(The views expressed in this article are my own and don’t reflect those of Sportskeeda.)
Ah, India.
A country of over 1.2 BILLION people, that’s over four times the population of the United States of America, and yet, the only representative of India who has ever made it to the WWE was The Great Khali, and even he ended up becoming an American citizen.
What a lot of people might not know, is that India is one of the biggest markets for the WWE in the entire world. The WWE is legitimately HUGE in India and millions of people follow it on a regular basis.
The WWE was big in India during the Golden era of Wrestling, it got bigger during the Attitude era and it has only grown in popularity ever since. As an Indian myself, I can attest to the fact that the popularity of WWE in India is only rivalled by the popularity of the country’s unofficial national sport, Cricket and the country’s official pastime, Bollywood.
India has also had a long and storied history of producing wrestlers, with Raheem Buksh, The Great Gama, Gulam and Balram Yadav having been the torchbearers of Indian-style Wrestling (actual grappling, not pro wrestling) in the early 20th century.
Wrestling has enjoyed tremendous popularity in India for hundreds of years, the spectacle of wrestling was probably more loved in India than anywhere else in the world for centuries!
Why then, has the WWE not had more Indians amidst its’ ranks? Even though the WWE have signed Lovepreet Sangha and Satender Dagar recently, there are many other Indians that could be perfectly suited for a spot on the WWE roster.
Today, we’re going to take a look at five such Desi athletes who the WWE should totally sign up. This is not an exhaustive list by any means, and some of the mentions might not be very practical, but we hope you enjoy going through it regardless!
Special mention: Sagar from AngaarTV
Let’s start this list off with a more light-hearted mention, nothing wrong with a little fun before we move on to the serious wrestlers, yes? Alright then.
AngaarTV is one of India’s biggest and the most popular YouTube channels. It is, in fact, the single most popular Wrestling-related YouTube channel from the region! What is AngaarTV? You might ask. Well, if you don’t know about these lads yet, then you’re certainly in for a surprise (and a treat, depending on your preferences).
AngaarTV is like a backyard wrestling federation from Bhayander in Mumbai, India, but they’re different in the sense that they dub WWE commentary over their matches to get a more WWE-ish feel to their performances.
Also read: 5 Punjabi Wrestlers from Canada
The “wrestlers” are mostly adolescents and young adults between the ages of 14 to 22. However, some of the “bigger wrestlers” in the “promotion” are men well into their late 20s and 30s.
One of the younger wrestlers on AngaarTV, and the most talented, in my opinion, is Sagar. Sagar portrays a masked character that is similar to Sin Cara and likes to do the Lucha Libre style. He’s a high-flying wrestler and is responsible for some of the more awe-inspiring moves on the roster.
The kid, even though he’s still very young, certainly has the talent for pro-wrestling and can go a long way, provided he takes the right steps going forward (and some of Hulk Hogan’s vitamins).
Getting serious now, let’s get on with the actual list with an Indian Professional Wrestler from Pune who actually trended on Twitter for his moves!
#5 Mahabali Shera
“Discovered” by Kurt Angle, Mahabali Shera (Real name Amanpreet Singh Randhawa) is a 26-year-old professional wrestler from Pune, India. He stands at 6’2” inches tall and weighs over 240 pounds.
Shera has a background in bodybuilding and Indian-style catch wrestling. He initially signed up for “Ring Ka King”, an Indian professional wrestling TV show which was produced in partnership with TNA Wrestling. Shera was, in fact, the last World Heavyweight Champion of the RKK promotion.
Also read: Sportskeeda Exclusive: Interview with Mahabali Shera
Shera was then signed up by TNA and has been with the promotion since then, having had matches and feuds with some of the very best in the company including Drew Galloway, Bobby Lashley, James Storm, Jessie Godderz, Eli Drake etc.
Ever since he joined TNA in 2014, Shera has been constantly improving. He has gotten a lot better as a wrestler and as a guy on the mic, despite him not being very good at English. In fact, Shera is actually quite over with the audiences as a babyface thanks to his dance, the Shera Shuffle, which even ended up trending on Twitter once!
If the WWE ever feel like signing an Indian professional wrestler from the independent circuit, Shera will be within an arm’s reach for them.
He’s still a little rough around the edges, but not only can Shera work a decent match with any kind of wrestler, he also has natural charisma and can emote really well, as was evidenced in his feud against James Storm. At 26, he has his whole career ahead of him and would do well on the main roster provided he gets a few years down in NXT.
Next, we move to a woman who has made India proud on the International stage many times and may well be destined to end up in the WWE some day!
#4 Geeta Phogat
Geeta Phogat is a name that is no stranger to any Indian.
A freestyle wrestler, Geeta is India's first-ever female to win a Wrestling Gold Medal in the Commonwealth Games, a feat that she accomplished in 2010. Geeta has since gone on to win several other accolades and medals all over the world and is truly the pride of her country.
Her story has been immortalised in the recent blockbuster Bollywood movie “Dangal” and she has also gained a lot of mainstream popularity ever since.
Geeta is a freestyle wrestler and has also trained in catch wrestling. She has all the skills required to be a professional wrestler.
