Earlier this year, Sportskeeda had reported that India's multiple Olympic medallist, Sushil Kumar, was contemplating whether he should accept a contract offered by WWE, post the entire Rio debacle. According to sources close to the Sushil camp, the 33-year-old grappler has agreed to join the pro-wrestling brand in November later this year.
In October, Sushil had confessed to being offered a contract by several pro-wrestling organisations such as WWE, TNA. Reports suggest that after much deliberation, he will be making his WWE debut as early as November.
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Sources close to Sushil told Sportskeeda, “Ever since getting the offer in October, Sushil didn't really pay attention to it, but after repeated calls from the WWE representatives, a negotiation has been settled, in terms of finances. But the major issue, in this case, is Sushil's willingness to continue an amateur wrestling career.”
“Hence, November will be a good time for him to give this entire format a shot, post the regular wrestling season. Failing to qualify for Rio, and the entire Narsingh scandal has increased his hunger to win a medal again, and that might be the reason why he didn't respond to the offer as quickly,” he said.
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He added, “Right now we have decided the amount, but Sushil internally is unsure whether he wants to take plunge as of now. The WWE camp has given a green signal to whatever we decide, but it needs to be a gradual transition. Right now we are targeting late 2017, could even be later, based upon how well Sushil does in his amateur events during the year. But yes, I can confirm we are not ruling this out as a legitimate option.”
WWE has been looking to get a popular Indian grappler to create a strong brand value within the Indian-American population. However, their efforts have met with limited success. The source added, “The WWE are just impressed by the numbers in India, and are looking at a representative from here, who can boost the stature and numbers of the show. They narrowed down on Sushil, from a 30-40 person shortlist. According to them, Sushil will be the next Kurt Angle."
Sushil is currently training at the Chhatarsal stadium in New Delhi, but will be officially giving the upcoming Pro Wrestling League (PWL) a miss. Last year, he 'refused to go under the hammer as a commodity' to sell his talent within the sport.
