Shawn Daivari Biography

(Wrestler)

Birthday: April 30, 1984 (Taurus)

Born In: Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States

Dara Shawn Daivari, professionally known as Shawn Daivari, is an American professional wrestler, who is famous for his work with 'World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE)' under the stage name Daivari, and with 'Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA)' using the stage name Sheik Abdul Bashir. Well-known for representing Iran in international matches, he commonly adopted a foul-mouthed, America-hating persona, and was often seen yelling at his ring partners in Persian, which was often described as Arabic on the broadcasts. Along with fellow WWE wrestler Ken Anderson, his younger brother Ariya Daivari, Molly Holly, and Arik Cannon, he opened up a school for wrestling. Shawn Daivari featured in a documentary, 'Mansome', which was directed by Morgan Spurlock and executively produced by actors/comedians Will Arnett and Jason Bateman, and ‘Electus’ founder Ben Silverman. Tackling the topic of male identity as seen through the lens of male grooming, this documentary unfortunately did not do well at the box office. After a career in front of the screen, he was later associated with ‘WWE’ as a producer, until he was released from his contract in 2020.
5
Quick Facts

Also Known As: Dara Shawn Daivari

Age: 40 Years, 40 Year Old Males

Family:

Spouse/Ex-: Deanna Sexton (m. 2009–2010)

father: Khosrow Daivari

siblings: Ariya Daivari

Born Country: United States

Wrestlers American Men

Height: 5'10" (178 cm), 5'10" Males

City: Minneapolis, Minnesota

U.S. State: Minnesota

More Facts

education: Wayzata High School

  • 1

    What wrestling promotions has Shawn Daivari competed in?

    Shawn Daivari has competed in various wrestling promotions such as WWE, TNA, ROH, and NJPW.
  • 2

    What is Shawn Daivari known for in his wrestling career?

    Shawn Daivari is known for his high-flying and technical wrestling style, as well as his charismatic and villainous persona in the ring.
  • 3

    Has Shawn Daivari ever held a championship title in wrestling?

    Yes, Shawn Daivari has held championship titles in different promotions throughout his wrestling career, including tag team championships and X Division championships.
  • 4

    What are some memorable matches that Shawn Daivari has been a part of?

    Shawn Daivari has been part of memorable matches against notable opponents such as Kurt Angle, AJ Styles, and Chris Sabin, showcasing his skills and versatility in the ring.
  • 5

    How has Shawn Daivari contributed to the wrestling industry outside of in-ring competition?

