What’s the story?
In the ongoing season of the Pro Wrestling League, the Mumbai Maharathi recorded their second victory in a row with skipper Erica Wiebe leading from the front. It was a seesaw encounter as all bouts were evenly contested but the Jaipur Ninjas lost the tie by a narrow 4-3 margin.
The tie was locked at 3-2 when Wiebe faced off against Swede Jenny Fransson in the 75 kg category clash, with the Canadian recording a spectacular comeback victory. “I was inspired by my teammates, who all fought so hard in their matches. We’re a team of fighters!” exclaimed Wiebe in the post-match press conference.
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The fixture had a delayed start as it was uncertain whether Wiebe would play or not after she sustained a head injury in her previous bout. But eventually, she was named by the Mumbai side in the teamsheet. She wrestled with a bandaged forehead and after a slow start, turned the tables with a victory by fall.
Her opponent Fransson was a bronze medalist at the 2016 Games herself, but hers was in a lighter weight category. It was a must-win match for the Ninjas and the fixture was all set to go into a deciding seventh bout before Wiebe clinched the win with 30 seconds to go.
The heart of the matter
After the first round, it was the Jaipur grappler who led 1-0 after Wiebe was penalised for passivity. In the early seconds of the second round, Fransson picked up a couple more points with a powerful takedown and almost made it 5-0 but Wiebe managed to wriggle out just in the nick of time.
Despite her injury, she tried her best to make inroads into the Swede’s defence and with just half-a-minute left, Wiebe, like all champions do, managed to floor her opponent with a vicious takedown. Digging deep into her reserves, she used all her might to pin Fransson’s shoulders to the mat. The referee stopped the bout and despite the scoreline reading 3-4 in the Ninjas’ favour, it was Wiebe who was declared the winner by fall.
What next?
With this win, the Mumbai Maharathis move to second on the points table with two wins and two losses. They have just one more match to play in the league stage, on January 14 against the Delhi Sultans.
The Jaipur Ninjas remain top of the table despite the defeat, this loss their first one in three matches.They now face the UP Dangal on January 12.
Sportskeeda’s take
The entire fixture featured wrestling of the highest quality as all seven bouts were nail-biters and quite evenly-contested. After Ritu Phogat’s brilliant win the 48 kg category clash and Rahul Aware’s fightback against Utkarsh Kale, Wiebe showed why she is the defending Commonwealth and Olympic champion – claiming a spectacular comeback victory and helping her side win what was a must-win encounter.
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