Former WWE star Commander Azeez aka Dabba-Kato has detailed his experience of traveling to Saudi Arabia with the company for their first PPV event.
WWE’s 10-year partnership with the Saudi General Sports Authority started with the Greatest Royal Rumble event in 2018. Azeez who had been signed by the company to a developmental contract in 2016, made his TV debut at this event.
The wrestling giant reflected on his experience working the show in a new interview with MuscleManMalcolm. He revealed that he was told to sign a waiver before he could get on the plane to reach the country:
“To travel there, you need to sign a waiver. There is a waiver. The waiver says that you are aware to what country you’re going to.
There are some legal consequences for stuff that is different in the States. I don’t remember all of the points, but I remember one point was ‘Beheading,'”
It Was Already Extreme: Commander Azeez
Commander Azeez who was the 37th entrant in the match lasted about 5 minutes before being eliminated by the eventual winner Braun Strowman. He would continue his work in developmental after this appearance, later making his Raw Underground debut under the ring name Dabba-Kato.
Staying on the topic of his Saudi trip, the 36-year-old was asked if beheading was something that could happen if he did something wrong. The wrestling star replied positively saying it made the whole trip extreme even before he got there:
“Yes. I had to sign it in the office, that I’m aware of this. I signed it. Even before we got there, it was already extreme.”
After the end of Raw Underground, Dabba-Kato was repackaged as Commander Azeez in 2021, and paired with Apollo Crews. He continued making sporadic appearances for the company after the end of this run before being released in September, 2023.