01In brief
All Wrestling Organization (AWO) is an Israeli-Arab professional wrestling organization founded in 2012 by Mehran Abdul-Hai of Tira. Its debut show in Tira attracted more than 700 spectators. Combining staged wrestling rivalries with training and live performances, AWO developed an initiative called AWO Global around mutual respect, coexistence, and a shared love of wrestling.
02Overview
AWO combines predetermined match outcomes with fictional characters and rivalries, including storylines built around competition for a championship belt.[2] Its founder, Mehran Abdul-Hai, also wrestled under the name “the Arab Horse” and established the organization with the aim of bringing wrestling from the underground into the mainstream and gaining recognition for it as a legitimate sport in Israel.[1]
Abdul-Hai described AWO as an Israeli-Arab organization that brought Arabs and Israelis together in the ring and welcomed Arab, Jewish, Caucasian, and Circassian wrestlers.[1] He presented peace as its purpose and maintained that wrestling was not about politics.[1]
03Origins and History
Before founding AWO, Abdul-Hai trained at Gerry Roif’s wrestling school in Netanya and credited Roif with helping make the organization possible.[1] He recalled announcing his ambition on his first day: “I came to learn wrestling because I want to establish my own independent organization.”[1] Roif supported Abdul-Hai’s initial plan to establish a wrestling league in the Arab sector.[1]
The first show took place in Tira in 2012 and drew more than 700 spectators.[1] Abdul-Hai initially concentrated on the Arab sector because he saw better financial opportunities and easier access to sponsors there.[1] Following requests from audience members, AWO staged its first Tel Aviv show outdoors at a car wash; the event was a financial failure, but Abdul-Hai continued organizing performances under the motto “There is an audience—there is a show.”[1]
By 2013, AWO was developing its wrestling league under Abdul-Hai’s management, with a Tel Aviv event featuring Joey Legend scheduled for November 21 that year.[2] By 2017, Abdul-Hai was working with Mariano Goldman and Moti Guzlan, the owner of the Netanya country club where training took place.[3] The partners developed AWO Global as an initiative based on the main organization and planned a trip to Morocco for January 2018.[3]
04Training and Performances
AWO held training twice a week at a country club in Netanya.[3] Wrestler Oscar Weiss began traveling from Karmiel to Netanya twice weekly at age 15 to train in AWO’s dojo.[4] For several years, his routine combined twice-weekly training with performances about once a month, followed by reviewing those performances and adjusting his training.[4] Weiss later won the AWO championship.[4]
05Significance
AWO Global’s stated values were mutual respect, coexistence, and love of wrestling.[3] A 2018 trip to Morocco brought AWO wrestlers to a packed training warehouse in Fez, where they performed for local spectators.[4] Weiss recalled connecting with a Moroccan spectator through “pure emotion,” despite not knowing whether the man spoke English.[4]
06Controversies
A dispute over AWO’s public identity surfaced in 2014: an IPWA representative attributed a description of the organization as “Palestinian-Arab” to Abdul-Hai, who denied having used that description and instead characterized AWO as Israeli-Arab.[1]
Sources
- 1Ynet, The Arab Wrestler Who Will Bring WWE to Israel, accessed on November 11, 2026.
- 2Ynet, Fight Club: Meet the Israeli WWE, accessed on November 11, 2026.
- 3Ynet, Good Boy Tira / “The Sporting Sector”, accessed on November 11, 2026.
- 4Sport5, The Foreign Oscar: The Israeli Hope in Wrestling, accessed on November 11, 2026.
IsraelPedia Question & Answers
What is the All Wrestling Organization?
The All Wrestling Organization (AWO) is an Israeli-Arab professional wrestling organization founded in 2012 by Mehran Abdul-Hai of Tira. It combines staged rivalries with wrestler training and live performances, and its AWO Global initiative promotes mutual respect, coexistence, and a shared love of wrestling.
How did AWO begin, and what was its first show like?
AWO began after Mehran Abdul-Hai trained at Gerry Roif’s wrestling school in Netanya and set out to establish an independent organization. Its first show took place in Tira in 2012 and attracted more than 700 spectators. Abdul-Hai initially focused on the Arab sector, which he saw as offering better financial opportunities and easier access to sponsors.
How did AWO bring Israeli and Arab wrestlers together?
AWO founder Mehran Abdul-Hai described the organization as bringing Arabs and Israelis together in the ring. He said it welcomed Arab, Jewish, Caucasian, and Circassian wrestlers, and presented peace as its purpose while maintaining that wrestling was not about politics.
How did AWO train its wrestlers?
AWO held training twice a week at a country club in Netanya. Wrestler Oscar Weiss began traveling from Karmiel to train there twice weekly when he was 15. For several years, he combined training with performances about once a month, then reviewed the performances and adjusted his training; he later won the AWO championship.
What did AWO Global do in Morocco?
In 2018, AWO Global brought AWO wrestlers to a packed training warehouse in Fez, where they performed for local spectators. The initiative’s stated values were mutual respect, coexistence, and love of wrestling. AWO partners had planned the Morocco trip for January 2018.
Why was AWO’s public identity disputed?
A dispute over AWO’s public identity surfaced in 2014. An IPWA representative attributed the description “Palestinian-Arab” to Mehran Abdul-Hai, who denied using it and characterized AWO as Israeli-Arab instead.