Remember Aliyah?
The former WWE star was down in developmental for eternity. She signed with WWE in 2015, but didn’t make her main roster debut until 2021. Aliyah didn’t particularly do much down in the black and gold brand, but she did manage to win the WWE Tag Team titles with Raquel Rodriguez on the main roster. They held those belts for 14 days.
Once they dropped those titles, Aliyah wasn’t used much on the main roster. Not surprisingly, she was released from the company in September of 2023. She hasn’t been heard from since. She wrestles sporadically on the independent scene, but according to the former WWE star herself during an interview with PWMania, the best is yet to come for her as she’s not done with professional wrestling.
“I’ve always feel like my best is yet to come, which is why I know I’m not done yet. I’m still too athletic, talented, beautiful, and marketable to retire this young — it just doesn’t make any sense or feel right. Especially when I feel like I’m being pulled / engineered in different directions that don’t align with my goals.
Right now, I’m doing my best to stay true to myself. If I need to pivot strategically and meet people halfway, I’m more than willing. This journey has also shown me I can succeed in other areas and still connect with the audience. My first appearance outside WWE, I DJed — I’d never done it before — and I sold the place out. I had everyone on their feet singing & dancing and I didn’t even have to wrestle to have people show up or react. (And coming from someone who wasn’t spotlighted, wasn’t part of the big storylines, and had more losses than wins. Doesn’t that speak volumes to you guys?) That’s real power and influence. I’ve also competed in show jumping with my horse winning multiple ribbons and championships across all the top shows in Florida. The sky is truly the limit for me.”
Despite her short time on the main roster, Aliyah did set some records. She got the fastest pinfall record in the company’s history back in 2022. On Smackdown, she was the first Arab woman to main event the blue brand. Aliyah was incredibly proud of those moments and hopes that it inspires future generations.
“Making history as the first Arab woman in WWE is incredibly powerful to me. Growing up, I loved watching TV and going to the movies, but I always noticed how rarely Arabs were represented. I always wanted to know why even as a little kid. Today, up-and-coming female wrestlers from similar backgrounds tell me they got into the sport because they saw me do it and knew it was possible. That’s incredibly meaningful if I can inspire others and help them the way past superstars inspired me, I know I’ve done my job right.”
Check out the first part of the full interview where she goes more into depth about her WWE career and her parents' original disapproval of her career choice.