WWE is pushing Jindal Mahal as its top contender for the WWE World Title for one reason – money. While I thought the idea of giving the former MB3 member a run toward the top of the company pecking order was because of his recent work in the ring, my assumption was only part right.
WWE is looking to expand its coverage in India and is using the win by Mahal in the “6-Pack Challenge” as an olive branch. The company has had successful tours in the UK and overseas in the past and are now possibly looking to add more attention to other countries.
According to a story on stillrealtous.com, They are looking to capitalize on the Indian fanb ase who love pro wrestling and could bring a lot more money to the company. WWE recently opened up a WWE Shop in India as well. Therefore, you shouldn’t be surprised to see Jinder Mahal merchandise pop up soon.
It’s been reported before in The Observer that Impact Wrestling already does great business in India. They air on Sony SIX and it is the company’s highest paid TV deal. Impact Wrestling is also planning a big tour overseas as well. WWE airs its programming on India’s TEN2 channel, so they see direct competition over there.
Competition is something WWE has lacked since the company bought WCW and ECW and merged the three into a conglomerate. While TNA, ROH and Global Force have done work in the Middle East, this is a new experience for Vince McMahon’s brand.
“If you factor in the recent hiring of Sheetesh Srivastava as Vice President and General Manager of WWE’s offices in India it shouldn’t be a surprise why they’re making big moves. Srivastava knows how to move product coming from Disney.”
Coincidentally, Disney owns ESPN which helped expend coverage of WWE over the past year.
WWE is bringing up the Bollywood Boys with the same intension. There is also news WWE has also been in talks with Indian Olympic silver medalist Sushil Kumar as well.
The thought is if the company can bring in popular talent and sign them to contracts, this would help gain attention overseas.