Sami Zayn Recognizes World’s First Hijab-Wearing Pro Wrestler

Sami Zayn is a Canadian professional wrestler of Syrian descent.

He was born in Laval, Quebec, Canada, on July 12, 1984, to Syrian immigrant parents from Homs, who moved to Canada in the 1970s. Zayn proudly identifies as Arab and Muslim, often blending both his heritage and humanitarian beliefs into his public image. He’s fluent in Arabic, English, and French, and has been open about how his Syrian roots shaped his worldview and personality.

The SmackDown star recently made headlines for recognizing Nor ‘Phoenix’ Diana, the world’s first hijab-wearing pro wrestler from Malaysia. Nor Diana, who started wrestling in 2018, posted a heartfelt message about meeting Zayn on her X (Twitter) account. She thanked the WWE star for his kindness and for acknowledging her as a fellow wrestler who broke cultural barriers by competing in a hijab.​

She wrote, “Wrestling has given me so much. It’s taken me places I never imagined, and for that, I’m truly grateful. To stand here today as a fellow pro-wrestler to be seen, respected, and recognized by @SamiZayn himself means a great deal. We’re only going higher from here. InshaAllah.”

Wrestling has given me so much. It’s taken me places I never imagined, and for that, I’m truly grateful. To stand here today as a fellow pro-wrestler to be seen, respected, and recognized by @SamiZayn himself means a great deal.

We’re only going higher from here. InshaAllah. ❤️ pic.twitter.com/mizK5GA1dR

— Nor 'Phoenix' Diana 🇲🇾🫶 (@nordianapw) October 14, 2025

Sami Zayn Lost The WWE United States Championship on SmackDown

On October 17, Sami Zayn continued his weekly open challenge for the United States Championship, which was answered by Ilja Dragunov, who made his first WWE appearance in over a year. The match saw intense back-and-forth action. The turning point came when Solo Sikoa interfered and distracted Zayn, which allowed Dragunov to capitalize by hitting his finisher, the Exploder, followed by a strong cover to win the match and the championship.

Sami Zayn’s reign had lasted 49 days and was widely appreciated for restoring prestige to the title through an open challenge series where he defended successfully against several top wrestlers, including John Cena, Rey Fenix, Carmelo Hayes, Aleister Black, and Shinsuke Nakamura.

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