It is an overcast morning when Team Sportskeeda Wrestling sets out for Film City in Mumbai. This was at the same location where we first ran into Vinayak Sodhi, at the much-publicized Impact tapings. Sodhi had introduced himself as the promoter of Indian wrestling promotion Wrestle Square, and we had, in turn, asked him to stay in touch and keep us informed about the events that they would be hosting. Sodhi certainly did stay in touch and invited us to a very different kind of wrestling event.
Sodhi informed us that they would be hosting perhaps the first ever ladder match that India has seen, at a reality show for a popular television channel. Their wrestling talents would be pitted against dancers, musicians, and acrobats and be judged (as we would learn later) by popular Indian rapper- Badshah. For the purpose of the show, they had created a new set of titles- The Television Tag Championships. We were invited on set, and immediately learned that the platform would not be conducive for professional wrestling.
The outcome was inevitable if you consider the nature of the program. The wrestlers put on a showcase, which was not just formidable for a promising Indian promotion but quite honestly was a really good tag team ladder match. However, their competition, two children with impressive athletic ability (who were great in their own right) balanced themselves, one atop the other to a popular Bollywood dance track, and immediately won the judges over, with their innocence and their boyish charm.
The hosts, while respectful towards the competitors in the promotion, even got the name of the promotion wrong, calling it ‘Wrestling Square’, even after multiple takes. To make matters worse, Sodhi sent us a text message the night the show was supposed to be aired, saying that they had been shelved from the episode they had spent time and money to be a part of and had been subsequently replaced by dance and music acts.
We caught up with the quintet pictured above at the conclusion of their show, dejected and disappointed, and despite the outcome, these men were as enthused as ever, considering this merely a roadblock. One of the many that they would face, in their professional wrestling career.
Top heel of Wrestle Square and high flier, Baliyan Akki leads the charge as he introduces the brand- “I’ve interacted with many wrestlers from outside the country and the first thing that they’re surprised about is the fact that there’s a wrestling scene in India. Moreover, they are surprised when they see homegrown Indian professional wrestlers.” Sodhi adds- “We have all been professional wrestling fans from the very start, and we pooled in our knowledge and expertise to host a show in Jaipur, Rajasthan in February 2015. The audience response was fabulous and we thought to ourselves, that if we can get a standing ovation at our very first show, how far can we really go, in due time?”
Akki explains his gimmick- “I know I am better than my opponent in the ring. However, when the audience cheers for my opponent, I feel jealous. I love jealousy as an emotion, and love the process of going from a cocky feeling to one that is filled with rage.”
An ardent fan of Katsuyori Shibata from New Japan Pro Wrestling, Akki loves the art of storytelling in a match. Malkeet Brawler adds his two cents- “In my opinion, wrestling should change with the location. Much of India believes that wrestling is real and we’ve all heard urban legends about The Undertaker stopping a train in its tracks, as children. This is why all of us in Wrestle Square prefer the strong style that is synonymous with Japan for the Indian audience than the softer style of the west.”
While the wrestlers may not have persevered in the episode, Malkeet had a chance to bodyslam Badshah to the mat, something he's visibly quite proud of, and says is something that may get him noticed in various media circles. Shaka, the oldest wrestler in the group (at the age of 45) chimes in and adds how much he enjoys playing a heel, considering it gets one beaten up in India. He has been attacked with pipes and chairs in the past, at various events. The top babyface of the promotion, Deep Randhawa, who is visibly banged up after the event says that he’s never been attacked, as he’s never really played a heel through his career.
Sodhi’s interest in professional wrestling began when he first played WWE themed cards with his grandparents and discovered the product on television. He had an intuition to develop and grow it. He adds- “We are independent wrestlers because we have no financers, no support and yet we have hosted the most number of events in India, whether or not people are aware of our existence even now! Sponsors are scared of investing in wrestling shows because it involves fighting and could very well involve injuries and broken bones.”
He ends with a punch- “I believe that if we have to organise a show on a big scale, we can give WWE a run for its money.”
So why choose to wrestle at a reality show then? Akki says- “When I first heard that we would be part of a reality show, I was not interested at all. Reality shows are fundamentally different from what we do. We thrive on an authentic wrestling crowd that has come to visit the show and enjoy our performance. I don't enjoy reality skits because I am a fan of storytelling. We were told that we have a maximum of 5 minutes at the show to perform.”
Shaka chimes in- “How do you develop a character in that case? How do you tell stories then?”
The Wrestle Square saga is far from over, as these part-time professional wrestlers look into the future and thank us for our time. To them, an interview with us, that genuine wrestling fans will read means far more than a reality show.
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