With her now being 28 years old, her competitive wrestling days may be coming to an end, and with her foray into the more showbiz-oriented Pro Wrestling League (PWL) of India, Geeta might very well be eyeing the world of professional wrestling as well.
Signing her up would make a lot of sense for the WWE considering her accomplishments, her skills and her mainstream popularity in India. Geeta comes from the highest wrestling pedigree and can very well transition into a WWE-style of wrestling, just like Olympic Gold Medalist Kurt Angle did.
The WWE has never had a Commonwealth Wrestling Gold medalist in their ranks, and including Geeta would make all the sense for them. A year or two down in NXT and you can be sure that she would be ready to take on some of the very best!
Geeta was the first woman to win a Wrestling Gold Medal for India at the Commonwealth games, and if her and the WWE both want it, then she might very well become the first woman to represent India in the WWE as well, the women’s division could certainly use a legitimate grappler.
Next, let’s take a look at a Goliath of a man who would certainly strike fear in the hearts of his opponents.
#3 Harkesh Kumar
We’ve already mentioned the professional wrestler, the freestyle wrestlers and the one upcoming kid, in this list. It is now time to talk about the most physically dominating name of them all, and that name is Harkesh Kumar.
Harkesh, also known as “Bada Khali” (meaning Bigger Khali), is a traditional Pehlwani wrestler from Uttar Pradesh, India. Harkesh is one of the most feared names in all of Pehlwani in India and has fought many wars with the very best wrestlers of the country.
Harkesh stands at over 6 feet 4 inches tall, weighs almost 290 pounds and has 22-inch biceps. This makes him the equivalent in size to someone like Brock Lesnar or The Rock. Harkesh has an incredibly strong physique and is a dominating presence whenever he steps up against any opponent.
The behemoth of a man has made his way to the top of the Indian Pehlwani scene with pure dedication and hard work. Owing to his lack of English education and his humble background, Harkesh might not be the best talker on the mic but put him with a manager for a mouthpiece and he will certainly be a force to be reckoned with.
Harkesh is a traditional Pehlwan with supreme discipline, incredible work ethic, awe-inspiring stamina and amazing wrestling skills. He will certainly be a good fit for the WWE, should they ever decide to look in his direction. Here’s a video of Harkesh exercising that shows his athleticism:
Next, we take a look at another Wrestling great of India, who has constantly been rumoured to be joining the WWE.
#2 Sushil Kumar
Sushil Kumar is a champion freestyle wrestler from India. He has won over a dozen medals in competitions all around the world and is, inarguably, the best wrestler that India has ever produced.
Among Sushil Kumar’s accolades have been two Olympic medals, including one silver and one bronze. The Olympic Gold medal has eluded Sushil so far but he has more than made up for it with his 8 gold medals in other competitions including Commonwealth games.
Some may not know this, but Canyon Ceman, the head of Talent Development for the WWE, came down from Orlando, USA to India last year specifically to meet Sushil Kumar and to discuss a foray into the WWE for the Olympic medalist.
Sushil Kumar, in a statement, had said that the talks with Ceman were “very positive” and that he was keen to “explore other avenues”.
Even though Sushil Kumar might not be the tallest wrestler, standing at 5’5”, he most certainly is built like a battering ram and with his incredible wrestling skills would almost certainly be able to transition into the WWE-style, with ease.
Sushil Kumar is one of the most popular sports personalities in India, and if the WWE sign him up, they’re going to be attracting a lot of new fans from all over the Indian subcontinent, that much is for sure.
Next, let’s take a look at one of India’s most successful Bodybuilders. A 300-pound vegetarian who has also forayed into acting and wants to actually work with the WWE some day!
#1 Varinder Singh Ghuman
Varinder Singh Ghuman has got it all.
Ghuman is a champion bodybuilder and a wrestler. He stands 6 feet 3 inches tall and weighs over 300 pounds. Ghuman is one of the few Indians to have represented the country in International Bodybuilding competitions and has certainly turned heads wherever he has gone.
Ghuman is not only a bodybuilder and wrestler, but he is also an actor. He has studied acting extensively and has acted in several regional films. He is also rumoured to be making his Bollywood debut very soon.
Varinder Ghuman will fit in the WWE like a glove fits a hand.
Ghuman has the supermodel looks and the size of a true behemoth, he also has the wrestling abilities to be able to transition into a WWE style of wrestling without much training! Ghuman has himself mentioned in the past that he would like to work with the WWE.
Here’s a video of Ghuman guest-flexing on a bodybuilding show, towering over everyone else:
Unlike most other people on this list, Ghuman can also converse very well in English, owing to his education. He would thus be able to cut his promos himself!
He might not be a young whippersnapper anymore, but Ghuman could very well be brought on to the WWE to be a heavy (bodyguard) or a mouthpiece, for one (or all) of the others on this list!
I hope you enjoyed reading through this list of Indians that WWE could sign up. Please let me know in the comments if there’s anything you disagree with or if you’d like to suggest a wrestler, a Pehlwan or an actor that could be on this list as well!
I’ll be looking forward to your comments.
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