WWE in India

WWE, an American professional wrestling promotion based in Stamford, Connecticut in the United States has been promoting events in India since 1996 when they were the World Wrestling Federation.

WWE in India
Created byVince McMahon
Promotion(s)WWE
Brand(s)Raw
SmackDown
First event1996 tour

History

WWE first toured the country in 1996.[1] The next time WWE came to India was in November 2002, visiting New Delhi, Mumbai and Banglore.[2] The company returned to New Delhi in January 2016 for the two days event what was the first WWE event in India in 13 years.[3] Also a special event titled WWE Live India Supershow was held on 9 December 2017 in New Delhi.

In January 2019 Triple H stated that the WWE will eventually open a performance center in India.[4] Two months later, the first ever WWE tryouts in India were held, in which 60 men and 20 women were shortlisted.[5][6]

Beginning in 2019, an Indian edition of WWE Now was launched on WWE's YouTube channel and other social media platforms hosted by Gaelyn Mendonca.[7]

A number of WWE superstars have also visited India as part of promotional tours.

Superstar Year
John Cena 2006[8]
Kane 2009[9][10]
Mark Henry 2015[11][12]
Alberto Del Rio 2016[13][14]
Kofi Kingston and Big E 2017[15]
Triple H 2017[16][17]
Matt Hardy 2018[18]
The New Day, Kavita Devi, Jeet Rama, Saurav Gurjar, Rinku Singh and Jinny Sadhu 2019[6][19]
Charlotte Flair 2019[20]

Events in India
Raw-branded event
DateNameVenueCityMain event
3 February 1996[1]WWF Tour of IndiaN/ABangalore, KarnatakaBret Hart vs. Tatanka for the WWF World Heavyweight Championship
22 November 2002[1][2]WWE Raw Tour of IndiaJawaharlal Nehru StadiumNew DelhiKane vs. Test
23 November 2002[1][2]MMRDA GroundsMumbai, MaharashtraChris Jericho & Christian vs. Rob Van Dam & Jeff Hardy
24 November 2002[1][2]Palace GroundsBangalore, KarnatakaKane vs. Chris Jericho
15 January 2016[3]WWE Live Tour India 2016Indira Gandhi Indoor StadiumNew DelhiRoman Reigns vs. Big Show
16 January 2016[3]Roman Reigns vs. Rusev
9 December 2017[21]WWE Live India SupershowTriple H vs. Jinder Mahal[22][23]

Television series

WWE produced several Television series for Indian audience. WWE also started airing live telecast of Raw and SamackDown in Hindi since 27 February 2018.[24]

WWE 24X7, a show that was catered to the children's demographic in India. The show aired matches from WWE library and premiered on 7 May 2007 on Jetix in India.[25]

For the next 8 years, WWE had no television in Indian until Raw Sunday Dhamaal debuted, which ran from 2015-2017. The show was a recap and talk show, available in both Hindi and English, the program aired exclusively in India and the Arab world. It was replaced in 2017 by WWE Sunday Dhamaal,[26] which airs in English on Sony Ten network and in Hindi on Sony Max.[26][27]

Also from 2015-2017, Action Mania, a recap show produced by WWE, aired on Zee Cinema in Hindi exclusively in India.[28]

Other shows

Several WWE superstars made special appearances in various shows during their promotional tour in India. Jinder Mahal appeared in an episode of Sony SAB's sitcom Sajan Re Phir Jhooth Mat Bolo in 2017,[29] Kofi Kingston and Big E appeared on the 10 May 2017 episode of Extraaa Innings T20[30] while Matt Hardy made a special appearance in singing reality show Indian Idol in 2018.[31]

Indian flag controversy

An episode of Sunday Night Heat was criticized for a segment featuring Kurt Angle and Tiger Ali Singh in which Angle blew his nose in the Indian flag.[32] In 2016 a group Aadvanshi Veer Sena threatened to protest against the company's tour unless they apologize. Gerrit Meier, Executive Vice President of WWE International apologized for the incident saying "This case is about 20-years-ago and we did not deliberately did that. We have a great respect for the country,".[33]

