I've had nights where it's very obvious that I'm the good guy, but I'm still booed, and you can kind of make a checklist about reasons why they're booing me, and one of the evident ones is because of my name and where I'm from.
Embrace your colour, heritage, whatever you want, but don't let it confine you. Just live without labels.
The whole idea of 'Secret Life of Muslims' is that we're just ordinary people. We're your neighbors; we're your coworkers. We like coffee, you know? We're everyday normal people with hopes and aspirations and fears.
There wasn't a defining moment or match or even a person that made me want to wrestle. It all just sort of happened. Kind of like puberty.
If you ever dissect '205,' take a hard look at it, it's always been a fantastic show. Regardless of what's been going on, the wrestling has been the best not only in the company but on the planet. The only critique, if you really dissect it, is that the crowd isn't into it; the crowd doesn't care.
I think it's something much bigger than just pro wrestling and the industry I work in. It's across all media. You look at Hollywood movies: there's not the Muslim hero or the guy who looks like me and has a name like mine who is portrayed in a positive manner or in a leading role. So, growing up, I didn't have a role model that looks like me.
My dad is really the reason I have this hard work ethic. I can fully remember him leaving home at 5 o'clock in the morning and not coming back until midnight.
The way '205 Live' came about, there was a lot of trust put into our roster. Because if you look at it, the majority of our roster had not been in the developmental system and NXT. And the majority of us had not been on TV prior to that. So for WWE to trust us and literally hire us and throw us on live TV, it was very, 'Whoa!'
I do this maneuver, my finishing maneuver. It's called the 054, and it's a 450 splash, but it's going backwards. I know my opponents aren't going to be thrilled to hear this, but I don't know what I'm doing up there. I literally close my eyes, and I just jump, and my body just takes over, and thankfully I haven't hurt anybody.
One of the funny lines that Daniel Bryan said in a promo is that he made fun of me for driving in an SUV, and he asked why such a small man like myself needs to drive an SUV, but we're standing literally eye to eye, and I'm like, 'Ummm.'
If anything, who I am and my background helped propel me and helped me stand out.
At a young age, I was very aware I was different and not perceived in a good way. For a lot of my adolescence, I struggled with that, trying to identify where I belong and who my real friends are.
I will always rep '205 Live.' I will always support '205 Live.' I will always be the heart of '205 Live.' I will always be watching because you will never know when the heart of '205 Live' will beat again.
It took me 16 years to get to the WWE. And the reason for that is that I did it - I don't want to call it the responsible way, but I'm going to call it the responsible way. I went to school, I worked multiple jobs, and yeah, I chased my dream.
I still hold that pen; I still write my own story. So it's going to take a whole lot more than Samoa Joe running me over. And it's going to take more than Randy Orton kicking my face in. It's going to take more than Erick Rowan slamming my head through a table. You guys keep trying to put me down, but I will not stay down.
