WWE superstar Mansoor signs Raw contract, has debut match against Sheamus

The Saudi-American wrestler signed with the WWE in 2018 and will now compete on the Raw brand

Mansoor faced off against WWE US champion Sheamus in a singles match on WWE Raw. Courtesy WWE

Mansoor has made his WWE Raw debut.

During a segment on the long-running programme on Monday, the Saudi-born wrestler was shown signing his new contract before being interrupted by WWE US champion Sheamus, leading to a singles match later in the night between the two.

Coming out to a theme that also heavily featured the green and white Saudi Arabian flag, Mansoor, 25, seemed to also sport a new wrestling outfit featuring a majestic green-and-gold coat.

Despite the match ending in a disqualification, it’s been viewed as a huge milestone in Mansoor's career. The wrestler signed with the WWE in 2018 after impressing in a tryout in Jeddah.

In the three years since, he's had some impressive moments including winning a 51-man Battle Royal during Super ShowDown in 2019, as well as winning two singles matches against Cesaro and Dolph Ziggler at Crown Jewel in 2019 and Super ShowDown in 2020.

While Mansoor – full name Mansoor Al Shehail – was born in Saudi Arabia, he moved at a young age with his mother to the United States, where he honed his wrestling skills by training under WWE legend Dory Funk Jr.

Even before he attended the open tryout with WWE in Jeddah, Al Shehail had previously worked as an independent wrestler for other smaller organisations in the US.

In a past interview with The National, the WWE superstar named fellow wrestlers Sami Zayn (of Syrian heritage), Mojo Rawley (of Palestinian and Syrian ­heritage) and Ali (of Pakistani and Indian heritage) as inspirations for him when it came to staying true to his identity.

“These guys paved the way for me. It’s like yes, I’m Arab, but that’s not the thing that defines me. It just happens to be something I’m proud of that’s a part of me," he says.

“When I’m wrestling in these NXT shows in Florida and on television, it makes me happy that people can see that I’m just like them,” he adds. “That’s the thing about wrestling that’s so great – no matter where you go, no matter the cultural differences, wrestling is a universal language.”