WWE trying to tap into India popularity
DUBAI:Professional wrestling has had a long-standing connection with India. Back in 1996, the then World Wrestling Federation (WWF) had organised their first show in India - a huge hit.
World Wrestling Entertainment’s (WWE) popularity hasn’t waned in India. From TV ratings to fan following, WWE has always enjoyed good support in India and according to WWE executive vice president Ed Wells, that is the main reason why the Indian market is a huge priority for the company.
“We have a long relationship with India and are trying to tap into the popularity of WWE in the country. We have dedicated a lot of resources to the promotion of the sport and at present, India is certainly a priority for us,” said Wells here on Friday.
In 2016, WWE organised a twoday event in New Delhi which featured some big names. Last year, they partnered Ten Sports in launching a TV content packaged specially for the Indian audience.
But, the biggest issue when it came to the Indian market was the absence of talents from the country. Till some years back, only Dalip Singh Rana (also known as The Great Khali) had made it big.
However, that has changed in the recent past with the addition of two local talents - Lovepreet Sangha and Satender Dagar. The company are also holding tryouts in Dubai right now which features ten Indian talents. According to Wells, it is a great chance to add more Indian wrestlers to their roster.
“The Indian participants have been quite impressive in the tryouts so far and I believe that some of them will be joining us shortly. We found Lovepreet (Sangha) in the Dubai tryouts two years ago and I think that this time will also give us some good talents from India,” he said.