Following WWE’s extensive releases of talent and staff after the TKO merger, many stories have emerged about the experiences of those who were let go. One of those released was Mansoor, who revealed that he had experienced some tension in the WWE locker room during his tenure with the company.
When Mansoor initially joined WWE, he was the only individual from Saudi Arabia to secure a spot in the company. He made his main roster debut in a 51-man battle royal during Super ShowDown 2019 in his home country, which he won.
During a recent Twitch stream with fellow released talent and partner in Maximum Male Models, Mace, Mansoor shared that he didn’t establish many friendships when he first joined WWE. He recounted an incident during the battle royal where he was singled out as the winner and admitted to feeling a sense of tension in the locker room.
Mansoor explained, “All 51 people in the Battle Royal are in a big room… And Jamie Noble is going over the match, and Heath Slater keeps shouting, ‘Okay, but who’s winning?’, and Jamie’s like, ‘Hold on,’ and then finally, Heath’s like, ‘Who’s winning the damn thing?’ And Jamie’s like, ‘The NXT kid’s winning, okay!?’ And everybody turns to me and looks at me.”
Feeling uncomfortable, Mansoor sought refuge in a separate locker room. It was then that Mustafa Ali confronted him about having “heat” in the locker room, explaining that Mansoor hadn’t introduced himself or greeted anyone.
Mansoor recalled the incident, saying:
“I was really, really sad about that. I was like, ‘Oh my God. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to do that at all. I just thought that’s not what you do here.’ He’s like, ‘Of course it is. Were you not told that?'”
Mansoor also mentioned that he was worried about having heat with Kofi Kingston, a wrestler he admired. Ultimately, he made an effort to improve his interactions with his fellow wrestlers, including shaking everyone’s hand and introducing himself.
