Assad was born in Liberty City, Miami, but grew up in Opa-locka, Florida. His father was a police officer. He joined a gang when he was 12, describing it as "a graffiti gang", which later turned into a street gang. He spent six months in a juvenile detention center after a robbery.
Personal life
Assad has a son from a short-lived relationship.  In August 2007, Assad was diagnosed with Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome, a rare condition that causes the heart to beat faster than normal. The condition was discovered during his tenure with WWE, when he had undergone a routine check-up in accordance with WWE's Talent Wellness Policy, which otherwise would have gone undetected until it was too late.  Assad has acquired numerous tattoos through his life, including; a portrait of Malcolm X on the upper left portion of his chest, the sarcophagus of King Tut and pyramids on his left upper biceps, the legend "Monte Cristo" along with the phrase "The best revenge is living well" in script on his right forearm (both references to the book The Count of Monte Cristo), and an Eye of Horus on the back of his left arm. He also has a star on his right shoulder. He also has a number of homemade gang related tattoos that he had done when he was a teenager.  Assad has stated that he was a video game fan growing up, and that the finishing maneuver he used on the independent circuit, the Malicious Intent, was inspired by a similar move performed by Eddy Gordo from the Tekken series. He has been a fan of Manchester United F.C. since he was 13, and his favorite player is Eric Cantona. Despite his earlier conversion to Islam, Assad has since described himself as a nonbeliever and an atheist.  Assad trains Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. He was recently promoted to Purple Belt after winning the gold medal at the Houston Open in the Masters 3 Ultra Heavyweight Division. He also won gold in the Open Division at the Houston Open.
How did Montel get into wrestling?
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