Former WWE star Aliyah has competed in her first match in over 2 years.
Now competing under her real name Nhooph Al-Areebi, the former Women’s Tag Team Champion made a surprise appearance at Destiny World Wrestling’s Haywire event in her hometown of Ontario, Canada. Sharing highlights on her Instagram page, Al-Areebi is seen competing in the Santino Cup Rumble and was the last competitor standing in the battle royal. The referee presented Al-Areebi with a trophy after the match and briefly cut a promo after the match declaring she is back. The event will be streamed on the Fight Network on October 8th.
Other notable stars on the card included TNA wrestlers Joe Hendry, Hammerstone and A.J. Francis.
Nhooph Al-Areebi Makes In-Ring Return 2 Years After WWE Release
First signing with the company in 2015, Aliyah made her televised debut in a battle royal on NXT in January 2016. Called up to the main roster in 2021, Aliyah and Raquel Rodriguez won a tournament to crown new Women’s Tag Team Champions in 2022 after the titles were vacated earlier in the year. Her final match while with the company took place in September 2022 where the champions lost the titles to Dakota Kai and Iyo Sky on Raw. A few weeks later, Aliyah confirmed on social media that she had suffered an injury during the match.
The former Women’s Tag Team Champion was released one year later as part of a mass round of releases that occurred shortly after the Endeavor takeover was completed.
At the time of writing, Nhooph Al-Areebi has not been advertised for any more in-ring appearances but has included a booking email on her Instagram page, meaning that the Destiny World Wrestling event was likely not a one-off appearance.