Tiffany Stratton had someone special to cheer for during Tuesday night’s episode of WWE NXT.
Stratton’s real-life boyfriend, Shido Ash, made his televised WWE in-ring debut on Oct. 6, teaming with Viktor Zanov against Hank Walker and Tank Ledger in the first round of the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic.
Ahead of the match, Stratton shared the NXT match card on her Instagram Story with a simple message: “Big Shido Debut.”
Ash and Zanov came up short, with former NXT Tag Team Champions Hank & Tank advancing to the quarterfinals. Still, the match introduced Ash to a much larger WWE audience after he had previously competed at NXT live events and on WWE Evolve.
For fans seeing him for the first time, Ash already had an impressive athletic résumé long before entering a WWE ring.
@shadyelnahas on Instagram
Who Is Shido Ash?
Shido Ash is the WWE ring name of Shady Elnahas, a 28-year-old who was born in Alexandria, Egypt, and moved to Canada with his family at age 12.
Ash isn’t your typical WWE developmental prospect. Before ever stepping into a wrestling ring, Elnahas was one of the best judokas in the world.
He represented Canada at two Olympics, narrowly missing a medal with a fifth-place finish in Tokyo before returning for the 2024 Paris Games. He also won silver at the 2024 World Championships, captured gold at both the Commonwealth and Pan American Games and became a five-time Pan American champion.
That background eventually caught WWE’s attention. Elnahas participated in a WWE tryout for Olympic athletes before officially joining the Performance Center in May 2025.
He initially competed under his real name before adopting Shido Ash earlier this year. Now, a little more than a year after signing with WWE, the former Olympian has made it to NXT television.
The Dusty Classic loss may have been Ash’s introduction to many WWE fans, but his athletic background makes him one of the more intriguing prospects currently working his way through the company’s developmental system.
How Long Have Tiffany Stratton and Shido Ash Been Dating?
Stratton publicly confirmed her relationship with Elnahas in February 2026 after weeks of speculation about the two.
The former WWE Women’s Champion posted a collection of photos of the couple on Instagram, making the relationship official. Stratton later explained that she had no hesitation about sharing the relationship publicly because when she loves someone, she wants to “show them off.”
Now the two are part of the same company, although they are at very different stages of their WWE careers.
Though his first NXT match ended in a loss, but with two Olympic appearances and an elite combat sports background behind him, Shido Ash is an intriguing name to watch as he continues his transition from judo to professional wrestling.
