When The Great Khali made his debut on World Wrestling Entertainment, it was not only a shining moment for the Punjabi fighter, but was a glorious moment for all those who had been waiting for that day since forever. With WWE as the platform and the worldwide recognition, it is a dream-come-true for anyone who is part of the wrestling industry.
Twenty eight year old lovepreet Sangha felt the same rush of emotions when he when he was selected among 40 contestants to be part of the live WWE event happening in the Capital on January 15 and 16. Sangha who was earlier a Kabaddi league champion shared, “We won the Kabaddi league, and I think there is nothing to be done in kabaddi more than that. In 2104, somebody told me that the interviews are happening for WWE and Vince McMahon, the director, liked me and said that he wanted to see me at the physical trials that were happening in Dubai. That time I was in England. I flew to Dubai and did well, and that’s when they signed me in,” he shared while raising his eyebrows.
Sangha, who has been undergoing training for the past seven to nine months explained that it is more difficult than it looks. “It is very difficult as you have to undergo a lot of physical training. While you are giving your trial, the one thing that they look for is your limit. There were around 40 guys and some of them were from the Middle East. All of them were from different backgrounds and some of them were fighters, boxers and rugby players. Surprisingly, there were only 13 Indians and they chose only two,” he said.
The Haryana boy added, “During the training session, you have to devote three hours to cardio and then have a lunch break. Afterwards, you spend your day in the gym, working hard and after all the physical workout, you have a show at 11 in the night. You finish your day past midnight and start working on the same schedule from the next day.”
As Khali was the last fighter to be seen on the WWE stage, we asked Sangha if he wishes to become the next great fighterIJ “WWE happened because someone told me about the trials and I hope that I go beyond and become a bigger name,” he said.
We asked him repeatedly if he could feel it sinking in that he is part of the world’s biggest entertainment industry. And, he with an honest smile replied, “I am very happy. I am working hard, I can’t say anything right now. But, let’s see what happens. The best part is that I have a huge fan following in India and this will work in my favour.”
The wrestler's ring name has not been decided yet but some of the names that are being hinted include Kishan Raftar, Raja Rishi.
photos Sanjeev Kumar