It was announced on Sunday that Shadia Bseiso had become the first Arab woman from the Middle East to be signed by the WWE.
Bseiso impressed in an invitation only try-out in April in Dubai and will begin training at the WWE's Performance Centre in Orlando in the United States in January.
Following the news, she spoke to The National about her expectations, her past interest in the WWE, who she would like to work with from the current roster, and the pressure of being a role model for Arab women in the region.
The tryout process
"I was invited to the tryouts in April and myself along with 40 athletes from around the world, Middle East and India. We did four days of back-to-back conditioning drills, indoors and outdoors, in Dubai. We got to learn in-ring drills, wrestling drills, and it was an incredible experience. So that was my tryout experience and after the tryouts, about a month after, I got the call saying 'we want to hire you'."
On finding out the WWE wanted to sign her
"I found out in May. It was the most memorable phone call. I don't think I will ever forget this phone call."
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What she has been up to since May
"I got the opportunity to visit Orlando in July, and I went to the WWE Performance Centre. It is incredible. Seven rings, world class coaches, coaching and acting for the promo parts so it is like going back to university to perfect the arts so hopefully one day be a WWE Superstar. I cannot wait to start training."
Getting in the best physical shape
"The timeline is January 2018. You have to be in the best physical shape possible for an opportunity like this. I am training very hard. I am a I am a three stripe jiu-jitsu blue belt and I also train cross-fit to stay in shape. I have modified my training to be in the best shape possible moving into January. I have been based in Dubai for six years so I feel like it is just enough time from now until January to wrap things up."
WWE is her dream job
"Who doesn't know WWE? I never thought that I would have the opportunity to work for them. As a TV presenter and someone who works in entertainments and has a passion for sport, so this is the dream job as I get to combine sports with entertainment."
Perfect timing for a first Arab female in the WWE
"I feel like it is the perfect timing to have the first Arab female from the Middle East. The foundation has been laid with the amazing talent in the WWE that is already there. Charlotte Flair, Sasha Banks and Bayley starting the women's revolution. But in the wider picture, you also credit the London Olympics where every participating country had to send to a (female) athlete. So as an Arab woman I got to see world class female athletes on the TV for the first time, competing at the highest level. I feel like if I had the opportunity to see that growing up, or if we had that growing up, maybe I would have been an athlete from the start."
On the responsibility of becoming a pioneer for Arab women
"I am absolutely honoured to be the first Arab female from the Middle East to be signed to the WWE. It is a honour but also a big responsibility because you want the region to be proud. I need to work very hard as an athlete and learn and perfect the art to do the region proud."
Who does she want to work with in the WWE
"On the roster right now? There are so many incredible talent there. I wish I had the opportunity to work with Stone Cold Steve Austin. This would have been amazing. Or the Rock, the most electrifying performer, right.
"From the current roster it would be the Bella twins, John Cena, Roman Reigns. From the NXT roster I am looking forward to working with people like Bianca Belair, the Iconic Duo (Billie Kay and Peyton Royce). You can see that I mostly mention the females and it is so cool to have so much female talent and great athletes."
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
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Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
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MATCH INFO
Inter Milan 2 (Vecino 65', Barella 83')
Verona 1 (Verre 19' pen)
The biog
Job: Fitness entrepreneur, body-builder and trainer
Favourite superhero: Batman
Favourite quote: We must become the change we want to see, by Mahatma Gandhi.
Favourite car: Lamborghini
Tips for job-seekers
- Do not submit your application through the Easy Apply button on LinkedIn. Employers receive between 600 and 800 replies for each job advert on the platform. If you are the right fit for a job, connect to a relevant person in the company on LinkedIn and send them a direct message.
- Make sure you are an exact fit for the job advertised. If you are an HR manager with five years’ experience in retail and the job requires a similar candidate with five years’ experience in consumer, you should apply. But if you have no experience in HR, do not apply for the job.
David Mackenzie, founder of recruitment agency Mackenzie Jones Middle East
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
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THE BIO
Mr Al Qassimi is 37 and lives in Dubai
He is a keen drummer and loves gardening
His favourite way to unwind is spending time with his two children and cooking
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4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
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6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
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8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
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Gothia Cup 2025
4,872 matches
1,942 teams
116 pitches
76 nations
26 UAE teams
15 Lebanese teams
2 Kuwaiti teams
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2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, Leon.
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
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UAE SQUAD
Ahmed Raza (Captain), Rohan Mustafa, Jonathan Figy, CP Rizwan, Junaid Siddique, Mohammad Usman, Basil Hameed, Zawar Farid, Vriitya Aravind (WK), Waheed Ahmed, Karthik Meiyappan, Zahoor Khan, Darius D'Silva, Chirag Suri
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Graduated from the American University of Sharjah
She is the eldest of three brothers and two sisters
Has helped solve 15 cases of electric shocks
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Tearful appearance
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Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
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