What’s the story?
Former WWE Superstar Shawn Daivari recently spoke about the offer he declined from Vince and Stephanie McMahon.
In an appearance on the Wrestlinginc podcast, Daivari revealed that he was offered the opportunity to portray an over-the-top American patriot, with his character being named as ‘George Bush. Needless to say, he turned down this proposal.
In case you didn’t know...
Shawn Daivari performed for the WWE from 2004-07, with the initial phase of his run with the promotion, seeing him portray a stereotypical Arab man who hated America. He managed several wrestlers such as Muhammad Hassan, Great Khali and Mark Henry.
The heart of the matter:
Upon being offered the chance to portray the character George Bush on WWE TV, Daivari reportedly turned down the role. Here’s what the 33-year-old had to say regarding the same:
“No, it was Vince’s idea. Stephanie’s the one who pitched it to me and I said it was a f***ing horrible idea.”
Furthermore, Daivari explained that following his rejection of the offer, Stephanie McMahon agreed with his take of the ‘George Bush’ gimmick being a bad idea. He added:
“It’s kind of like one of the things where the machine is moving so fast it’s like you just throw sh*t at the wall. You don’t have time to look at what sticks.”
What’s next?
Shawn Daivari presently performs on the indie circuit, while his younger brother Ariya Daivari competes in the WWE Cruiserweight division. However, it is unlikely that they will cross paths in the world’s largest wrestling promotion.
Author’s take
Shawn’s run with WWE could’ve possibly been extended for good with a better gimmick, in my opinion.
Nevertheless, the talented star now runs The Academy: School of Professional Wrestling alongside fellow former WWE Superstar Ken Anderson. Here’s hoping the WWE brings Shawn back in its fold, probably for a Tag Team run with his brother Ariya.
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