Shadia Bseiso is no stranger to facing the camera. The 30-year-old television presenter from Jordan has immense experience in hosting live shows and has also made a name for herself as a voiceover artist.
However, the last couple of days have been all about intense training and rigorous workouts as she looks to become the first woman from the Middle East to join the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE).
Shadia was born in Jordan and attended college in Lebanon before moving to Dubai for her career in television. In 2014, she joined Brazilian jiu-jitsu classes and that became her passion. Since then, she has achieved a blue belt in the sport and also added crossfit to her training routine.
“I have been training and competing in Brazilian jiu-jitsu for three years now and that has allowed me to stay in great shape. The WWE tryouts are extremely demanding physically and although the drills are completely different, the Jiu-jitsu training has helped me a lot.”
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Shadia is one of the 40 contestants who are currently competing in Dubai to earn a spot in WWE and she believes that it has been a huge learning curve for her.
“It has been a one-of-a-kind experience for me to attend these tryouts. The WWE coaches are absolutely amazing and I have learnt a lot in the last three days.”
There have been very few wrestlers from the Middle East who have made it big in the WWE. Moreover, no woman from the region has ever wrestled for the company and that is one of the things driving Shadia in her journey to become a pro-wrestler.
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“I want to be the first WWE female superstar from the Middle East and that is something that has motivated me a lot in these tryouts,” she said.
“This will also show the women from this region that nothing is impossible and if you set your mind on achieving something, you can overcome absolutely any obstacle.”
An important part of being a WWE superstar is their skill in front of the camera and Shadia’s experience in the television industry is going to be a huge boost for her.
But she was quick to point out that it is a minor advantage and her talent as a pro-wrestler will be the deciding factor.
“Sometimes, it is better to start from scratch. I hope my experience being in front of TV cameras will help me when we do the promo training but we’ll have to wait and see,” she concluded.
