WWE star Aliyah reveals that her parents did not want her to pursue a wrestling career

WWE SmackDown Superstar Aliyah has revealed that her parents were not initially supportive of her pursuing a wrestling career.

She recently spoke to Al Jazeera about several topics, including being the first Arab woman to compete in the main event of SmackDown. The 27-year-old explained that she watched wrestling growing up and didn't see anyone that looked like her. Now, she hopes to set an example and inspire other Arab females to pursue a career in professional wrestling.

Aliyah revealed that her parents initially opposed her to wrestling and she used to hide it from them.

“The first time I told them, they were like ‘No!’ At first they weren’t supportive at all. So I had to hide it from them. I would tell them I was going to my part-time job but I would take the subway across town and I would train at this warehouse". h/t to Al Jazeera

Her family eventually found out about her training to become a wrestler when they found her gear in a backpack. Eventually, her parents accepted the decision and are now her biggest supporters.

“My parents discovered knee pads and training shoes in my backpack and were like, "What is this?". They even showed up to my ‘job’ and I wasn’t there, so it was a red flag for them.” h/t to Al Jazeera

“Growing up I'd watch wrestling & didn’t really see anyone that looked like me or someone that was Arabic."

#WWE's Canadian-Iraqi-Syrian Wrestler Aliyah tells Al Jazeera how she plans to be a Trailblazer in the Middle East.

🎥 Full Story: aje.io/dnptch @WWE_Aliyah https://t.co/f23MqwGS8c

What is Aliyah up to in WWE?

She signed with WWE back in 2015, and spent years in NXT before making her main roster debut on the November 5, 2021 episode of SmackDown. She briefly appeared in a backstage segment with Jeff Hardy and Sami Zayn.

The SmackDown star set a new record for the fastest victory ever in WWE by defeating Natalya in 3.17 seconds on the January 14th edition of SmackDown. She was scheduled to face Shotzi last Friday in a Money in the Bank qualifying match but was replaced by Tamina Snuka due to an injury.

Shotzi went on to win the match and qualify for the Women's Money in the Bank ladder match on July 2nd. Dave Meltzer recently reported on Wrestling Observer Radio that Aliyah was pulled from the match because she was hurt, but the nature of the injury remains unknown.

Aliyah now joins WWE stars Cody Rhodes, Randy Orton, and Rhea Ripley on the injury list. With Money in the Bank less than a week away, we took a look at a few superstars that could be added to the women's ladder match and you can check that out here.