What’s the story?
Professional baseball player Rinku Singh participated in the recent Dubai tryouts organised by WWE. The WWE posted a video promoting the former MLB (Major League Baseball) pitcher, giving fans a brief glimpse of his segment at the recent tryouts.
In case you didn’t know...
Rinku Singh is the first Indian to have ever joined an MLB team and was a pitcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates. He was discovered on the 2008 Million Dollar Arm reality show and is said to have inspired the Hollywood movie Million Dollar Arm.
The 28-year old athlete of Indian origin competed for a couple of seasons in the Pittsburgh Pirates, following which he joined West Virginia Power (the MLB team’s minor league affiliate).
The heart of the matter
Singh returned to India after missing the 2013, 2014 and 2015 seasons owing to injury. He is presently a free agent, and his career as a pitcher may possibly be over owing to a nasty elbow injury he sustained earlier. Fans can check out the video featuring Rinku below:
Is #RinkuSingh about to go from the pitching mound to the squared circle? He shared his in-ring aspirations at @WWE's historic Dubai tryout! pic.twitter.com/eyCa9k3uVY
— WWE (@WWE) May 15, 2017
Singh cites former World Heavyweight champion The Great Khali as his inspiration. WWE has not revealed any details regarding him possibly signing with the promotion for now.
What’s next?
Rinku Singh was part of the Dubai tryouts that saw several accomplished athletes from the Indian sub-continent and the Middle-East showcase their skills on the mat.
The former MLB pitcher intends to compete in the WWE and may very well get that opportunity, given the fact that another competitor of Indian origin, Jinder Mahal, will challenge WWE champion Randy Orton for the promotion’s most prestigious belt this Sunday.
Author’s take
Rinku Singh is young and athletic, and his elbow injury may not hinder the man from giving it his all in the WWE ring.
The dynamics in the sports of professional wrestling and baseball differ, so to speak, and although his career as a baseball pitcher may be all but over, he still has a very realistic chance of making it big in the world’s top pro-wrestling organisation.
