Lack of Arab wrestlers says Sami Zayn

[suleman09]

Hey everyone, so Sami Zayn recently did an interview where in the interview he talked about the lack of Arab wrestlers in the WWE today. First, here is the link to it.

http://www.wrestlezone.com/news/549507-sami-zayn-talks-lack-of-arabic-wrestlers#/slide/1

So my question is 2 part here.

1. Why do you think there is such a lack of Arab wrestlers?

2. Is there anybody out there pursuing a pro-wrestling career who also happens to be from the middle east?

I'll go first

1. Being from a middle eastern family for me I think it has to do with the family and your social circle within the same ethnicity
- I'm not speaking for all middle eastern families but most that I know want their kids and family members to go for a career that would be considered more socially acceptable. Like, General managers, doctors, lawyers, ect..

2. Like I said, I'm from a middle eastern family and am pursuing a career as a pro-wrestler, I was just recently accepted into Seth Rollins' wrestling school in Illinois. So i'm hoping to bring more diversity into the WWE.

Your turn

 

[Logisticalbooker86]

First, I wish you well in your pursuit of your pro wrestling dream. Congratulations on your acceptance to wrestling school. I caution you that nearly everyone you meet will encourage you to finish your education first. I say this having no idea where you are in the world of academia.

Be careful about national or cultural pride in a business that is looking for mostly over-the-top gimmicks. According to the now deceased Patrice O'Neal, Vince McMahon once told a wrestler to "put on his stupid turban" when the wrestler (Tiger Ali Singh) said that his family found his gimmick offensive. http://bleacherreport.com/articles/...trice-oneal-suffers-stroke-recovery-uncertain

--The article is cited so that I do not appear to be talking out of my backside.

Personally, if you entertain me, your ethnic background/heritage is of no consequence.

Best of luck.

 

[RusevHits]

The problem is that WWE is lazy, closed minded and to an extent racist. They don't see past the outside of a person and let him be himself rather than what "Vinces Americana" precipices that type of person to be.

They see an Eastern European and make him a heel Russian nationalist. They see an African-American and put him in a dancing/rapping gimmick. They see an Indian and they put package him with the headgear and Punjabi music. They made Cesaro yodel. And the list keeps going....

So, what do you think they will do to an Arab wrestler? The obvious aside.. a sheikh that comes to the ring on the back of a camel? Or maybe a genie that slides to the ring on a carpet? A hairy, greased up, loud nightclub owner?

PS. All that aside, I wish you luck and I hope you prove me wrong.

 

[chuckmdubya]

I really think they are worried about taking political heat. Sure if they portray a middle eastern character as some kind of extremists than they will take tons of heat. But I don't see anything not politically correct about a character like the Sheik was. He was just proud to be from Iran and talked down about America, basically the same as Rusev, just Iranian. No camels, no ideology, just a wrestler from the middle east with a believable gimmick.

I have seen the comments on the thread criticizing WWE for making stereotypical characters for diverse people. They do the same with white characters too. A beer drinking hot tempered redneck, Steve Austin / A Scotsman with a hot temper and a kilt / a Hillbilly that came to the ring square dancing in overalls, Hillbilly Jim / A rich white boss that hates everyone who doesn't obey him Mr. McMahon / A rich white Texan who is arrogant and looks down on others, JBL / A backwoods cult leader, Bray Wyatt / A stinky redneck with poor Hygiene, Luke Harper and The Godwinns. Oh, and rich white guy that looks down on everyone has a black bodyguard / servant. Ted Dibiase, him having virgil in his corner should have been offensive to everyone. Both black people who don't want to be portrayed that way and for white people not wanting to be portrayed that way.

WWE stereotypes everyone, not just minority superstars. It what makes a believable gimmick, just a larger than life version of the performer.

 

[suleman09]

First, I wish you well in your pursuit of your pro wrestling dream. Congratulations on your acceptance to wrestling school. I caution you that nearly everyone you meet will encourage you to finish your education first. I say this having no idea where you are in the world of academia.

Be careful about national or cultural pride in a business that is looking for mostly over-the-top gimmicks. According to the now deceased Patrice O'Neal, Vince McMahon once told a wrestler to "put on his stupid turban" when the wrestler (Tiger Ali Singh) said that his family found his gimmick offensive. http://bleacherreport.com/articles/...trice-oneal-suffers-stroke-recovery-uncertain

--The article is cited so that I do not appear to be talking out of my backside.

