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Sometimes WWE changes some personal information of its wrestlers to fit their on-screen personas, including their places of birth.
A known example is Kofi Kingston, who was born in Ghana and now resides in Texas. WWE first introduced him to the WWE Universe as a Jamaican superstar. However, he later dropped the gimmick and the Jamaican accent as WWE recognized him as a Ghanaian.
Like Kingston, five current WWE Superstars were born far away from the cities and countries WWE says they come from. Some refer to the cities they grew up in as their hometowns. Others use their parents' birthplaces as their own as part of their gimmicks.
Here are five current WWE Superstars and their real places of birth.
#5. WWE Superstar Jinder Mahal
Although former WWE Champion Jinder Mahal is being billed from Punjab, India, he was born elsewhere.
Mahal is of Indian Punjabi descent and is referred to in WWE as the Modern-Day Maharaja. He also speaks with an Indian accent. However, he was born in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
The 35-year-old, who comes from a wrestling family, grew up in Calgary. He graduated from the University of Calgary and started his pro wrestling training at the Martial Arts Fitness Center. He moved to the United States after signing a developmental contract with WWE in 2010. Mahal now resides in Tampa, Florida.
Mahal has not competed regularly in WWE in the past year. He recently returned to Monday Night RAW and went into a feud with his former friend and 3MB teammate Drew McIntyre. The two superstars squared off on the July 5 episode. The Scottish Warrior won the match via disqualification after Shanky and Veer interfered and attacked him.
The Modern-Day Maharaja added more heat to his feud with McIntyre last Monday. During a two-on-one handicap match between The Scottish Warrior and Veer & Shanky, Mahal interfered, hitting McIntyre with a chair.
Veer and Shanky also brought chairs to the ring after the match, preparing for a three-on-one ambush. However, McIntyre quickly brought in his sword to successfully fend off the attack.
#4. WWE Intercontinental Champion Apollo Crews
Apollo Crews debuted a new character in WWE earlier this year, referring to himself as Nigerian royalty. The former United States Champion is now being billed from Benue State, Nigeria, his parents' real hometown.
Although the WWE Superstar is really of Nigerian descent, he was not born in Nigeria. The 33-year-old was born in Sacramento, California, and grew up in Georgia. He now resides in Orlando, Florida.
Following his character change, the former United States Champion has adopted a new accent and walks to the ring holding a spear. He also started chasing the Intercontinental Championship.
Despite failing in his first attempt at Fastlane, the 33-year-old defeated Big E in a Nigerian Drum Fight at WrestleMania 37 to capture the Intercontinental Title. Since then, Apollo Crews has successfully defended his title a few times. He defeated Big E, Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn in a Fatal Four-Way on SmackDown last May. He also defeated Kevin Owens in June.
Last Friday, Crews teamed up with Dolph Ziggler and Robert Roode to take on Big E, Cesaro and Shinsuke Nakamura but came up short.
#3. WWE Superstar Commander Azeez
Following his character change, Intercontinental Champion Apollo Crews introduced Commander Azeez to the WWE Universe. Crews explained that Azeez is a former member of the Nigerian Elite Guard who will be serving as his bodyguard.
Commander Azeez is of Nigerian descent like Crews. His father is Nigerian, while his mother is Polish. Azeez was not born in Nigeria and was never a member of the Nigerian Elite Guard. He was born in the town of Oleśnica in Poland.
The 32-year-old superstar played professional football before joining WWE in 2016. He had his first WWE match in 2016, competing in a Battle Royal at an NXT house show.
In August 2020, Azeez started competing on RAW Underground under the name Dabba-Kato. Despite winning four out of the five matches he had on RAW Underground, the 32-year-old soon disappeared. After a six month absence, Azeez returned to WWE television in his new role as Apollo Crews' bodyguard.
Since joining forces with Crews, Commander Azeez has competed in two matches on SmackDown. On the June 18 episode, he teamed up with the Intercontinental Champion to defeat Big E and Kevin Owens in a tag team match. The Polish superstar also participated in a dark Battle Royal on July 16th.
#2. WWE Superstar Toni Storm
Toni Storm first appeared in WWE in 2017 when she participated in the Mae Young Classic. Although she was eliminated from the semifinals, she returned the following year to win the tournament.
Storm has excelled on NXT UK and NXT, winning the NXT UK Women's Championship in January 2019.
Since her debut in WWE, the 25-year-old is billed from the Gold Coast, Queensland in Australia. However, she was born in a different country.
Storm was born in Auckland, New Zealand. The former WWE NXT UK Women's Champion was four when she moved to Australia with her mother following her parents' separation.
Toni Storm recently joined SmackDown coming from NXT. She made her debut on the blue brand last Friday and went one-on-one with Zelina Vega. The 25-year-old emerged victorious in her first match on the main roster.
It will be interesting to see if Storm will enter the SmackDown Women's Championship title picture soon. Before joining SmackDown, she attempted to capture the NXT Women's Championship four times but failed. She now hopes to have better luck with the women's title on the blue brand.
#1. WWE Superstar Nia Jax
Whenever she walks to the ring, WWE Superstar Nia Jax is billed from San Diego, California. However, she was born far away from there.
Jax was born in Sydney, Australia. A few years later, she moved to Hawaii alongside her parents. The 37-year-old then moved to California, where she went to high school and college.
The Irresistible Force comes from the famous Samoan Anoa'i family. Her cousins include The Rock, Roman Reigns and The Usos. Jax has been in WWE since 2014 and has had several accomplishments. The 37-year-old is a former RAW Women's Champion and two-time WWE Women's Tag Team Champion.
Jax and her partner Shayna Baszler lost their Women's Tag Team Championships to Natalya and Tamina on SmackDown last May. Since then, they have tried to recapture the titles, but to no avail.
The Irresistible Force suffered a defeat against Rhea Ripley last Monday on RAW. Following the match, Jax got into a heated argument with Baszler. As Baszler left the ring, Ripley attacked Jax again, making a statement before facing Charlotte Flair and Nikki A.S.H at SummerSlam for the RAW Women's Title.
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