The WWE are holding tryouts in Dubai tomorrow
Could the next pro-wrestling superstar be Emirati?
Have you ever dreamed of conquering the squared circle, tens-of-thousands of fans chanting your name, then get ready for that dream to potentially come true as the WWE announced today that it will be holding auditions in Dubai tomorrow.
Dubbed ‘TryOuts’, the auditions will run for three days between April 26-28 at the Dubai Opera House (ooh, fancy).
WWE scouts will be in town searching for potential new regional talent to add to its diverse roster of elite performers.
A select group of over 40 men and women – including two Emirati contestants – from the Middle East and India will be given the chance to showcase their abilities in the hopes of being recruited to begin training at the sate-of-the-art WWE Performance Center in the United States.
“WWE is dedicated to finding the most talented athletes and entertainers from around the world,” said Paul “Triple H” Levesque, WWE Executive Vice President, Talent, Live Events and Creative. “Not only are the Middle East and India important markets to grow our business and reach new fans, but they are also key regions from which to recruit premier athletes who want to pursue the dream of becoming a WWE Superstar.”
Could the next WWE Superstar really be from Dubai?
It’s totally possible. In 2015 we reported on 17-year-old Gheeda Chamasaddine, the first female wrestler in the Arab world.
Going by the stage-name Joelle Hunter, she is part of Dubai’s Pro Wrestling Academy, a 20-strong group of wrestling enthusiasts, made up of Emiratis, Indians, Europeans and others from around the region.
The organisation hosts regular live events and a ‘Wrestling Summer Camp’ for both kids and adults to help promote the sport.
Speaking to ESPN.com, William Regal, head scout, WWE talent development outlined what he is looking for in potential new recruits when here in Dubai: “There’s no easy answer, but you want the physical attributes to be able to do it. Over a few days you learn a lot about people and whether they’ve got the kind of temperament that you need to do what we do in this day and age. You find a lot out about people when they’re blowing up, as we say, gasping for air, and if they can still hold conversations and be polite. Also, they’ve got to have some kind of charisma, because you can have 10 gold medals hanging ’round your neck, [but] if you’ve got no charisma at all, you’re just absolutely worthless to what we do.”
Hopefuls like Gheeda and others from the DPW Academy will no doubt be lining up tomorrow for a chance to impress the WWE scouts.