Daivari left on good terms

After paying four year's worth of dues on the indie scene, Shawn Daivari had an opportunity to live the dream.

Daivari, 23, saw the world by becoming a World Wrestling Entertainment superstar.

However, after months of being regulated to enhancement talent on WWE's Raw show, he decided to part ways with the company before his contract ended in February.

''We couldn't come to a decision where both parties liked where the character was going to go,'' said Daivari, who gained notoriety as the obnoxious manager of Muhammad Hassan, a controversial Middle-Eastern character based on the stereotypes of 9/11.

``I told Vince [McMahon], Stephanie [McMahon] and John Laurinaitis [head of talent]. They were extremely happy that I was upfront and honest with them because a lot of times these guys drag out their contract negotiations forever. Eventually, their contracts are up the next day, and then they say they're not signing.

``It was a positive experience when I left because Vince said he would be more than happy to have me back, if I wanted to come back. Johnny said I was a great hand to have and would be welcomed back on the team.''

Growing up in a wrestling hotbed, Minneapolis, Daivari dreamed of pro wrestling stardom. That area gave birth to Ric Flair, Jesse 'the Body' Ventura, Verne Gagne, Bobby the Brain Heenan, Nick Bockwinkel, Curt Hennig, Rick Rude and countless others.

Weighing 120 pounds, Daivari marveled at men like Shawn Michaels and fellow Twin Cities native Sean Waltman (X-Pac).

''The thing that really made me think I could do it was right around the late 1990s, when people stopped looking like cartoon characters and looked more like normal human beings,'' said Daivari, who began training with legend Eddie Sharkey.

``There were a lot of guys who were under 6-feet tall and very athletic but not the grotesque bodybuilder look with crazy hair and face paint and everything. When I saw stuff like that, I thought this is something I could do, if I worked really hard at it.''

His parents, who migrated to America from Iran in the 1970s, thought it was nothing more than a phase and the then 16-year-old would grow out of it. After he started driving hundreds of miles to work for $25 a pop in front of a handful of fans, they began to think otherwise.

Daivari continued to hone his craft and clawed his way to bigger shows including Ring of Honor. In 2003, the determined competitor even made appearances for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling.

''It was the second biggest place to work,'' said Daivari, who was involved in a TNA match against current WWE superstar Mr. Kennedy. ``I was trying to go there and get a job, but at that time, I don't think they had an idea like they do today of what their product was.

``They really couldn't commit to their own guys, let alone a guy coming in for a tryout. I think today the company has direction. Today, they have a regular program, a regular pay-per-view schedule, a regular roster of guys who are figured into the program. They know what holes to fill. I don't know if all that was around in 2003.

``To say it's the same company as when I was there is comparing apples to oranges.''

He also wrestled at the ECWA Super 8 in Delaware, a showcase of the top indie talent. He then landed dark matches with Tommy Dreamer, Stevie Richards and Rodney Mack, leading to an opportunity with WWE in 2004.

Immediately thrust in the mix with Hassan, he made a smooth transition into a managerial role, under the tutelage of manager extraordinaire Sheik Adnan El Kassey.

Racial stereotypes have played a part in pro wresting for quite some time. Daivari and Hassan learned firsthand.

''Growing up I never felt like a black person, an Asian or Mexican living in the United States,'' said Daivari. ``I felt like a normal white guy. After 9/11, I started noticing people were eyeballing me and treating me kind of funny. I was thinking, `Wow, I am a minority.'

``It was the perfect way of taking that aspect of how my life was changing and putting it into the wrestling business with this character on WWE television. A guy, who after 9/11 was angry and bitter that Americans treated him differently, and he had nothing to do with it.''

Daivari and Hassan became one of the featured attractions on WWE SmackDown!, but the angle caused a number of red flags for UPN network executives who felt uncomfortable.

Despite the success of the characters and their interaction with many of the greats including Hulk Hogan and the Undertaker, WWE removed the two from television during the summer 2005.

''I still don't know where the power lies or what decisions were made that brought an end to all that,'' said Daivari. ``In my experience with big corporate America type things, it's usually one person or one tiny group that kind of spoils it for everybody.

``All it takes is for one person to send a letter to UPN or whoever and say they were disgusted by this. You have the guy who receives this and has to justify his paycheck and do something about it. Then 99.9 percent of the time the decisions do more bad than good, but they felt forced to react.''

Daivari thinks much of the same concerning the media storm from the Chris Benoit tragedy and the scrutiny of WWE's Wellness Policy.

''The Benoit thing was utter confusion, and nobody could figure out what happened,'' said Daivari. ``The steroid scandal was the media reacting to what's hot. It's certain people making noise and making waves, and a company has to react. If they don't, it seems that they're doing nothing.''

While Hassan left the company before he could be repackaged for television, Daivari remained. He served as the mouthpiece for Kurt Angle, Mark Henry and the Great Khali. Daivari became known more for his managerial services than his in-ring ability.

''I took it as a big compliment from the office because usually the role I was in was getting someone ready for bigger or better things as a bad guy,'' said Daivari. ``They needed the most hated person on the show to make the partner guilty by association.

'Kurt Angle became so popular with the fans that people started to cheer for him, even though he was the bad guy. So they said, `Let's put Daivari with him, the most hated guy on the show,' and it worked.

``Mark Henry had been out for six or seven months, and I was someone they had to get a lot of steam behind right away.

``With Khali, they didn't have the luxury of introducing him with weeks and months of television time to build him up. They needed him in the main event in one week. They put me with him to get him ready for the top of the card. If I had a preference, it would be wrestling over managing, but to have the office have that much faith in me was a huge pat on the back.''

WWE never really gave Daivari's character any direction after he began wrestling. For much of the year, he lost all his matches. It became apparent Daivari was ready for change.

He is currently awaiting the end of his 90-day no-compete clause to explore other options.

TNA?

''I think if it's something that's beneficial to Shawn Daivari and to TNA, then I think it would be crazy not to do that,'' he said.

``The top of my resumé says professional wrestler. So wherever I can contribute and give something to the audience that watches the show, then I think I would definitely be interested.''