Menu
Leagues and Governing Bodies

WWE Signs First Female Performer From Arab World

WWE signed its first female performer from the Arab world on Sunday, "smashing cultural taboos as the U.S.-based pageant seeks to piledrive its way into lucrative foreign markets," according to Noah Browning of REUTERS. Shadia Bseiso, a Jordanian versed in jiu-jitsu, "dreams of encouraging more Arab women to take up sports." She said, "Female athletes are finally getting the credit they deserve. The world is more open to that, and in terms of how the region will react to it, I'm hoping its going to be very positive." While women exercising in public "is rare in the Arab world and the local entertainment industry often relegates them to docile roles, big companies such as Nike have stepped up advertising geared towards female athletes." She now heads to WWE’s Orlando, Florida, training center for "grueling in-ring training" and what WWE calls “character development” -- transformation into one of its "trademark big personalities." She has a Jordan-themed persona in mind, she said, "declining to elaborate" (REUTERS, 10/15).

ANOTHER FIRST: The HINDUSTAN TIMES reported Kavita Devi, a former competitive powerlifter, has become the "first ever Indian woman to be signed" by WWE. Hailing from Haryana, Devi "underwent training to be a professional wrestler under the guidance of The Great Khali (Dalip Singh Rana) at his Punjab based wrestling promotion and training academy." She also has the "distinction of being the first Indian woman to compete in a WWE ring, as she was a featured participant in the Mae Young Classic women's tournament" (HINDUSTAN TIMES, 10/15).

SBJ Morning Buzzcast: March 25, 2024

NFL meeting preview; MLB's opening week ad effort and remembering Peter Angelos.

Big Get Jay Wright, March Madness is upon us and ESPN locks up CFP

On this week’s pod, our Big Get is CBS Sports college basketball analyst Jay Wright. The NCAA Championship-winning coach shares his insight with SBJ’s Austin Karp on key hoops issues and why being well dressed is an important part of his success. Also on the show, Poynter Institute senior writer Tom Jones shares who he has up and who is down in sports media. Later, SBJ’s Ben Portnoy talks the latest on ESPN’s CFP extension and who CBS, TNT Sports and ESPN need to make deep runs in the men’s and women's NCAA basketball tournaments.

SBJ I Factor: Nana-Yaw Asamoah

SBJ I Factor features an interview with AMB Sports and Entertainment Chief Commercial Office Nana-Yaw Asamoah. Asamoah, who moved over to AMBSE last year after 14 years at the NFL, talks with SBJ’s Ben Fischer about how his role model parents and older sisters pushed him to shrive, how the power of lifelong learning fuels successful people, and why AMBSE was an opportunity he could not pass up. Asamoah is 2021 SBJ Forty Under 40 honoree. SBJ I Factor is a monthly podcast offering interviews with sports executives who have been recipients of one of the magazine’s awards.

Shareable URL copied to clipboard!

https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Global/Issues/2017/10/16/Leagues-and-Governing-Bodies/WWE.aspx

Sorry, something went wrong with the copy but here is the link for you.

https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Global/Issues/2017/10/16/Leagues-and-Governing-Bodies/WWE.aspx

CLOSE