Some WWE fans have taken offense to the performance last Friday of 205 Live star Ariya Daivari, who claims he has received death threats in response to the way his character was portrayed at the Greatest Royal Rumble.
In a statement posted on Twitter, Daivari wrote, “During an appearance this past Friday, | portrayed a fictional character and played the role of the antagonist, no different than what other actors would do in a movie or TV show. That character does not reflect my personal views and I apologize to anyone that may have been offended by the skit. l have an incredible amount of respect for the great people of Iran and I am very proud of my Iranian heritage. Thank you.”
The Greatest Royal Rumble, which was held in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, and included the first ever 50-man Royal Rumble taking place, as well as matchups between John Cena and Triple H, Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns, and The Undertaker and Rusev, created controversy during a showcase segment for four Saudi Arabian tryout finalists. After being introduced, Ariya Daivari and Shawn Daivari, the foreign heel team, appeared waving the flag of their native Iran, saying, “You’re not real athletes. Real athletes, like the Daivari brothers, come from the strongest nation in the world—Iran!”
The moment was meant to rile up the crowd since Iran and Saudi Arabia have long had political and cultural differences. But as with most WWE displays, it was done jokingly. The Daivaris, who are actually from Minnesota and of Iranian descent, were intended to get the crowd excited before the four locals took them down.
In a second Twitter post after the event, Daivari wrote, “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 TV character.”
The choice to host the event in Saudi Arabia was divisive from the start, given the country’s views on women and the LGBTQ community. Despite opposition, the WWE is set to return to Saudi Arabia for a show in November.