What’s the story?
WWE has posted a video of Indian kickboxer-turned-actor Saurav Gurjar who was part of the recent tryouts in Dubai.
The 6’8” 300-pound giant expressed his desire to compete in the WWE and revealed that professional wrestling legend Kane was his idol.
In case you didn’t know...
Saurav Gurjar competed in the sport of kickboxing winning several titles at the regional and national level, following which he took to professional wrestling in the Ring Ka King promotion (an Indian pro-wrestling venture that was backed by Impact Wrestling).
The 31-year old Gurjar wrestled under the ring name Deadly Danda in Ring Ka King back in 2011. He has also starred in the popular Indian television shows Mahabharat, as Bheem, and Sankatmochan Mahabali Hanuman, as Ravan and Vali.
Also read: 10 top-tier names that could still sign with WWE in 2017
The heart of the matter
The WWE recently held tryouts in Dubai, and as we had previously reported, several athletes with backgrounds in martial arts, bodybuilding, etc. participated in hopes of making the cut as a WWE rookie. Saurav Gurjar joins the long list of Indian athletes to have been promoted by WWE, courtesy their appearance at the Dubai tryouts. Gurjar can be seen cutting a promo and showcasing his ring skills in the video posted by WWE
Here’s a transcript of the same:
“My name is Saurav Singh Gurjar. I’m from Gwalior, India. My background (is)---I’m a professional kickboxer. I’m a 4-time national champion, after which I moved to television (TV industry in India). I’ve already done 2 TV shows in India, very popular TV shows. I’ve always watched WWE.
I’m a very big fan of Kane. So this (competing in WWE) is my dream. I’m always trying for (jobs) in television and kick-boxing, but my focus is always WWE. I’m very famous in India, but I don’t want money. I don’t want fame. I want my dream.” (*H/T to Sportskeeda for the transcription*)
What’s next?
Saurav Singh Gurjar is yet to be signed by WWE. The promotion will reveal if and when it intends to sign the Indian giant in the days to come.
Author’s take
Saurav Singh Gurjar is one of the more athletic big men in professional wrestling today and has a legitimate combat sports background having won several kickboxing competitions in the regional and national circuit in his homeland, India.
His mic skills aren’t too bad either especially when you consider his experience in the television industry in India; however, his English might need a bit of work if he is to ascend to the top of the food chain in WWE- a company whose target audience comprises primarily native English speakers. It’ll be interesting to see whether or not WWE signs the Indian giant.
Send us news tips at [email protected]
