"We had Khali, but he was not really a superstar" – Wrestler details how the first real Indian wrestling star will actually be (Exclusive)

The Indian pro wrestling scene has seen a handful of talents reach the promised land, but Baliyan Akki believes the country still lacks a genuine superstar in a similar vein as the Bollywood megastars.

I was fortunate enough to catch up with Akki during my visit to Tokyo, and the Indian pro wrestler had a wholly insightful take on the steps required to develop the sport from the ground up.

The Great Khali, Jinder Mahal, and many other stars have won the WWE World Championship and helped improve how the global fanbase views performers from the Indian subcontinent. Baliyan Akki believed that the industry still has a long way to go, and it all comes down to having a more ambitious vision.

Akki, one of the top names in Japan's indie landscape, explained that if Indian professional wrestling wants to move forward, it requires an already-established name to join the movement. Baliyan stated that the "first Indian wrestling superstar," which he felt wasn't The Great Khali, needs to be of the same strata as one of the Khans, who have a rabid fan-following in Bollywood.

Baliyan Akki has worked tremendously hard to become the most well-rounded wrestler to have emerged from India. However, even he admits that for the world's most populous nation to be considered a serious wrestling powerhouse, it needs larger-than-life personalities to lead the charge.

"The thing you need is the vision. What an Indian Superstar in wrestling would look like because we never had one. We had Khali, but he was not really a superstar. We never really had somebody who was synonymous with the term wrestling. Do you know what we will have? We will have one of the Khans. You'd have an Akshay Kumar. That's what you will have. The first wrestling superstar that will come out of India will be of that level, or you won't be," declared Akki. "There is no in-between. People think you can be a wrestler. No, you can't be. You either are going to be at that level and be a wrestling superstar, or you will be nothing."

Many might find Baliyan Akki's comments a little perplexing, but he elaborated on his views by highlighting the Indian culture which, unfortunately, does not get behind its underdogs.

Baliyan noted that people in India "champion champions" and only pay attention to somebody once they succeed. The arduous journey that athletes take means nothing to the fans until someone wins a gold medal or bags an accolade in their respective sporting discipline.

Akki said the same ideology applied to pro wrestling in India, as the fanbase has yet to see a genuine celebrity captivate the audience and convince them about its merits.

"We are a country that hates underdogs. We don't like underdogs, which is weird because every other country does. America does. The UK does. Japan does. But we champion champions. We don't give a sh** about you when you're working hard. Get a gold medal; then we'll give you money and fame. Until you get the gold medal, you are sh** to us. When you're working hard, nobody bats an eye on you."

Baliyan Akki reveals why Indian wrestling stars need to be proficient on the microphone, including Hindi promos

History has taught us that Indian talents are often given stereotypical roles in big companies like WWE. Baliyan Akki is hopeful that a star will come along and change that perception by pandering to modern-day India.

Akki spoke about a scenario where an intelligent and gifted pro wrestler does get picked up by WWE and is allowed to go down their desired path. While character plays an important role, Baliyan said that an Indian wrestler needs to have a command over promos both in English and Hindi.

Akki went on to dissect the differences between English and India's regional languages and revealed how Hindi was "very personal" while also giving a pretty incredible example to convey his point:

"Let's just say WWE picks somebody and backs him, really lets him, and he's smart. He can speak, the microphone. And not just in English; if you want to win India's heart, you need Hindi and regional languages. You can reach most of India in English, at least the people who really listen; you can reach them. English, to us, is impersonal. I can say 'love you' to you like it means nothing. I can say, 'I love you, bro,' even though we just met three minutes ago. Try saying, 'Main tumse pyar karta hu.' How hard does it hit? Hindi is a very personal language."

In case you haven't checked it out, Sportskeeda's Riju Dasgupta spoke to Bollywood star Sharman Joshi, who talked about Hulk Hogan, Gunther, and many other exciting topics. You can check out the full interview above.