In a post on his official Twitter account, WWE 205 Live superstar Ariya Daivari issued a statement after receiving death threats following his appearance at the WWE Greatest Royal Rumble event on Friday.

The statement reads, “During an appearance this past Friday, I portrayed a fictional character and played the role of the antagonist, no different than what other actors would do in a movie or TV show. That character does not reflect my personal views and I apologize to anyone that may have been offended by the skit. I have an incredible amount of respect for the great people of Iran and I am very proud of my Iranian heritage. Thank You.”

Daivari noted in a later tweet, which can be seen below, that unfortunately, some people took offence to this, despite it being pure entertainment and that some threats were made against his life, which is why he wanted to put the statement out to clarify where he as a person stands in comparison to his television character.