Ariya Daivari Receives Death Threats After WWE Greatest Royal Rumble Segment
Cruiserweight star issues statement on Twitter.
WWE star Ariya Daivari has been forced to apologise for his role at Greatest Royal Rumble after receiving death threats online.
Alongside brother Shawn, Daivari featured in an in-ring segment on Friday's show, which took place in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The duo drew heat from the local crowd by confronting a group of Saudi wrestlers while waving the Iranian flag - an allusion to real-life geopolitical tensions.
In a statement posted to Twitter last night, the 29-year-old sought to remind fans that the views expressed by his on-screen alter-ego don't necessarily coincide with his own.
"During an appearance this past Friday, I portrayed a fictional character and played the role of an antagonist, no different to what other actors would do in a movie or TV show," he wrote. "That character does not reflect my personal views and I apologise to anyone that may have been offended by the skit. I have incredible amount of respect for the great people of Iran and I am very proud of my Iranian heritage."
Responding to a fan a few minutes later, Daivari revealed that threatening messages had been sent to him in the aftermath of the show. "Unfortunately some people took offence to this despite it being pure entertainment," he explained. "Some threats were made against my life."