Jinder Mahal, a former WWE champion who goes by Raj Dhesi in the ring, has criticised the organisation for lacking any South Asian athletes on its roster.
Speaking at the For the Love of Wrestling event, Dhesi, one of the most prominent Indian-origin WWE talents, recently discussed the value of representation. He lamented the absence of South Asian wrestlers from the WWE roster.
“There were no South Asians on television while I was growing up. Apu [from the “Simpsons”) was our only representative [laughs]. Regretfully, that is the reality. We had stereotypical characters, such as a tech nerd or a petrol station employee, but no one else. I didn’t have someone with whom I could identify when I was growing up, so it’s critical that we discuss this and emphasise the value of motivating the future generation of wrestlers. Even though we’ve already made a lot of progress, we still have more to do. There is a big problem with the fact that there are now no South Asians in WWE, “Raw,” “NXT,” or “SmackDown,” the former WWE star stated. But the system cannot be held responsible. We must get up ourselves. We must and will raise ourselves to that level.
Other South Asian wrestlers like Tiger Jeet Singh, Dara Singh, and The Great Khali have made significant contributions to professional wrestling, Dhesi said with pride. He said that he and his contemporaries, including Shanky, Veer, and The Singh Brothers, were influenced by the late Dara Singh, who was admitted into the WWE Hall of Fame’s Legacy wing in 2018.
There are now very few Indian ancestry wrestlers in professional wrestling; Shera competed a couple times on TNA Wrestling last year, while AEW boasts competitors like Sonjay Dutt and Satnam Singh. Shanky was fired by WWE in 2023, and Dhesi, Veer, and Sanga were released last year.
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