By Jason Powell, Prowrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)
WWE wrestler Ariya Daivari stated on Twitter that he received death threats following his appearance at Friday’s Greatest Royal Rumble event. Daivari issued a statement (read in full below) in which he noted that he was simply playing a character that does not reflect his personal views. Follow him online at Twitter.com/AriyaDaivariWWE.
Powell’s POV: This sort of nonsense from fans threatening heels was not uncommon back in the kayfabe days, but it seems even more ridiculous today. Ariya is clearly attempting to defuse the situation and here’s hoping he is successful. For those who didn’t see the event, Ariya and his brother Shawn played Iranian heels who were eventually roughed up by four WWE trainees from Saudi Arabia.
— Ariya Daivari (@AriyaDaivariWWE) May 1, 2018
Unfortunately some people took offense to this despite it being pure entertainment. Some threats were made against my life. I wanted to put this statement out to clarify where I as a person stand compared to my t.v. character. https://t.co/NJbnlMnn28
— Ariya Daivari (@AriyaDaivariWWE) May 1, 2018
I found it slightly baffling that WWE left Sami Zayn off the show because his presence might upset people in Saudi Arabia and then ran this cheap heat angle with the Daivari brothers.