WWE to hold largest talent tryout in Saudi Arabia
WWE today announced that it will return to Saudi Arabia in search of the next generation of Superstars by holding an open talent tryout in Riyadh. The four-day tryout in early June will give up to 50 athletes from Saudi Arabia the opportunity to showcase their abilities with the goal of earning a WWE Talent Development contract and training fulltime.
“We are excited to return to Saudi Arabia following the success of our first tryout in 2018 where we recruited a variety of elite athletes from the Middle East, including standout talent Mansoor, who has already played a meaningful role in various WWE events in Saudi Arabia,” said Paul “Triple H” Levesque, WWE Executive Vice President, Talent, Live Events & Creative. “I have a message for every athlete and performer in Saudi Arabia who has a dream of becoming a WWE Superstar: WWE is coming to Riyadh to help you make that happen. This is your chance to take an opportunity and one day you could be walking down the ramp as a WWE Superstar while thousands of fans chant your name.”
Beginning today, the official WWE recruitment website at www.wweperformancecenter.com is available in Arabic. Tailored to athletes who are interested in pursuing a career in sports-entertainment, the website features information about the WWE recruitment process and provides a detailed look at what day-to-day life is like for members of the WWE Performance Center roster.
The online hub includes step-by-step instructions on how to apply for the tryout, as well as access to the official application form; an overview of the many resources available to WWE Performance Center recruits, from professional development and life-skills services, to in-ring training and on-site medical care; photos of the entire Performance Center roster; biographies of the WWE PC’s industry-leading coaching staff; testimonials from Raw and SmackDown Superstars; and videos from past tryouts, both those held at the Performance Center and internationally.
The first WWE talent tryout in Jeddah in April 2018 resulted in three participants signing WWE Developmental Contracts. Today, Mansoor, Faisal Kurdi and Hussain Al Dagal are training fulltime at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida, U.S. Mansoor won the first-ever 50-Man Battle Royal at WWE Super ShowDown in Jeddah last June.
The tryout in Riyadh is the latest example of WWE’s global talent recruiting efforts. In recent years, WWE has scouted rugby and soccer players from Europe, kabaddi and kushti athletes from India, and martial artists and boxers from China. WWE has held similar tryouts in London, Dubai, Tokyo, Jeddah, Cologne, Santiago and Mumbai.
WWE Super ShowDown takes place Thursday, Feb. 27 at 12 p.m. ET / 8 p.m. AST and features:
WWE Champion Brock Lesnar vs. Ricochet
Universal Champion “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt vs. Goldberg
Roman Reigns vs. King Corbin in a Steel Cage Match
SmackDown Tag Team Champions The New Day vs. The Miz & John Morrison
AJ Styles vs. Bobby Lashley vs. Rusev vs. R-Truth vs. Erick Rowan vs. United States Champion Andrade in the first-ever Tuwaiq Trophy Gauntlet Match
Women’s SmackDown Champion Bayley vs. either Carmella or Naomi
Additional matches and regional broadcast information will be announced in the coming weeks.
