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At the conclusion of AEW Dynamite's main event, Samoa Joe defeated Minoru Suzuki to become the new ROH TV Champion. As Joe celebrated his victory, he was interrupted by Jay Lethal and Sonjay Dutt, who promised a present for the Samoan Submission Machine.
The lights in the arena would suddenly go off and from the darkness appeared a monstrous figure who joined the duo to decimate the new champion. As the commentators remarked, Satnam Singh has finally made his AEW television debut.
For fans who might not be aware of the giant, here are five things you need to know about Satnam Singh.
#5. Satnam Singh was the first Indian basketball player to be drafted to an NBA team
Long before he stepped into the AEW ring, Satnam Singh's claim to fame was as the first Indian to be drafted to an NBA team. The Dallas Mavericks selected the 26-year-old as the 52nd overall pick of the 2015 NBA draft.
The 7ft 3 in star played for the Mavs' Summer League team in 2015 and their G-League affiliate team, the Texas Legends. Although he couldn't stick around in the league and play for the first team, he still became a beloved celebrity and is admired by the Mavs' fan base to this day.
#4. Satnam Singh was the subject of a Netflix documentary "One In A Billion"
Satnam Singh’s stardom and journey in basketball gained a lot of mainstream media attention, especially after Netflix released a documentary titled "One in a Billion," which chronicled his career.
He truly has a compelling story. The documentary manages to capture the trials and tribulations he went through to leave his rural hometown in India and chase his dream to play in the NBA.
It premiered on Netflix worldwide back on Dec. 6, 2016, and features talking heads from the likes of NBA commissioner Adam Silver, Dallas Mavericks owner and billionaire Mark Cuban, Sacramento Kings owner Vivek Ranadivé, and Troy Justice, the NBA’s Senior Director of International Basketball Operations.
#3. Before AEW, Satnam Singh had a WWE tryout in 2017
While Satnam Singh's basketball career ended prematurely, he would later pivot and enter the world of professional wrestling instead. As it turns out, AEW was not the first wrestling company he got involved with.
Back in 2017, Singh took part in a WWE tryout at the Performance Center, hoping to follow in the footsteps of WWE Hall of Famer and first Indian-born Heavyweight Champion, The Great Khali. Unfortunately, it did not lead to WWE signing him up.
In an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda Wrestling, Satnam Singh reflected on his WWE experience and admitted that he wasn't ready for the opportunity at the time:
"I wasn’t ready then. I thought basketball is the best thing for me. I decided to wait for a while then."
The star also spoke about wrestling as a possible career option and its immense popularity in India.
"In the beginning my focus was completely on basketball. When I wanted to move out of basketball, I thought wrestling was the best opportunity for me. Because wrestling is very popular in India. That’s when I decided to leave," said Satnam Singh.
With his colossal size and potential crossover appeal, it's surprising that WWE would pass up on the opportunity to acquire Singh, even if it was for an NXT developmental contract. Now it seems like WWE's loss will be AEW's gain.
#2. Satnam Singh signed with AEW in September 2021 and now trains at the Nightmare Factory wrestling school
Satnam Singh might have finally made his television debut, but the Indian wrestler was signed to All Elite Wrestling all the way back in September 2021. At the time, Tony Khan released a statement about his acquisition of Singh, hyping up the former basketball player's athleticism and natural charisma:
“While we’ve recently secured some of the hottest free agents on the planet, I’m also deeply committed to cultivating our own homegrown stars and the next generation of extraordinary professional wrestlers,” said Tony Khan, CEO, GM and Head of Creative of AEW.
The AEW President also expressed his excitement about Satnam being an interesting addition to his company's roster.
“In addition to Satnam’s commanding 7’3” stature, I was impressed with his high level of athleticism and charisma. He’s an exciting addition to our roster, and I’m looking forward to our fans getting to know Satnam’s personality and watching his development.”
Tony Khan has previously brought in athletes from other sports to remold them as AEW wrestlers, with Anthony Ogogo the most prominent example. A giant like Satnam Singh could be the company's next big crossover talent. With India being a fairly untapped market for wrestling, it could benefit the promotion to push Singh as one of their star attractions.
#1. Satnam Singh's dream opponent is Paul Wight
In past interviews, Satnam has made it clear that his dream opponent in wrestling is a fellow giant, Paul Wight, formerly known as The Big Show in WWE. In an interview with Hindustan Times, Satnam Singh talked about emulating Paul Wight and what he has achieved in his wrestling career.
"I don't know that many wrestlers, but I would really like to have a fight with Paul. He is a big guy, he is like me. So I am really excited to wrestle him as we are of the same size," he said. "I have seen wrestlers like Great Khali, Paul, The Undertaker, Jinder Mahal - so I would like to try and do what they have done in careers as well."
For now, it seems like Singh's first feud will be against ROH TV Champion Samoa Joe. He aligned himself with Jay Lethal and Sonjay Dutt, who gained notoriety in India years ago when the latter wrestled for TNA.
The angle was apparently designed to grow the AEW brand in India and is influenced by the impending WarnerMedia/Discovery merger. Pushing the new alliance prominently on television could produce a breakthrough in the Indian market. AEW using someone renowned in that country as the only Indian-born player ever drafted by the NBA could help them penetrate the market.
