WWE News: Indian TV Actor signs developmental contract with WWE
What's the story?
Indian TV actor and kickboxer, Saurav Gurjar has signed a 3-year developmental contract with WWE.
In case you didn't know
The Indian actor, known for his portrayal of Bheem in TV serial Mahabharata was a kickboxer before joining the TV industry. He competed on various regional and national level kickboxing championships before stepping into professional wrestling. Saurav kicked off his pro wrestling journey with Impact Wrestling's Indian project, Ring Ka King in 2011 under the moniker Deadly Danda.
Saurav was a part of WWE tryouts which held at Dubai in May 2017.
The heart of the matter
Speaking to an interview at an event at Venus Public School in Gwalior on 4 January, the actor disclosed about his deal with WWE. He revealed that he signed a 3-year developmental contract with WWE.
As published in Times of India, Saurav revealed about his childhood dream of becoming a WWE star and his struggle in making it come true.
"It had been a dream of mine since childhood to be a WWE wrestler. I am from the Chambal valley, where kids usually have two options - to join politics or the sand mafia. But I always wanted to be a professional wrestler. Everything that happened in between - sports, acting - was by chance. I did enjoy all that success par hamesha lagta tha ki yeh meri manzil nahi hai."
He further mentioned that India is a land of champion wrestlers for a long time.
"I don't agree that India has recently started producing top wrestlers. Hindustan ka zamana toh hamesha se hi raha hai. Be it the Great Gama or Dara Singh, India has always produced great wrestlers. Bas ab visibility badh gayi hai. It's great that WWE has so many Indian faces like Jinder Mahal, Kavita Devi, etc. It will be a motivation for me to compete with them and carve a name for myself."
What's next?
Saurav Gurjar is the latest Indian entry in the WWE's developmental project after former MLB star Rinku Singh. Currently training for the developmental project, Gurjar is yet to compete for the big titles in WWE.
Author's take
WWE is currently trying to strengthen and expand its business in India. WWE Network launching in India and other several ventures by WWE reflect that WWE is having good plans for the Indian audience.
With another Indian, former MLB star Rinku Singh in the developmental stage, Gurjar can come up with a Tag team and aim at Tag team championship in future.