Hardcore wrestling fans are incredibly knowledgeable, especially those who have been following WWE for decades, but they do not know everything. The WWE Universe has seen dozens of women wrestlers come and go in recent years, but the main roster is still filled with an abundance of skilled female talent. Aliyah was recently called up to the main roster, and those who followed her in NXT likely think that they know everything about her, but many of those same people probably do not even know that her real name is, Nhooph Al-Areebi.Aliyah signed with WWE in 2015, and she stayed there for more than five years. She may have never won a title in NXT, but Aliyah is a decent in-ring competitor, and now that she is on SmackDown, she might get a chance to finally shine.Updated on February 24th, 2022, by Andrew Kelly: Aliyah has been slowly getting more comfortable as a member of the Smackdown brand since her main roster call up at the end of 2021, picking up some big wins here and there. It took Aliyah a long time to make it to the main roster, with her move to Smackdown coming after spending over six years in developmental, and her commitment during that time has evidently been strong. She is still young and could be set to raise her profile in WWE over the next few years and looks to hopefully become a strong member of the women’s division. She has showcased her ability as both a heel and a face in NXT, so has a lot of range to try to survive on the main roster. Though she hasn’t been on Smackdown for very long, there is still a lot to know about her.
12 * Had Her First Main Roster Match In 2017
Although 2021 marked Aliyah’s call-up to the main roster, she actually competed on Smackdown all the way back in 2017. Though she wasn’t a regular on NXT by any means, mostly wrestling on live events, she made the trip to Smackdown to face Carmella regardless.
Carmella would pick up the win with some ease, with the match serving to further the alliance between her and James Ellsworth, and continue Carmella's growing momentum on the main roster. Aliyah did well in her role of putting over the bigger star, and then went back to NXT. This was just a minor call-up, with nothing following on either Smackdown or NXT from this appearance, with it taking her another four years to find her way back to the blue brand.
11 * She Is A Former Wrestling YouTuber
Back when Aliyah was a teenager, and just a fan of wrestling rather than working on a career in the sport, she started her own YouTube channel under the name of “chickkick21”.
Her channel was focused all on her biggest passion and love, professional wrestling. The older content doesn’t exist anymore, with only Aliyah’s old independent wrestling matches popping up when the name is typed into the search bar.
10 * A Part Of Tyler Breeze’s Entrance
It is common for superstars to make their onscreen debuts well before they begin wrestling on television, with many stars past and present acting as extras and background characters. The likes of CM Punk, Sasha Banks, and most of the current NXT 2.0 roster were extras in segments or entrances at some stage.
It was no different for Aliyah, whose first onscreen appearance in NXT was when she was a part of Tyler Breeze’s entrance at NXT Takeover: Unstoppable, where he would face Finn Balor.
9 She's Still Pretty Young
Age is nothing more than a number, but it does play a role in pro wrestling, which is why WWE is trying to elevate younger talent. Aliyah was born on November 23, 1994, which means that she is only 27 years old.
Many of the women on the main roster are older than Aliyah, in fact a few of them are already in their mid-thirties. It is true that Aliyah accumulated a lot of losses in NXT, but she is still young enough to wipe that slate clean on the main roster if she is booked well.
8 She's Short
A person's height should not determine their success, and to WWE's credit, they have given plenty of pushes and championships to tall and short women. Aliyah is roughly 5 feet 3 inches tall, which means that she is pretty short, and it really shows when she is in the ring with someone like Shayna Baszler.
There are multiple female wrestlers on the main roster who have never been Women's Champion, and some of them never will be. Aliyah might never win a title of her own, but it will not be because of her small stature.
7 She's Canadian
Aliyah currently lives in Orlando, Florida, but her real home lies further to the north. She was born and raised in Toronto, which happens to be the most populated city in Canada. It also happens to be one of the world's most multicultural cities.
Like Montreal, Toronto possesses a huge wrestling fanbase, and in 2019, it hosted SummerSlam, which turned out to be one of the best pay-per-views to ever take place in Canada. A handful of WWE stars have come out of Canada, and hopefully Aliyah will be next. Canada is a huge wrestling country, and it has hosted some great matches.
6 What Got Her Into Wrestling
Many of the superstars on the main roster started out as fans, and that initial love for the industry is the main reason why they decided to become wrestlers themselves. In 2008, Aliyah was 14, and she attended the May 5th episode of Raw, where she saw Beth Phoenix take on Mickie James.
That match made her want to become a wrestler. She was also inspired by her two favorite wrestlers - Edge and Jeff Hardy. Aliyah got to hang out with Jeff during a backstage segment on SmackDown, which must have been a dream come true.
5 She Was Successful In The Indies
There was a time when WWE mainly signed women who had little to no wrestling experience, but that mindset has thankfully changed. Like several other women on the roster, Aliyah started her career on the independent circuit, and she was actually quite successful.
She debuted with SCW, a Toronto-based promotion, and she went on to appear in a variety of other small North American promotions. She ended up becoming New England Championship Wrestling's Women's Champion, and she also won titles in PWA, GCW, and IPW. These title reigns technically make Aliyah one of the more successful Indie wrestlers that WWE has signed. .
4 Who Trained Her
Aliyah has been with WWE since 2015, which means that she has benefited from the Performance Center, but the facility and its coaches did not need to teach her any fundamentals. She learned how to wrestle by training with Rob Fuego, the same man who helped to train Gail Kim.
She also learned a lot from Taylor Wilde, who is best known for her time with Impact Wrestling. Taylor may not get a lot of credit, but she is still one of the first women to become Knockouts Champion.
3 She Went To Various Schools
Aliyah may have wanted to become a wrestler when she was 14, but she still decided to pursue higher education after graduating from high school in 2012. George Brown College is located in Toronto, and Aliyah attended the school to study nursing.
It is unclear whether or not she earned her degree, but she did attend a circus training school for some time as well. Her nursing experience has had little to no effect on her in-ring work, but the circus training has definitely helped her out.
2 She Loves Horses & Horse Jumping
A lot of wrestlers come from athletic backgrounds, and many of them also love animals, and Aliyah has managed to combine these interests. Aliyah adores horses, and she has one of her own. There are even social media posts that show her horseback riding with Liv Morgan.
Aliyah enjoys riding, but she also enjoys horse jumping, which has been an Olympic sport for more than a century. She is by no means an Olympic horse jumper, but she and her horse are capable of leaping over relatively low obstacles.
1 She Doesn't Seem To Be Seeing Anyone Romantically
Wrestlers are people too, and people eventually find themselves in romantic relationships. Most of the women in WWE are dating, and some are either engaged or married, but Aliyah seems to be one of the only women on the roster who is not currently dating anyone.
Aliyah may be in a relationship, but since there is no evidence on social media, she must be doing a great job of hiding it. Aliyah comes from a very strict and conservative family, and that may be a factor in her current personal life.