After Great Khali and Jinder Mahal, another Indian will be seen doing ‘dhamal’ in the WWE ring. Kavita Devi will be join the women’s division of the WWE. She is the first Indian women wrestler to sign for the company.
Kavita, who was part of the WWE’s Mae Young classic tournament, has made history by becoming the first ever woman wrestler from India to be awarded a WWE developmental contract. The announcement was made by WWE Champion Jinder Mahal during his visit to Delhi.
Devi is an accomplished power-lifter who won gold at the 2016 South Asian Games, representing India. Devi also has the distinction of being the first Indian woman to compete in a WWE ring, during her participation in the Mae Young Classic. A former Kabaddi player in high school, Devi learned her ring skills from her mentor, former WWE World Heavyweight Champion The Great Khali (Dalip Singh Rana). She is expected to begin training at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida this January.
Kavita became well-known to WWE fans after a video of the salwar-kameez clad Indian woman wrestler battling in the WWE ring went viral recently.
“It was a privilege to be the first Indian woman to compete in WWE,” said Devi. “Participating in the Mae Young Classic with some of the best female performers in the world was a great learning experience. Now I am looking forward to pursuing my dream of becoming the first WWE Women’s Champion from India.”
Mahal, known as The Modern Day Maharaja, extended his best wishes for Devi. “I’m extremely proud to welcome Kavita to WWE where she now has a great opportunity to become India’s first female WWE Superstar. She is an inspiration to the youth of India and I wish nothing but success for her.”
In another first for WWE’s women’s evolution, WWE also announced in Dubai that Shadia Bseiso from Jordan becomes the first Arab woman from the Middle East to sign a WWE developmental contract.
“Recruiting Kavita and Shadia to join our developmental system underscores WWE’s ongoing commitment to building a talent roster as diverse as our fan base,” said Paul Levesque aka Triple H, WWE executive vice president of talent, live events and creative. “We’re confident Kavita and Shadia will inspire future WWE superstars.”