Ariya Daivari - WWE Superstar (Cruiserweight Division)

(Photo courtesy of http://www.wwe.com/superstars/ariya-daivari)

1) Ariya Daivari is an Iranian/American professional wrestler for WWE who performs on 205 Live and RAW in the cruiserweight division.

2) Daivari made his main roster debut on RAW in October of 2016 where he lost by submission to Cruiserweight Champion T.J. Perkins.

3) Ariya's finishing moves include the Cobra clutch, Persian Lion Splash (Frog Splash) and a Hammerlock twisted into a short-arm lariat.

D: Who were your favorite wrestlers to watch when you were growing up?

AD: Number one was Triple H. Number two was the Macho Man Randy Savage and number three was The Rock. Those were my favorites growing up.

D's Follow Up: Triple H is good. Macho Man Randy Savage is great. And The Rock is great. My favorites are Aj Styles, Randy Orton and Kane.


J: Did you play any sports while growing up?

AD: In high school I was a wrestler. In 4th grade I started in martial arts and continued on with it. 

J's Follow Up: It makes sense that he's a wrestler because he wrestled in high school. In martial arts you work on skills to defend yourself and strike and in wrestling he does offense and defense too. 

The guys and I had the opportunity to meet WWE superstar Ariya Daivari after his appearance in Chicago on RAW the previous night. Ariya took part in the Miracle on 34th Street Fight with his partners Enzo Amore and Drew Gulak as they faced off against Cedric Alexander, Mustafa Ali and Akira Tozawa. In a hard fought match including the use of presents, Christmas trees, ornaments and more, Cedric Alexander ultimately pinned Enzo Amore for the win.

This was the first time we watched RAW live in person with our entire family. Jen and I gifted the boys the tickets on Christmas morning and they were excited to know that the event was just a few short hours away from starting. We braved the freezing cold temperature and enjoyed watching our favorite superstars for over 3 hours.

Ariya took the time to say hi to Danny and Jordan and answer their questions the following morning. Danny loves to ask athletes about their favorite athletes growing up, so he wanted to know Ariya's favorite wrestlers. We all agree that Triple H, Macho Man and The Rock are three of the greatest wrestlers of all time. My favorites include Mr. Perfect, The Rock, Stone Cold Steve Austin and Roman Reigns. Jordan's favorites include Mick Foley, Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn and Cody Rhodes.

It comes as no surprise to us that Ariya was a wrestler in high school and that he took part in martial arts beginning in the fourth grade. We can see how the skills from martial arts would translate well into professional wrestling. Ariya's brother is also a former WWE professional wrestler, so wrestling runs in the family. 

Thanks to Ariya for meeting with us and taking the time to answer our questions. We wish him the best in the Cruiserweight division and we hope that he can earn an opportunity to compete for the Cruiserweight Championship soon.