Jinder, Kavita create WWE history

NEWORLEANS: It was a great day for India at Wrestlemania 34 as Jinder Mahal won the WWE United Championship while Kavita Devi became the first Indian woman in the main draw as she fought in the first-ever Women’s Battle Royal encounter.

Kavita, who was a champion powerlifter and the first Indian woman to sign with WWE, was among the NXT superstars who appeared in the Battle Royal. Dressed in her iconic salwar kameez, she produced a good performance on her debut and was able to outlast a majority of her opponents.

Jinder continued his impressive run as he became the first Indian-origin wrestler to claim the US title. He overcame the odds in a four-way match to beat Randy Orton, Bobby Roode and Rusev to add another feather to his cap. He won the WWE Championship last year before losing to current champions AJ Styles in November. Jinder delivered one of his classic promos after the victory as he hailed the Indian WWE fans for their support and said that he will be ‘ruling’ the division.

While Indian wrestlers reigned supreme at the Mercedes Benz Superdome, it was not a pleasant outing for their Japanese counterparts. Both Shinshuke Nakamura and Asuka, who made their Wrestlemania debut, were unsuccessful.

Shinshuke Nakamura produced a brilliant performance but it was not enough as AJ Styles retained the WWE Championship. The match was able to live up to the hype surrounding it but the post-match attack from Nakamura left t he crowd stunned.

Asuka’s impressive winning streak came to an end at the hands of Charlotte Flair.