Sami Zayn was not allowed to wrestle in Saudi Arabia due to his ethnicity.

[RammerJammer]

According to Meltz:

While WWE was talking about progression in the country, the reality was very different. From April 17 to April 19, 2014, Sami Zayn, a Canadian who comes from Syrian heritage, wrestled in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia for three straight nights. At the time, he wasn’t even a main roster member because they wanted to use him as a Middle Eastern star. In 2018, he was not allowed to wrestle in the same country. Folks, that is not progress. That is going backwards.

The Zayn situation was kept secret before and during the show. He himself had known about it for about a week, as he was told he was doing an injury angle on the 4/23 Raw show to explain him not being on the show as advertised. He was not told why he wasn’t on the show. To the best of our knowledge and based on what he’s said to others privately, he still hasn’t been told and has claimed he has no explanation. There was a directive that nobody could speak on that issue until after the show, to avoid controversy that the company had now also been told a performer couldn’t come because of his ethnicity. All the announcers and others were given a handbook of sorts with all kinds of rules, mostly of customs and things to avoid doing (such as never blow off a handshake to anyone because they will take it as an insult and you don’t want to insult the wrong person), and one of the directives was to never mention anything about Zayn, and obviously not a word was said on the broadcast about the women either.

I wonder will WWE get heat for this?

 

[Berniewood Hogan]

Because he's Syrian or because he's Canadian?

 

[jadillac]

just b/c he wrestled there in 2014 doesnt mean things havent changed over there.

 

[FooFighters]

Because he's Syrian or because he's Canadian?

The former

 

[Berniewood Hogan]

The former

Are there any Muslim TSC brehs who can explain why the Ummah is ethnically divided in the homeland of the Prophet?

 

[TheGreatShowtime]

Ariya Daivari got death threats in Saudi Arabia because he's Iranian. shyt is crazy how people of the same background can just shyt on each other like that.

I wonder why Mustafa Ali didn't go either. He's Pakistani, but I don't know if Saudis & Pakis got beef with each other too

 

[Ill Lou Malnati]

Probably not the real story, but ok.

 

[The Prince of All Saiyans]

Probably not the real story, but ok.

what would the real story be

 

[Ill Lou Malnati]

what would the real story be

That you should kill yourself you obese fakkit

 

[Saysumthinfunnymike]

Obviously something happened with the Sheikhs, they must have said something or else Uber Eats would have had full representation

 

[MightyHealthy]

I'm with @Cobratron on this.

To me, it's not his ethnicity, it's his charity.

The biggest difference between 2014 and now is SamiForSyria.

Ariya Daivari got death threats in Saudi Arabia because he's Iranian. shyt is crazy how people of the same background can just shyt on each other like that.

He got death threats from fellow Iranians, considering he represented his country as a punching bag at a KSA propaganda event.

He went out of his way to defend Saudis on that

 

[NotAnFBIagent]

WWE will do anything for the money apparently

 

[TrueEpic08]

The way WWE's selling out their talent for this Saudi Arabia connection is flat out disgusting. Can't see how anybody without stock in the company would view this relationship in any kind of positive light.

 

[Lord Scion]

That you should kill yourself you obese fakkit

That went from 0 to 100

 

[Ill Lou Malnati]

That went from 0 to 100

I wish his body would do the same through a fukking car windshield.