WWE indicators big new Saudi Arabian celebrity – as followers all say the identical factor
Powerlifter Fahad Sahli will wrestle under the ring name Fahd Tuwaiq and becomes the first Saudi Arabian grappler to sign with the WWE since Mansoor in 2018 – and the only one on the current roster
Fahad Sahli will wrestle under the ring name Fahd Tuwai(Image: X)
The WWE’s new Saudi Arabian superstar has been tipped for a huge push by fans after his signing was announced just days before the Royal Rumble is to be held in Riyadh.
Powerlifter Fahad Sahli – who will wrestle under the ring name Fahd Tuwaiq – is the first Saudi grappler signed by the WWE since Mansoor in 2018 and will be the only one on the current roster.
And cynical fans are already expecting a huge push for him as the WWE deepens its ties with the Saudi Government’s ministry of sport, with its flagship event WrestleMania also to be held in the country in 2027.
One fan quipped: “Dude is probably gonna win the world title in his first match.” Another replied: “He’s main eventing WrestleMania 43 [to held in Riyadh] against Chris Jericho for the world title.” Someone else agreed: “We just got our WrestleMania 43 Main Eventer.”
A fourth wrote: “Bro is going to win this Rumble to announce that he will main event next year’s Mania. He will squash Roman, Cody and Punk on Night 1 and Gunther, Breakker and Femi on Night 2.”
Another referenced Bill Goldberg’s 173 match undefeated streak in WCW by joking: “Bro is about to rip through the whole roster and go on a bigger undefeated streak than Goldberg could ever dream of.”
The WWE has yet to confirm the signing, but Saudi official Turki Alalshikh – chairman of the General Entertainment Authority – shared a promotional package on X showcasing the new star.
In the video, Fahd Tuwaiq is seen travelling from Saudi Arabia and training at the WWE’s performance centre in Orlando being put through his paces. He says: “I want to make my country proud and I will do so in WWE.”
Alalshikh wrote on social media: “Our guy that we support in WWE, Fahad Sahli… May Allah grant you success, and I’ve been your fan from now on.”
The WWE has come under fire from some fans for its relationship with the Saudi government and its commitment to the Riyadh Season, a series of high profile sporting and entertainment events hosted in the city between October and March.
In 2018, superstar Daniel Bryan refused to travel to Saudi Arabia for the Crown Jewel event, which came shortly after Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi was murdered and chopped up inside the Saudi embassy in Turkey.
It has also faced allegations of sports washing Saudi’s human rights record. The WWE’s women’s division were initially barred from performing in the first three events. One fan wrote: “WWE would do the MOST to keep the Riyadh Season deal alive.”
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