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Shawn Daivari (born April 30, 1984 in Tehran, Iran) is better known by his stage names of Khosrow Daivari or simply Daivari. He is a Persian-American professional wrestler and manager who is best known for performing for World Wrestling Entertainment as the former manager for Muhammad Hassan, Kurt Angle, and Mark Henry, and the current manager of The Great Khali on the Smackdown! brand.
Daivari's hallmark is his creative and insulting microphone antics. Daivari, who is of Persian descent, usually speaks Persian during matches. After losing the anti-American gimmick and aligning himself with Henry, Daivari would no longer rant in Persian, but in English. On-screen, Daivari is referred to as being Arab-American and his speech as being in Arabic. Although it is claimed that his on-screen given name "Khosrow" is a tribute to The Iron Sheik (whose real name is Khosrow Vaziri), it is in fact named after his own father.
WWE career
Daivari made his WWE debut on December 13, 2004, on WWE RAW alongside Muhammad Hassan. Their gimmick was that of two Arab-Americans who were tired of the prejudice and racism they were receiving after the 9/11 attacks. In the weeks leading up to their debut, the two men would appear on Raw in vignettes promoting their hatred towards America. In the following weeks, they would both up their words with actions, initiating a feud with Raw announcers Jim Ross and Jerry "The King" Lawler.
At WrestleMania 21 on April 3, 2005, Daivari and Hassan were involved in a storyline with returning WWE legend Hulk Hogan. While attacking injured wrestler Eugene, Hogan made his classic entrance and ejected both men from the ring to the delight of fans in attendance.
The following night on RAW, Daivari and Hassan interrupted Shawn Michaels during a promo. The two attacked Michaels and left him helpless in the ring. This led to Daivari's first singles match in WWE, on the April 11 edition of RAW. Although Michaels was heavily favored, Daivari displayed excellent ring skill and, with help from Hassan, got the upset win. Enraged, Michaels demanded a match against both Daivari and Hassan. RAW General Manager Eric Bischoff refused to grant a handicap match but instead ordered Michaels to find a partner. That partner turned out to be Daivari and Hassan's Wrestlemania foe Hulk Hogan.
On the April 18, 2005 episode of RAW, Michaels was once again double teamed by Daivari and Hassan until Hogan appeared to make the save. Hogan accepted Michaels' offer to tag and the match was set for the Backlash pay per view on May 1, 2005. At Backlash, Hogan and Michaels picked up the win which led to friction between the two since Hassan blamed Daivari for the loss. The next night on RAW, Hassan verbally and physically attacked Daivari leaving their future as a team in question.
Both Daivari and Hassan were later drafted to SmackDown! on June 23, 2005 as part of a package deal. On the July 7, 2005 episode of SmackDown!, GM Theodore Long put Daivari in a match that night against The Undertaker, and Muhammad Hassan in a match against The Undertaker at the Great American Bash. Daivari was squashed easily in that match, after which Hassan began to pray on the ramp, summoning five masked men to the ring. The masked men beat and strangled the Undertaker into submission, and Hassan put him in the Camel Clutch. Afterward, the masked men carried Daivari off like a martyr. The controversial imagery aired unedited in America and Canada despite the terrorist attacks in London earlier that day, but was removed from the Australian and UK broadcasts.
In late-July, UPN ordered WWE to keep Muhammad Hassan off of their network, effectively removing him from SmackDown! At The Great American Bash 2005, after Hassan lost in a match with The Undertaker, Hassan was given the Last Ride through an open stage ramp onto a concrete floor where it was reported that he sustained serious injuries and had to be rushed to a nearby medical facility; this was likely an angle aimed to "kill off" the character.
Daivari reported to WWE's Deep South territory for training and repackaging. He returned from Deep South and, after working in Minneapolis, made his debut in September 2005 on OVW TV returning as his "Sheik" Daivari persona.
On November 7, 2005, Daivari returned to RAW, acting as special guest referee in the tag team match between Shawn Michaels and John Cena vs. Kurt Angle and Chris Masters. During the match, Daivari favored Angle and Masters, who won the match via disqualification when Michaels was caught with a chair Angle brought in.
On November 21, 2005, Kurt Angle announced that Daivari will be the referee for all his future matches, including his match vs. WWE Champion John Cena for the title at the 2005 Survivor Series. Mr. McMahon rescinded that at the kangaroo court trial of Eric Bischoff on RAW on December 5, 2005. Daivari remained aligned with Kurt Angle as his manager.
On January 10, 2006, at a taping of WWE Friday Night SmackDown!, Angle and Daivari jumped to SmackDown!, where Angle won the World Heavyweight Championship the very same night. Angle later revealed that his contract on RAW had expired, which allowed them to switch brands. However, Angle would already be signed to face Shawn Michaels on RAW. This non-title match went ahead, but Daivari would accidentally cost Kurt Angle the match against Michaels. An enraged Kurt Angle Angle Slammed Daivari over the ropes and down to the floor on the outside of the ring. During the break on WWE.com Unlimited, Angle made it known that Daivari's services were no longer needed.
A short time later, Daivari faced his former client in a match. During the match, Mark Henry, the number one contender for Angle's title, attacked Angle. After the match, Daivari officially announced that he was now managing Henry and continued to manage Henry during his feud with The Undertaker. However, Daivari would disappear off television in the weeks leading up to WrestleMania 22 when, at WWE's Saturday Night Main Event, Daivari suffered a chokeslam and Tombstone Piledriver at the hands of The Undertaker onto the lid of a casket. On the April 7, 2006 edition of SmackDown!, Daivari would make his return bringing in the debuting Great Khali to attack The Undertaker during his match with Mark Henry. The next week, Daivari officially presented him to the crowd, hyping him as an unstoppable monster. Over the following weeks, Daivari would accompany Khali to the ring as he destroyed various Smackdown! superstars. This would all lead up to a match with The Undertaker at WWE Judgment Day on May 21, 2006, which Khali would end up winning. Daivari and Khali appeared as guests on Piper's Pit on the June 2, 2006 edition of Smackdown!, in which Piper made fun of Khali, who supposedly can't speak English. Eventually Piper stood on the bottom rope, attempting to match height with Khali, he managed to say: If this was twenty years ago, before Khali grabbed him by the throat. Daivari made Khali put Piper down and straitened Piper's jacket disrespectfully, Piper slapped Daivari, but was then given a chop by Khali. The Undertaker was the original guest on the Pit, but he declined the invitation a few days before.
Currently Daivari continues to acompany The Great Khali to the ring while Khali decimates other wrestlers, not usually in sanctioned matches.
In wrestling
- Finishing and signature moves
- The Magic Carpet Ride (Splash off the top rope while holding a carpet underneath himself)
- Scimitar (Diving leg drop)
- Death Valley driver
- Wrestlers managed by Daivari
Trivia
- Had his first pro match at age 15.
- Grew up admiring Mick Foley and Bret Hart
- Appeared on the Jenny Jones show with his brother.
- His character seems to bare a grudge against The Undertaker because he has now managed three different people who all have tired to destroy "The Legend" of The Undertaker.
External links
1984 births | American professional wrestlers | Iranian Americans | Iranian professional wrestlers | Living people | Muslim Americans | People from Minneapolis, Minnesota | Professional wrestling managers and valets
"Shawn Daivari"