References
  1. "WWE to tour India for first time since 1996". Indian Television Dot Com. October 11, 2002.
  2. "The World Wrestling Entertainment- RAW Tour of India - Times of India". The Times of India.
  3. "WWE Live India tour 2016: Complete schedule, fixtures, dates, venue, TV listings and how to buy tickets online". International Business Times, India Edition. January 13, 2016.
  4. "Triple H: "I Can Say With Certainty That There Will Be A Performance Center In India" | Fightful Wrestling". www.fightful.com. Retrieved 2019-09-20.
  5. "WWE to hold first-ever talent tryout in India". WWE.
  6. "WWE hold first-ever tryouts in India: 60 men and 20 women shortlisted". India Today. Ist.
  7. Dhyani, Kunal (March 7, 2019). "WWE presents a new series made just for the WWE Universe in India".
  8. "Wrestling superstar to visit India". www.rediff.com.
  9. "Akki meets his match in Kane". Hindustan Times. June 11, 2009.
  10. "Kane's visit to India". WWE.
  11. "Mark Henry visits the WWE Universe in India: photos". WWE.
  12. "There is definitely going to be Indian presence in the WWE: Mark Henry". Deccan Chronicle. August 31, 2015.
  13. "Photos: Del Rio touches down in India's 'Silicon Valley'". WWE.
  14. "WWE superstar Alberto Del Rio to visit India". Hindustan Times. July 4, 2016.
  15. "Photos: Cheers! Kofi Kingston, Big E go Bollywood in Mumbai, India". WWE.
  16. "India welcomes Triple H". WWE.
  17. "Triple H in India to Finalise WWE Tour; Fans Welcome Him in Style". News18.
  18. "WWE Superstar Matt Hardy to visit India for the first time". November 30, 2018.
  19. "411MANIA". WWE News: New Day Visits India on Promotional Tour, Indian Tryout Pics, Lars Sullivan Looks Back to NXT Debut.
  20. "Exclusive | WWE Star Charlotte Flair Opens Up on Rivalry-Friendship with Becky Lynch and Why She Can't Resist Indian Food". News18.
  21. "Photos: Triple H battles Jinder Mahal in the biggest match in India's history at New Delhi Supershow". WWE.
  22. "Triple H defeats Jinder Mahal in classic Supershow match in New Delhi". WWE.
  23. "WWE Live India 'Supershow': Full Schedule - Jinder Mahal vs Triple H main event - Times of India ►". The Times of India.
  24. "Watch Raw, SmackDown LIVE in Hindi for the first time". WWE.
  25. "Disney's Jetix launches 'Action Vacation' with WWE superstars". May 2, 2007. Archived from the original on May 17, 2007. Retrieved September 4, 2017.
  26. "Sony MAX to air exclusive new weekly Hindi show, WWE Sunday Dhamaal - Exchange4media". Indian Advertising Media & Marketing News – exchange4media.
  27. "Shenaz to host all-women WWE show".
  28. "Zee Cinema to telecast WWE in Hindi". Indian Television Dot Com. August 29, 2015.
  29. Maharaja, The (October 13, 2017). "Had a great time filming on the set of #SRPJMB on @sabtv . Cant wait to see the episode when it airs. Thanks to the entire cast and crew.pic.twitter.com/Bk2ae0F0Ng".
  30. "WATCH: WWE stars Kofi Kingston, Big E rock in IPL's crossover episode". Zee News. May 10, 2017.
  31. "WWE Star Matt Hardy Strikes a Classical Note on Indian Idol, Stuns Desi Fans". News18.
  32. Saraswat, Akshay (April 8, 2019). "Throwback: When Kurt Angle insulted the Indian Flag". International Business Times, India Edition.
  33. Bureau, ABP News (January 20, 2016). "VIDEO: WWE president apologises for disrespecting Indian flag after 18 years". www.abplive.in.
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