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).
