Traitors legend Faraaz ‘wants to be taken seriously’ with surprise new sports career

The Traitors star Faraaz Noor has swapped the iconic castle for the wrestling ring, and he’s hungry for more.

After rising to fame as a Faithful in the most recent series of the BBC’s beloved game show of bluff and deceit, the 22-year-old star has found himself months away from a potential dream career milestone after growing up watching WWE.

On June 7, he stepped out at PROGRESS Wrestling in Manchester as an ally of Nathan Black, only to sniff him out as a Traitor and land a huge cutter reminiscent of Randy Orton’s RKO move.

Speaking exclusively to Metro just days later, Faraaz made it clear he’s ready for more.

‘The feeling was unbelievable, I absolutely loved it,’ he said. ‘But I want more, I want PROGRESS to let me have Nathan Black one-on-one in Manchester in September.’

Nothing has been made official, but PROGRESS will be hitting the road for a tour later this year, and Faraaz wants revenge after Nathan landed a boot to his chest.

‘He’s getting it for that,’ he laughed. ‘It wasn’t pleasant… I was still a bit sore a couple of days after, but I’m sort of coming out the back end of it now.’

The Traitors fan favourite explained that he had a clear goal going into his first wrestling appearance – which came on the first event under PROGRESS’s new former WWE star owners, Big Damo (Damien Mackle) and Nikki Storm (Nicola Glencross) – and a potential first match later in the year.

‘[Fans] don’t like many outsiders coming in and trying to take the p***,’ he pointed out. ‘I wanted it to be proper, and I wanted to take it seriously.’
That’s the mindset he has for the future, staying respectful towards something he’s loved since childhood.

‘I’d love to do more, but I couldn’t take the mick, because I see how hard the lads work, and how much they travel, as well. The travel kills, and obviously I’ve got other ambitions as well outside of it,’ he said, referencing podcast and presenting commitments.

‘I’d love to sort of see how far it’d go, but I think in my mind I know it’d be something that I’d want to do, and I’d want to enjoy.

‘But you know what? Fair play to the lads, I don’t think I could. I don’t think I’ve got it in me to sort of leave everything, and just go wrestling.’

So, a full-blown in-ring career isn’t on the cards, but the idea of a match is ‘honestly ridiculous’, and Faraaz has given some thought to what kind of wrestler he’d want to be.

‘I’d love to be a high-flyer, but I don’t think I’ve got the capability, but then I’d love to be a hoss as well, but I definitely don’t have the capability, being, like, five-nine and about 65 kilos – furthest thing from it,’ he laughed.

‘But I think sort of that explosive action, it’d be good fun. It might be nice getting a few strikes in there since I used to box and stuff, so I’d be a bit more familiar with that.’

His favourite growing up was Jeff Hardy, and he’s not ruling out hitting a Swanton Bomb from the top rope.

Given how good his RKO cutter was, you wouldn’t bet against him.

‘I can’t disrespect the goat… but I am! Mine’s the number one! Acknowledge my RKO,’ he joked as he sent a message to Orton, acknowledging just how good the legend is.

‘But to be fair, I have had high praise from the cutter, which I’m taken aback by, but when I watch it back, I’m like, it actually was quite good to be fair!’

Faraaz’s foray into wrestling might seem a surprise to his Traitors fans, but the castle has more in common with the squared circle than you might expect.

‘It’s all theatre, it’s all a show, but it’s funny because you’re so immersed in it, it is so real,’ he explained.

‘That’s the only thing we knew. We were so immersed in it. We had no contact with the outside world or anything. I guess in wrestling, so to speak, it’s sort of the same way. When you are there and when you are performing, that is reality.’

That meant Faraaz was ready for any reactions he got from fans, including one person he overheard asking, ‘Who the eff are you?’ as he made his entrance.

‘In the game, I knew that nothing was personal, so it allowed me to think more rationally, in the sense that if I know someone’s shouting stuff at me in wrestling, I know that’s all part of it,’ he added.

‘It’s quite good just being able to touch that emotion and know you want to get the job done, but then not allowing yourself to be solely focused and actually enjoy the moment as well, because that was something that I think you could see.

‘I definitely enjoyed the moment whilst I was there. So, yeah, it does, it does prepare you a fair bit.’

And he would love to get some Traitors castmates on board, with Maz in the ‘Paul Heyman role’, and a clear choice for a tag partner.

‘It’d have to be Ross,’ he smiled. ‘I think he’s already halfway there! He’s sculpted, mate, he’s absolute beast! So, I wouldn’t mind tagging with Ross, and Maz being the mastermind.’

PROGRESS Wrestling tickets are available here.