The Mumbai Garuda have had a flawless start to their Pro Wrestling League campaign with three wins out of three and have dominated their opponents in every fixture so far. Their latest win came against the UP Warriors where they won 5-2 overall, out of which four victories saw a margin of ten points or more.
Captain and icon player Adeline Gray capped off the win with a 10-0 demolition of Alina Stadinik Makhinia in a bout which lasted just 112 seconds. It was Makhinia who was faster out of the blocks as she managed to grab Gray’s ankle as soon as the whistle sounded, but the American showed her class by not panicking and got out of the hold by taking her time and gradually weakening her opponent’s hold.
Once the early obstacle was out of the way, Gray quickly made it 2-0 in her favour and in the same sequence of moves, she managed to roll over her Ukranian opponent to double her lead. She was now totally in her groove and with the packed crowd at the Hyatt Regency cheering her on, there was no stopping the 2014 and 2015 World Champion.
Makhinia tried to respond with another grab of the right ankle but saw it smoothly reversed by Gray who downed her with a vicious hold to make it 6-0. This time around, the Mumbai skipper’s grip was as strong as a vice and she rolled over the UP grappler with almost no resistance. It was 10-0 in a matter of a few seconds and the bout was already over with the clock showing 1:52.
A smiling Gray spoke to the press after the fixture and expressed her delight at her team’s performance. She beamed with joy as she praised all her team members and said that the Mumbai Garuda are the team to beat in this league and that all opponents should watch out! The five-time World Championship medalist also appreciated the love and affection shown by the fans, whom she called the lifeblood of any tournament.
When asked about her experience in India, Gray responded that she was absolutely delighted and humbled by the warmth and hospitality shown by the people towards her. She stated that from a wrestling point-of-view, her experience of training with the Indian wrestlers and coaches has been really good as she found the pace of training here much faster than what she was accustomed to back home. She expressed her love for paranthas and admitted that she has been munching them down every day!
Mumbai have been unstoppable so far in the tournament and so has Gray, as she has amassed double-digit points in all three bouts she has fought and has conceded just the solitary one. If she and her team can keep up these high levels of performance, there is no stopping them from lifting the Pro Wrestling League trophy.
