Everything you need to know about the PWL

The first and largest initiative of its kind, the Pro-Wrestling League kicks off in full swing from December 10th 2015Following in the footsteps of cricket, football and tennis, wrestling is on the cusp of rediscovering its mojo in a big way in India.However in order to justify the integrity of the sport, perhaps it would be more appropriate to state that it was cricket, football and tennis that followed in the footsteps of wrestling, as the sport is richly steeped in Indian tradition and bears every indication of bearing mythological significance as well.Right from the times of the Mahabharat, it has been reflected in our mythological lore that the heroes that be were skilled in the art of wrestling; owing to the passage of time and advent of modern sports it has perhaps taken a back seat in an otherwise cricket and football crazy nation, but wrestling is an art form that has patiently bided its time, waiting in the wings but far from forgotten in rural India.Run as ‘Dangals’ in the sand dunes or ‘Akharas’, wrestling has doggedly awaited its renaissance, hidden away from the media’s intent gaze and glitzy lights, but undoubtedly surviving as one of the oldest forms of combat sports that was embraced not only in our culture, but throughout a myriad of cultures over the world.It’s head reared intermittently into the spotlight in 2008 after Sushil Kumar’s bronze medal in the Olympic Games, but has enjoyed more sustained attention thereafter given his Silver medal in the subsequent Games coupled with Jogeshwar Dutt’s Bronze.Today, however, wrestling is ready to make a lasting impact on the international mainstream sports hub that India is fast turning into with the inaugural Pro-Wrestling League, the world’s most lucrative initiative of its kind all set to take flight.Boasting of 6 city-based franchise teams, the event is set to reimburse the participant wrestlers from all over the globe with well over $3 Million in prize money and appearance fees.Having made a habit of setting up cash-rich leagues to spark off interest and initiative in different sports in India, wrestling looks set to be re-launched in a telling manner in India with the Pro-Wrestling League kicking off this December 10th.With the countdown clock to the event reflecting little more than 4 days left, here is everything you need to know about the PWL.

#1 The Teams

Yesteryear movie star Dharmendra has a stake in the Punjab Royals team, and is seen here with his fellow investors

As 6 city-based franchisee teams take to the mat in the inaugural edition of the PWL, with Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab, Mumbai and Bengaluru the states being represented, the format of the bidding process has ensured that each team would comprise of a healthy mix between Indian stars and quality International representation.

Delhi Veer, Bangalore Yodhaha, CDR Punjab Royals, UP Warriors, Haryana Hammers and Mumbaiche Garude have seen their ranks meticulously filled up by their respective owners with not just the biggest names in wrestling, but also the most tactically astute signings that each team feels would give them the edge in the inaugural wrestling extravaganza.

While the auction to determine the teams saw some surprising valuations, the huge money that has gone into making the PWL a reality, ideally serves to further the mainstream appeal and media reach of the event.

#2 The format

With Sony purchasing the exclusive broadcasting rights of the PWL, audiences can watch the action in any of the 3 channels at 7 pm daily

Starting on December 10^th, the breathless action continues every day at 7 pm on Sony Max and Sony Six until 27^th December, with each of the six franchises playing each other once including at least one match-up at the home venue for each franchise.

With each team consisting of 9 wrestlers, split either as 5 men and 4 women, or as 5 Indians and 4 International stars, the format of the competition will feature a total of 18 ties – 15 in the league phase, 2 as the semi-finals and 1 grand finale – conforming to PWL rules that have been derived off the United World Wrestling and Wrestling Federation of India rulebooks.

With the PWL guaranteeing a minimum of at least 150 bouts, pan-Indian audiences can rest assured that the upcoming tournament will provide them with their fill of wrestling action right at their doorsteps.

#3 The Icon players

Interest in wrestling has been heavily re-ignited in India on the back of Sushil Kumar’s success at the highest level

While the poster-boy for wrestling in India, Sushil Kumar, was snapped up by the Uttar Pradesh franchise as their Icon player, fellow Olympic medal winner Yogeshwar Dutt was prized away by his hometown franchise of Haryana for a whopping Rs.39.70 Lakhs to make waves in the media as the costliest Indian wrestler.

Much like the McMahons, von Erichs or the Anoa’i families in the USA that have wrestling immersed in their blood, India’s very own linear wrestling family that has produced 3 women wrestlers who have gone on to represent the country, rightfully sees the apple of its eye Geeta Phogat, who incidentally is also the first ever female Indian wrestler to have qualified for the Olympics, snaffled up by the Punjab franchise as its Icon player.

Narsingh Yadav, winner of the Gold medal in the 2010 Commonwealth Games for the 74KG freestyle category, also saw his stock rise considerably with the Bangalore franchise fighting off keen interest from 4 other franchises and finally picking him up for Rs.34.50 Lakhs.

Adeline Grey from the USA, who has consecutively been on the podium of the World Championships for 5 years, winning 3 times including back to back golds in 2014 and 2015, will don the colours of Mumbaiche Garude as its marquee signing.

25-year-old Swede Sofia Mattison, ranked as the World number 2 in the 53Kg category, sees her front-runner tag as the girl to beat in her weight class further confirmed after being bought by the Delhi Veer as their showcase wrestler.

Although only allowed one Icon player per franchise, the Rs.41.30 Lakh auction bid that the 2015 World Championship Gold medalist Oksana Herhel commanded from the Haryana franchise remains the largest bid for any single wrestler, man or woman, and is truly indicative of the fact that stereotyping wrestling as a man’s sport is firmly becoming a thing of the past even in India.

#4 Venues

The PWL’s itinerary means that audiences around the country will get to see India’s favourite sons and daughters of the sport in action

Kicking off in Delhi on December 10th, the PWL travels from city to city once every 2 or 3 days, before arriving at Delhi again for the final leg of the tournament that includes the 2 semi-final match-ups and the grand finale.

After spending 3 days from 10th to the 12th of December in Delhi, the tournament moves to Ludhiana in Punjab for the same duration before traversing across to Gurgaon in Haryana, Noida in Uttar Pradesh, Mumbai and Bangalore in that order.

Such is the nature of the tournament format that audiences will get to see their home team participate in the first match-up on the first day of each leg of the tournament, before the semi-finals and finals transpiring from the 25th to the 27th of December sees the PWL complete its circuitous sojourn at Delhi again.

Not only will the audiences in the cities involved get to see their home team compete, but the format of the match-ups has ensured that most of the other city-based teams would also ideally compete at each stop.

In an initiative that is surely the first of its kind, the PWL sees 20 Olympic medallists strut their stuff in a unified league and furthermore brings the action right to your doorstep with a well thought out itinerary as well.

As the IPL followed by the ISL have proven by now, a league that features a mixture of Indian and International talent can only serve to elevate the standard and reach of the respective sport in the country and there seems to be no reason why the Pro-Wrestling league should not follow suit for one of India’s and indeed, the world’s most ancient forms of competition that is wrestling.