As WWE prepares for the Greatest Royal Rumble event next Friday in Saudi Arabia, WWE talent scouts and coaching personnel are already in Jeddah, putting sports-entertainment prospects through their paces at a historic WWE tryout.
The four-day camp, WWE’s first ever to be held in Saudi Arabia, got underway today at the King Abdullah Sports City Sports Hall. WWE Performance Center Head Coach Matt Bloom is overseeing the tryout with the assistance of coach Johnny Moss and NXT Superstars Tucker Knight and Dan Matha.
The tryout includes athletes with a diverse range of athletic backgrounds, from combat sports and physique competitions to volleyball and soccer.
“WWE’s short-term goal is to identify a Saudi Arabian talent to represent Saudi Arabia at the Greatest Royal Rumble on April 27, while our long-term goals are to hire Saudi Arabian talent to train at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, and to inspire the youth of Saudi Arabia through fitness and sports-entertainment,” said Canyon Ceman, WWE Vice President of Talent Development.
Among the athletes attending the tryout are 26-year-old Nasser Talal Bawazer, a 6-foot-3, 253-pounder who has won titles in boxing, kickboxing, aikido and MMA; Khalid Alotaibi, a 6-foot, 242-pounder with a background in bodybuilding, football and swimming; 26-year-old Meshel Aiman Hijazi, a 6-foot-3, 240-pounder from Riyadh who has played volleyball and soccer, as well as competed in bodybuilding; and 23-year-old Asaad Omar Al Shareef, a Greco Roman and freestyle wrestler who has also trained in various martial arts.
See highlights from day one below and follow ongoing coverage of the tryout on WWE’s Twitter account throughout the week.
The first session of warmup drills are complete. Conditioning will be important, but the #KSATryout athletes look determined. pic.twitter.com/4tdIgzqtYF
— WWE (@WWE) April 18, 2018
Safety, strength and competition. @NXTMattBloom teaches the #KSATryout athletes about trusting your partner with carry drills. pic.twitter.com/VP1pyEp9I1
— WWE (@WWE) April 18, 2018
Are you coachable? That is something the #KSATryout athletes must prove in Saudi Arabia. pic.twitter.com/iXyrvoHqpy
— WWE (@WWE) April 18, 2018
As we reach the midway point of session 2 of the #KSATryouts, @TuckerKnightWWE and @TheDanMatha get the athletes to work on their introductions. pic.twitter.com/SllNGDOFU4
— WWE (@WWE) April 18, 2018
Day 1 of the #KSATryouts is in the books. Follow along tomorrow for more coverage. pic.twitter.com/X3XfoayikB
— WWE (@WWE) April 18, 2018
Update from the @WWE #KSATryouts in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia: The athletes showed a lot of heart and poise through today’s drills, but tomorrow is a different animal. Day 2 of any tryout has a few people who create separation from the pack. Let’s get it done. #WeAreNXT
— Matt Bloom (@NXTMattBloom) April 18, 2018
The Greatest Royal Rumble streams live on the award-winning WWE Network with a tune-in time of 12 p.m. ET/9 a.m. PT, and with a special, one-hour Greatest Royal Rumble Kickoff starting at 11 a.m. ET/8 a.m. PT. It will be available on pay-per-view outside of the Middle East with regional broadcast information forthcoming.
Article source: WWE.com