WWE has always welcomed burly grapplers with arms wide open and when they are hailing from India, the love for the wrestlers goes a notch higher, especially from the entrance themes to rugged battles in the ring. May it be Jinder Mahal or the Great Khali, the Indians have always put up a show. The latest addition to this list is none other than Veer Mahan.
However, the man whom you see in the wrestling ring is a much-evolved version. He went through crazy transformations, not only in appearances and gimmicks but also in the choice of sport, that would eventually culminate into the biggest entertainment business in the history of wrestling.
As Veer Mahan lays down a trail of carnage in his wake, here are five things that you must know about the big man from Uttar Pradesh who now aspires a shot at the iconic WWE title.
#1 A quick background
His actual name is Rinku Singh Rajput. Despite making all the right noises now, he has been born out of poverty as his father was a truck driver in Gopiganj, Uttar Pradesh.
Singh had eight other siblings who dwelt in the same house. He is also an alumnus of the Guru Gobind Singh Sports College.
#2 Early knacks
He had a sturdy knack for cricket and javelin. In fact, he even went on to win a junior national medal in Javelin.
There was one thing that Mahan always had about him and it was whatever he burnt his hand in, he had to be amazing at it.
#3 Rise to stardom
In 2008, Veer participated in a reality show called the Million Dollar Arm that was conducted by American sports agent J.B. Bernstein and his partners, Ash Vasudevan and Will Chang with the intent of finding a pitcher who can conjure insane speeds while pitching.
In a completely new sport for Mahan, he would go on to beat 37000 participants to bag the winner’s award as he pitched at a stormy 87 miles per hour. This led to the creation of a silver screen masterpiece called the “Man with the Million Dollar Arm”.
#4 Career in Baseball
Veer started hurling those balls at an insane 92 miles per hour, that was no joke for any reputed pitcher. The Pittsburgh Pirates scouts Joe Ferrone and Sean Campbell were impressed with his Mahan’s performances and they decided to bring him in. He made his professional debut, becoming the first-ever Indian to appear in the professional American baseball game, pitching the 7th inning, striking the solitary batter that he was up against.
He would eventually end the season with 1-2 record and an ERA of 5.84 from 11 games. His career would then spread well with him doing the rounds of Pirates GCL affiliate, State College Spikes, Canberra Cavalry, West Virginia Power and Adelaide Bite. It would eventually be a broken elbow that would put a full stop to his baseball career.
#5 WWE
While pondering over his alternative career choices, he would eventually stumble across the potential option of wrestling and would start working accordingly. On January 14, 2018, he signed a contract with WWE. On 31st May 2018, he made his first ring appearance in a loss against Kassius Ohno. He would then join forces with Saurav Gurjar as Indus Sher would go on to defeat Ever-Rise in their debut match.
They would continue the rampage with wins against Mike Reed and Mikey Delbrey. They would also issue a word of caution for Oney Lorcan and Danny Burch. Ever since his arrival on the main roster of WWE, where he would team up with Saurav and Drew McIntyre to defeat Jinder Mahal, it has been a wreckage of bodies.
