A lot has happened since my last column, most notably WWE confirming we will be returning to Saudi Arabia for Crown Jewel in October.
I was ecstatic to hear the announcement and it was funny because I was watching SummerSlam when they showed the video package announcing the show, and my dad was in it. There was a shot of him jumping out of his chair and cheering at the last Saudi event, which I found really funny. I sent him a photo and he replied asking if that meant he was famous now.
It was nice to see, and it was a reminder of how far I have come. My dad is somebody who did not really understand what I was doing as a professional wrestler; he didn’t really view it as a viable career path, or understand that there was a way to be successful in this field for somebody with my cultural and religious background, so it is cool after all these years to see things have worked out.
I’m excited to go back to Saudi Arabia and perform in front of my friends and family, so I can’t wait.
Recently, I’ve developed a tag team partnership with Mustafa Ali on RAW which has been great as he was the first guy to extend his hand when I first joined the company.
At the first Saudi show I was involved in, he would always make sure I knew the lay of the land. He was very helpful and gave me a lot of advice. We’ve gone down a similar path and obviously we share the same faith. We’re two of the few people to represent Islam in WWE; he has a lot of experience with that and he has made sure I’m comfortable.
I was always hoping I would get to work with him, and when I was elevated to RAW, the opportunity presented itself. He had gone through a lot of changes, and his character took a much darker turn. I wasn’t exactly sure how it was going to work and there is a very stark contrast between us; he is very serious and is trying to get things done. He doesn’t really want to have fun, but I’ve managed to get him to crack a smile on a few occasions.
Now that we’re part of a tag team, and an alliance, I’m trying to get him to have fun. That feeling of making people happy, and seeing kids in the crowd rooting for you, is more rewarding than anything else in the world.
Being on RAW has certainly been a learning process. It’s a weekly show and things are so hectic because there are three hours of programming to organize, but every week I feel more comfortable in terms of knowing and being aware of who I am.
We’re now back to having full crowds at events which is huge. Suddenly, things don’t hurt as much. The adrenaline is pumping, you hear more of the crowd and you’re trying to win them over or, in some people’s cases, trying to get them to boo you. All of that influences you as a performer and inspires you to push even harder. I love it, I’m so happy the fans are back and I hope it doesn’t go back to the way it was.
SummerSlam, one of WWE’s biggest events of the year, took place in Las Vegas recently and it was amazing.
It was a huge success and the most-watched SummerSlam in WWE history from what I heard. Over 50,000 fans were there, which is mind-boggling. I haven’t performed in front of a crowd that size since the last event in Saudi and I can’t wait to do it again.
The match between Roman Reigns and John Cena was a textbook example of why we do what we do in terms of crowd investment, pacing and drama. Those matches are the ones I like to study the most because it’s very difficult to have big matches which have a big-fight feel. Cena and Roman are the masters of playing it cool and leaving the crowd wanting more. Then, when they finally give it to them, they go nuts. They were awesome.
Becky Lynch returning was also a huge moment because she has been gone for so long. She was such a marquee star before she left to have her baby and that can really change a person, so I’m really interested to see how she has developed after these big personal events she has been through.
