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WHY HAS WRESTLING NOT BECOME MAINSTREAM IN INDIA

By Kendall Jenkins on 1/23/2018 9:02 AM

Why Has Wrestling Not Become Mainstream In India

Big things were expected in the world of wrestling and the WWE in India but things have not got to the levels expected. After the success of former Indian WWE Heavyweight Champion Dalip Singh Rana or as he is better known “The Great Khali” many thought that this would propel the sport into becoming mainstream but things have not turned out like expected.

One of the reasons why Indian wrestling has not taken off is down to the lack of training facilities along with correct training. Without these basic fundamentals, not enough Indian stars are being created and due to its lack of success other than The Great Khali, it has struggled to engage with the young future fans of WWE. It is surprising that it did not fully take off, considering it is still very popular with Indians who live in the UK. New betting sites for UK players have seen an increase in interest over the last few years but sites for Indian players have been in decline.

Another common problem in the sport in India is that too many are turning to performance enhancing drugs rather than putting in the hard work to get to the required level. More needs to be done to combat the use of PEDs in Indian wrestling and a change of mentality is required. By cheating the system they are able to win many medals but then do not concentrate on developing and fully focusing on the sport.

The Great Khali is now 45 years old and it is time for a new star to rise from India to help increase its popularity. Rana in a recent interview called for his countrymen not to use PEDs and to focus instead on great coaching and the best diet. He went on to say that the effect of doping only have a short-term benefit and can greatly damage the chances of long-term success.

The WWE has made The Great Khali extremely rich and he wants to give back to the sport that has given him so much. This is why he runs a wrestling entertainment company (CWE) which is aimed at finding the next Indian WWE stars and provides the platform for them to reach the worldwide stage.

It was hard for The Great Khali to leave back in 2014 but he played an important part in bringing much-needed attention to the WWE in India. The former star soon set up CWE after leaving which is located in Punjab and continues to grow in popularity. If a new Indian WWE star is going to be found, the chances are it will come from here.

If Ronda Rousey joins the WWE it will be interesting to see if the former UFC female champion will be able to attract new fans to the sport. If anyone can she is the one to do it and who knows, maybe she is the one that can help bring the new fans in from India to watch.