Nhooph Al-Areebi is a Canadian professional wrestler and model. She is currently signed to WWE where she performing on the NXT brand under the ring nameAliyah.
Early life
Nhooph Al-Areebi was born in Toronto, Ontario. She is of Syrian and Iraqi descent and grew up in a strict, conservative family. In 2012, she graduated from St. Joseph's College School, and later attended George Brown College, where she studied nursing. She also attended a circustraining school.
On March 17, 2015, it was reported that Al–Areebi had signed a developmental contract with WWE. Her signing was confirmed by WWE on April 13. She made her first appearance at the event on May 20, as part of Tyler Breeze's entrance. She made her in–ring debut on June 20 during an NXT live event, where she competed in a six–person tag team match. In October, she was given the ring name Aliyah. Aliyah's television debut took place on the January 13, 2016, episode of NXT, where she competed in a number one contender's battle royal for Bayley's NXT Women's Championship, which was won by Carmella. On the April 27 episode of NXT, Aliyah competed in her first televised singles match, where she lost to Carmella. Towards the end of the year, Aliyah debuted new ring gear and entrance music, leaving her Arabian gimmick, and picked up her first victory as part of the brand, as she defeated Billie Kay after a distraction by Liv Morgan, only for both of them to be attacked by Kay and Peyton Royce. This set a six–woman tag team match between Aliyah, Morgan and Ember Moon against The Iconic Duo and Daria Berenato, that was taped on on November 19, where Aliyah's team was victorious. On January 3, 2017, Aliyah made her first main roster appearance as she appeared on SmackDown Live, where she lost to Carmella. Throughout 2018, Aliyah continued losing to various competitors such as Lacey Evans, Ember Moon and Mae Young Classic winner Kairi Sane, while also showing signs of a heel turn. In September, Aliyah, now officially working as a heel, started a short alliance with Evans, and the two had an altercation with Dakota Kai and Deonna Purrazzo, which led to a tag team match, where Aliyah and Evans were victorious, making Aliyah's first victory in over a year. After some time away, on the February 13, 2019, episode of NXT, Aliyah returned working full-time, as she defeated Taynara Conti after interference from Vanessa Borne. The duo then started an alliance and picked up their first victory against Conti and Xia Li, two weeks later on the February 27 episode. In mid November on an episode of WWE NXT, Aliyah went up against Xia Li in a losing effort, Li had kayfabe injured Aliyah’s nose in the process with a spin kick. This was done to write Aliyah off television, so that she could get surgery on her nose. Aliyah returned to in-ring competition in 2020 on the March 25 edition of NXT, where she lost to Io Shirai in a qualifying match. Aliyah had a match a few weeks later against Li in a losing effort. On the May 6 episode of NXT, she helped Chelsea Green get a victory over Li and tried to get on the Robert Stone Brand. The following week, on the May 13 episode of NXT, she tried to impress Stone in a match against Kayden Carter which she lost. When she tried to ask him if she could join his brand, he turned her down. Stone eventually changed his mind and officially joined forces with Aliyah on the June 17 episode of NXT, after he helped her get a victory over Xia Li. Aliyah and Stone would feud with Rhea Ripley as she lost to her on the June 24 episode of NXT. The following week on Night 1 of NXT: The Great American Bash, Aliyah competed alongside Stone against Ripley in a handicap match, with the stipulation that if Ripley lost then she would join the Robert Stone Brand, but they were defeated.
Personal life
Al-Areebi first decided she wanted to become a wrestler after watching Beth Phoenix and Mickie James compete at a taping of Raw on May 5, 2008. Her favorite wrestlers include Edge and Jeff Hardy. In September 2015, a number of racially insensitive comments made several years prior on Al-Areebi's Twitter account were discovered. WWE subsequently issued a statement regarding the controversy, stating that her account was used by another person at the time.