    Outside of in-ring competition, Shawn Daivari has also worked as a wrestling trainer and manager, helping to mentor and guide young talent in the industry.
Childhood & Early Life
Shawn Daivari, was born on 30th April 1984, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA, to Iranian immigrants who had moved to the U.S. in the 1970s. He has two brothers, one older and one younger. The latter is also a professional wrestler, and is part of the ‘WWE Cruiserweight Division’.
His father, Khosrow Daivari, owns two award-winning pizza restaurants, called the 'Leaning Tower Of Pizza', in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA.
As a child Shawn Daivari greatly admired wrestlers Mick Foley and Bret Hart, but his hero was professional wrestling legend Shawn Michaels. He took part in his very first wrestling match at the age of 15.
Continue Reading Below
Career
Shawn Daivari first debuted as a professional wrestler in 1999, in the upper midwest independent wrestling scene.
On 26th February 2003, he appeared in the professional wrestling television program 'Explosion', wrestling against a tag team of Mike Sanders and Glenn Gilberti, with Ken Anderson.
He appeared on another professional wrestling TV program, 'Sunday Night Heat', on 5th October 2003, but lost the match to fellow wrestler Tommy Dreamer.
Appearing on ‘Ring of Honor (ROH)’ four times in 2004, he signed on to ‘WWE’ in August 2004, and made his debut as Khosrow Daivari in a December 13 episode of television program 'WWE Raw' (also named 'Raw'), beside Muhammad Hassan. They were famous for adopting Iranian-American personas facing discrimination, causing them to hate America.
Mohammad Hassan and Shawn Daivari were drafted to ‘SmackDown!’ on 23rd June 2005, as a package deal. Mohammad Hassan went on to retire, but Shawn Daivari underwent retraining and repackaging with ‘WWE's Deep South Wrestling (DSW)’ developmental territory, returning in September 2005 on ‘Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW) TV’.
On 21st November 2005, Kurt Angle handpicked Shawn Daivari as the referee for all his future matches, after he appeared as a special guest referee for a match held at ‘Raw’ just 14 days prior. Angle and Shawn Daivari stayed with 'Raw' until 13th January 2006, when they were both drafted back to 'SmackDown!'. A fight with Angle effectively ended their partnership soon after.
Shawn Daivari managed famous Indian-born American wrestler, The Great Khali, in 2006, and they were moved to the ECW brand (a promotional brand of the WWE), on 31st October, 2006.
He returned to 'SmackDown!' for various matches during the early months of 2007, and was then drafted back to 'Raw' on 17th June 2007, but was released from his contract on October 16th, 2007.
Shawn Daivari debuted in Arlington, Texas, for 'Professional Championship Wrestling' in November 2007. He returned for matches there periodically in 2008. The same year, in April, he became the ‘AMW Light Heavyweight Champion’. He participated in an 'Irish Whip Wrestling' (an Irish professional wrestling promotion company) event, in June 2008.
Continue Reading Below
Debuting on 'TNA' in 2008, he officially became a part of the TNA roster on 24th July 2008. He subsequently parted ways with the company on 20th December 2009; he had asked to be let go from his contract after his old boss resigned, as he was unable to get along with the new management.
He made sporadic appearances in wrestling events around the globe in 2010; in 'ROH', in the 'Juggalo Championship Wrestling (JCW) with his sibling Ariya, and even winning the 'AWR No Limits Championship' in Bordeaux, France.
He returned to 'WWE' on 3rd May 2011, in a dark match before the 'SmackDown!' TV show tapings. He was also one of the four team captains in the pilot tapings of the show 'All Wheels Wrestling', as announced in June 2011.
December 2011 saw Shawn Daivari participate in 'Ring Ka King', an Indian project undertaken by ‘TNA’, where he performed as Abdul Bashir, with his brother Ariya adopting the persona of Mustafa Bashir.
In 2012, Shawn Daivari participated, again sporadically, in various wrestling events and shows like 'Family Wrestling Entertainment (FWE)', television show 'House of Hardcore's (HOH)', program 'Portland Wrestling Uncut', and the 'Big Time Wrestling Cruiserweight Championship', which he won.
'Mansome', a documentary by Morgan Spurlock was released in 2012, featuring Shawn Daivari along with three other people. Dealing with the topic of male grooming in the modern era, this documentary received mostly unfavourable reviews, getting an overall score of 35 out of 100 on popular review site 'Metacritic'.
Shawn Daivari debuted in the ‘Lucha Underground’ on 15th April 2015, but he didn't appear in Season 2 of the show. He did, however, make an appearance in a dark match at ‘Ultima Lucha Dos’.
He founded ‘The Academy: School of Professional Wrestling’, with his fellow ‘WWE’ alum, Ken Anderson, in 2016.
While he made very few appearances on the independent wrestling circuit in 2018, he did participate in the 'Insane Championship Wrestling', and in wrestler The Brian Kendrick's promotion, ‘Wrestling Pro Wrestling (WPW)'. 2018 was also when he was hired as a producer by ‘WWE’, but was furloughed, along with multiple other producers, on 15th April 2020.
Family & Personal Life
Shawn Daivari was married to Deanna Sexton from 2009 to 2010.
Shawn Daivari drew attention when he rendered a drunk and disruptive passenger unconscious while on his way to the Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport. A co-passenger had pressed the emergency button for help, but the police didn't respond fast enough, and Shawn Daivari had to step in to help.
Facts About Shawn Daivari

Shawn Daivari is not only a talented wrestler but also a skilled language enthusiast, fluent in multiple languages including Persian and Hindi.

Daivari is known for his creativity and innovation in the ring, often incorporating unique and unexpected moves into his matches.
Outside of wrestling, Daivari has a passion for art and has been known to create intricate and impressive pieces in his spare time.
Despite his intimidating presence in the ring, Daivari is known among his peers for his sense of humor and laid-back personality.
Daivari has a love for animals and has been actively involved in supporting animal welfare organizations throughout his career.

See the events in life of Shawn Daivari in Chronological Order

How To Cite

Article Title
- Shawn Daivari Biography
Author
- Editors, TheFamousPeople.com
Website
- TheFamousPeople.com
URL
https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/shawn-daivari-49298.php

People Also Viewed

Ben Askren Biography
Ben Askren
(American)
 
Taeler Hendrix Biography
Taeler Hendrix
(American)
 
Brock Lesnar Biography
Brock Lesnar
(American)
 
Dan Gable Biography
Dan Gable
(American)
 
Kurt Angle Biography
Kurt Angle
(American)
 
Yoel Romero Biography
Yoel Romero
(Cuban)
 
Mistico Biography
Mistico
(Mexican)