Personally, if you entertain me, your ethnic background/heritage is of no consequence.

Best of luck.

Thanks for the well wishes! I'm just about done with my education, I graduate in May (knock on wood) and start my wrestling training in September so I made sure to schedule it accordingly.


And as far as the whole ethnicity thing goes, I like to think that with Sami Zayn's current character not being a stereotypical "arab" character I hope they are going away from being too focused on the race and ethnicity.

I mean i'm tan the way you would expect but I don't have an accent and i'm 6'4" and 265lbs, i'm working out everyday so hopefully i'll have a good look when they first see me, i'm trying to make the best first impression I can.

 

[Ser Duncan the Tall]

1. Why do you think there is such a lack of Arab wrestlers?

In stateside? My best guess is due to a smaller population. I doubt the number is as small as we may believe it to be, but a lack of coverage across the world (I'm talking independent wrestling scenes like in the Midwest U.S. and tittyfuck Congo) lead us to believe otherwise.

2. Is there anybody out there pursuing a pro-wrestling career who also happens to be from the middle east?

I suggest taking the time to Google search small-scale wrestling promotions in major cities nearby and checking out their roster. You might make a connection through them.

All in all, good luck!

 

[cmedge]

For question one, I'm assuming that becoming a pro wrestler isn't necessarily a popular thing for Middle Eastern people.

And for question 2, I'm not Arab, I am Somali but I am Muslim and I have been considering becoming a wrestler for a few years now. I've been talking to Lance Storm, a teacher for his school in Calgary for a few years now. I was actually going to visit him last summer, I am probably going to visit him this summer.

 

[TWJC: The Beginning]

I really think they are worried about taking political heat. Sure if they portray a middle eastern character as some kind of extremists than they will take tons of heat. But I don't see anything not politically correct about a character like the Sheik was. He was just proud to be from Iran and talked down about America, basically the same as Rusev, just Iranian. No camels, no ideology, just a wrestler from the middle east with a believable gimmick.

I have seen the comments on the thread criticizing WWE for making stereotypical characters for diverse people. They do the same with white characters too. A beer drinking hot tempered redneck, Steve Austin / A Scotsman with a hot temper and a kilt / a Hillbilly that came to the ring square dancing in overalls, Hillbilly Jim / A rich white boss that hates everyone who doesn't obey him Mr. McMahon / A rich white Texan who is arrogant and looks down on others, JBL / A backwoods cult leader, Bray Wyatt / A stinky redneck with poor Hygiene, Luke Harper and The Godwinns. Oh, and rich white guy that looks down on everyone has a black bodyguard / servant. Ted Dibiase, him having virgil in his corner should have been offensive to everyone. Both black people who don't want to be portrayed that way and for white people not wanting to be portrayed that way.

WWE stereotypes everyone, not just minority superstars. It what makes a believable gimmick, just a larger than life version of the performer.

Really? Dolph Ziggler, Daniel Bryan, CM Punk, John Cena, Randy Orton, Big Show, Kane, Undertaker, Seth Rollins, Dean Ambrose, etc are all stereotypes?

There would be NO backlash if he had a wrestler who was middle eastern and say this guy was a naturally great athlete with an arrogant personality so they took those two natural traits and made it into his character. The problem is that WWE, far and away, creates stupid ass offensive race-based characters.

Mark Henry-Sexual Chocolate
Great Khali-Punjabi
R-Truth-Rapper
Kofi-Jamaican (he's not even fucking Jamaican)
Kofi/Big E/Xavier Woods-some ridiculous dancing/singing group
Damn near very Mexican wrestler ever-luchador
Every Japanese wrestler ever-some kind of martial arts character
Every Samoan ever-at least starts out with a samoan character (Umaga, Usos, Rock, Rikishi)
Cryme Tyme-probably the most offensive characters in WWE history
Muhammed Hassan-terrorist


They are stupid when it comes to non white wrestlers. If I were black, I'd refuse to be any kind of stereotype. It's not only that they do stereotypes, they do the worst damn stereotypes. Couldn't do a smart, doctor Indian stereotype. Couldn't do a super athletic black guy, couldn't do a smart businessman Asian, has to be the most archaic shit they can think of.



The answer to the thread is yes, there is a problem. Congratulations on going o wrestling school, don't them them stereotype you.