulak were defeated by TJ Perkins, Rich Swann and Noam Dar. He then started a feud with Gentleman Jack Gallagher, which ended in an "I Forfeit" match, which he lost.
Daivari began his championship pursuits for the Cruiserweight Championship in July 2017. Akira Tozawa called Daivari out on the July 24th episode of Raw for a rematch after Titus O'Neil forfeited their singles match the week prior on Tozawa's behalf. While Neville showed up to confront Tozawa, Daivari then appeared to attack both Tozawa and Neville. He faced off against Neville the next night on 205 Live, winning via count-out.
Personal life
Daivari attended Wayzata High School in Plymouth, Minnesota.[1] He is Iranian-American and speaks Persian fluently, which he often incorporates into his performances.[1] His older brother, Dara, is also a professional wrestler, mostly known for his time in WWE as Khosrow Daivari (then shortened to Daivari).[3]
In wrestling
- Finishing moves
- Cobra clutch, sometimes while seated – 2017–present
- Persian Lion Splash (Frog splash)[3]
- Magic Carpet Ride[3] (Diving splash while holding a Persian rug) - Independent circuit
- Hammerlock twisted into a short-arm lariat – 2017–present
- Signature moves
- Nicknames
- "The Persian Lion"[1]
- "The Sheik of the Cruiserweights"
- Entrance themes
- "Crash Hand" by Cruel Hand
- "Persian Storm" by APM Music (WWE; June 13, 2016–November 22, 2016)
- "Magic Carpet Ride" by CFO$ (WWE; November 29, 2016–present)
Championships and accomplishments
- American Wrestling Federation
- AWF Heavyweight Championship (2 times)[14]
- F1RST Wrestling
- F1RST Wrestlepalooza Championship (1 time)[5]
- Heavy on Wrestling
- HOW Undisputed Championship (1 time)[15]
- Insane Championship Wrestling
- ICW Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Shawn Daivari
- National Wrestling Alliance Midwest
- NWA Midwest X-Division Championship (1 time)
- National Wrestling Alliance Wisconsin
- NWA Wisconsin Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Dysfunction[16]
- Pro Wrestling Illustrated
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 Daivari, Ariya (2014-09-02). "Art of Wrestling 214" (Interview). Interview with Colt Cabana. Retrieved 2016-06-14.
- ↑ "Ariya Daivari". Cagematch. Retrieved 2016-06-13.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 "Ariya Daivari". WWE. Retrieved 2016-11-21.
- 1 2 Nick Paglino. "Daivari Reveals TNA India Project Details, Why He Left ROH". WrestleZone. Retrieved 2016-06-14.
- 1 2 "Wrestlepalooza VIII". First Avenue Nightclub. Retrieved 2016-06-14.
- 1 2 3 4 Steve Schultz. "Costilli Signs Shiek Arya Daivari For 2013 Season". Dreamwave Wrestling. Retrieved 2016-06-14.
- 1 2 "MPW Wrestling Academy". Cagematch. Retrieved 2016-06-16.
- 1 2 Jones, Chris (Director) (2015). Minnesota Made - Ariya Daivari (Documentary Film).
- ↑ "Hopkins Conquest Tour Update". Ring of Honor. Retrieved 2016-06-14.
- ↑ Paul Jordan. "TNA Talent on Global Force and Evolve Shows". PWPop. Retrieved 2016-06-14.
- ↑ Marc Middleton. "Backstage News From WWE's Recent Tryout Camp With Several Top Independent Wrestlers". WrestlingInc. Retrieved 2016-06-14.
- ↑ Williams, JJ (2016-06-23). "WWE Cruiserweight Classic round one spoilers: Sabre Jr, Swann, Gargano, Ibushi, more!". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Retrieved 2016-06-24.
- ↑ Benigno, Anthony. "Cedric Alexander, Lince Dorado & Sin Cara def. Tony Nese, Drew Gulak & Ariya Daivari". WWE. Retrieved October 30, 2016.
- ↑ "Roster". American Wrestling Federation. Retrieved 8 September 2016.
- ↑ "Heavy on Wrestling Results - Mad Dog Vachon Tribute Show". Pro Wrestling Torch. 2013-12-01. Retrieved 2016-06-14.
- ↑ "NWA Wisconsin Tag Team Championship". Cagematch. Retrieved 2016-06-14.
- ↑ "Pro Wrestling Illustrated (PWI) 500 for 2016". The Internet Wrestling Database. Retrieved 2016-09-01.