INDIA’S FIRST EVER WWE TRYOUTS BROUGHT FORTH SENSATIONAL TALENT FROM ACROSS THE COUNTRY
Held from 2nd– 5th March 2019 in Mumbai, the tryouts brought together around 80 participants including around 20 women participants.
An incredible once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for athletes and fitness enthusiasts in our country, India’s first ever WWE Tryouts saw a variety of participants from across the country put their best foot forward in the hopes of becoming the next WWE Superstar. Over three months, WWE received volumes of applications on its online portal with talent from across the country.
To further aid in this selection process, SVP of Talent Development – Canyon Ceman along with India’s first ever female WWE talent Kavita Devi visited the cities of Rohtak, Chandigarh and Delhi, travelling to Akhadas and training schools to source the best of the best – bringing with them 80 participants from across the country to Mumbai for the final round.
From the north east to the southern tips of the country, around 80 participants consisting of close to 60 men and around 20 women were sourced from a talent pool consisting of elite performers with a diverse background in sports and athletics including kushti, kabaddi, wrestling, basketball, combat sports, cricket and bodybuilding. With Talent holding heights from 7’5 to 5’5, we saw individuals of different age groups, cities and backgrounds with unbelievable skill, passion and energy.
To support the aspiring participants, WWE had its international and Local NXT talent fly down to get them pumped and excited for the four days in Mumbai. The Five-time tag team champions ‘The New Day’, and Local NXT talent pool of Kavita Devi, Jeet Rama, Saurav Gurjar and Rinku Singh and Jinny Sadhu were in Mumbai to cheer them on. Sharing with them key learnings and experiences, our WWE Talent trained, guided and geared the participants up for the road ahead.
“With 90 million Indians tuning into their platforms every week, WWE India has the largest fanbase in the world and hence the Tryouts were a historic event in our country. India has some fantastic talent potential and the Tryouts have truly been a catalyst to consolidating India’s potential and visibility on a global scale.” said Sheetesh Srivastava, WWE VP and General Manager, South Asia.
Also speaking on the recently concluded Tryouts was WWE SVP Talent and Development, Canyon Ceman who said “We were absolutely overwhelmed with the response and the enthusiasm we received when we announced the Tryouts in December. The sheer volume of applications received were incredible and the talent and diversity we have seen thus far has been outstanding. We have definitely found talent here that we want to bring onboard and you will hear about this mighty soon”.
Ending a tremendous note, the Tryouts also had Live show Matches on 5th March 2019, which featured Local NXT Talent of Kavita Devi V/s Jinny Sadhu and Rinku Singh and Saurav Gurjar V/s Jeet Rama. The participants were pumped and await the final calls from WWE to seal their fate. Stay tuned for more….
