Introduction
Ariya Daivari (born April 11, 1989) is an Iranian-American professional wrestler signed to WWE, performing on 205 Live and Raw in the cruiserweight division.
Professional wrestling career
Independent circuit (2006–2016)
After a high school background in Tae Kwon Do and amateur wrestling, Ariya was trained in professional wrestling by Shawn Daivari and fellow wrestler Arik Cannon. He also trained with former WWE performers Shelton Benjamin and Ken Anderson. His debut match was at a Midwest Pro Wrestling Academy event on September 26, 2006, held at the First Avenue nightclub. Until his WWE debut in 2016, he performed in promotions across the United States, including Ring of Honor , Global Force Wrestling, and Total Nonstop Action's India project Ring Ka King.
WWE
Cruiserweight division (2016–present)
Daivari's first experience with the WWE was wrestling in a non-televised match for WWE SmackDown at the Target Center in 2013. The following year he participated in a tryout at the WWE Performance Center. On June 13, 2016, Daivari was announced as a competitor in the WWE Cruiserweight Classic. On June 23, 2016, Daivari was eliminated from the tournament in his first round match by Ho Ho Lun.
On the October 10, 2016 episode of Raw, Daivari made his main roster debut as part of the cruiserweight division on Raw, losing by submission to the Cruiserweight Champion T.J. Perkins. On the Hell in a Cell pre-show, Daivari teamed with Tony Nese and Drew Gulak in a losing effort to Cedric Alexander, Lince Dorado and Sin Cara. On the Survivor Series pre-show, Daivari, Nese and Gulak were defeated by TJ Perkins, Rich Swann and Noam Dar. He then started a feud with "Gentleman" Jack Gallagher, which ended in an "I Forfeit" match, which he lost.
Personal life
Daivari attended Wayzata High School in Plymouth, Minnesota. He is Iranian-American and speaks Persian fluently, which he often incorporates into his performances. His older brother, Dara, is also a professional wrestler, mostly known for his time in WWE as Khosrow Daivari (then shortened to Daivari).
In wrestling
- Finishing moves
- Cobra clutch, sometimes while seated – 2017–present
- Persian Lion Splash (Frog splash)
- Magic Carpet Ride (Diving splash while holding a Persian rug) - Independent circuit
- Hammerlock twisted into a short-arm lariat - 2017-present
- Signature moves
- Camel clutch
- Powerslam
- Spinebuster
- Nicknames
- "Persian Lion"
- Entrance themes
- "Crash Hand" by Cruel Hand
- "Persian Storm" by APM Music (WWE; June 13, 2016–November 22, 2016)
- "Magic Carpet Ride" by CFO$ (WWE; November 29, 2016–present)
Championships and accomplishments
- American Wrestling Federation
- AWF Heavyweight Championship (2 times)
- F1RST Wrestling
- F1RST Wrestlepalooza Championship (1 time)
- Heavy on Wrestling
- HOW Undisputed Championship (1 time)
- Insane Championship Wrestling
- ICW Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Shawn Daivari
- National Wrestling Alliance Midwest
- NWA Midwest X-Division Championship (1 time)
- National Wrestling Alliance Wisconsin
- NWA Wisconsin Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Dysfunction
- Pro Wrestling Illustrated
- PWI ranked him #280 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 2016