The wrestling promotions from North America are poised to tap into the Indian market.
WWE expressed its desire to do so by making Jinder Mahal the WWE Champion at Backlash. Ring of Honor, meanwhile, signed a television deal which will see them reach around 70 Million homes in the nation. But Impact Wrestling just went a step ahead of their competition by becoming the first promotion based out of the United States to have television tapings in India.
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The crew is in Mumbai for the show and has already managed to create a huge buzz among the wrestling fans. But there is always room for making things better and create a lasting impression. In this list, we are going to take a look at some possible ways in which Impact could do that.
#5 More shows in India
Impact’s on-going tapings in India is historic. They became the first US-based promotion to hold television tapings in India. And as mentioned earlier, this lets them get a step ahead of the competition. From the pictures released so far, the tapings witnessed a decent crowd as well.
The promotion should think about building on this momentum and produce more shows in India.
As the number of shows increases, the interest among people is also bound to increase. If Impact wants to take things to an entirely different level, they could also produce a pay-per-view from India. Apart from this, letting Impact Superstars tour India every now and then for fan interaction is also a great way of invoking interest.
#4 Get Bollywood involved
Cricket and Bollywood are two things that never fail to create a buzz in India. And this is why we see cricket players and Bollywood stars being associated with all the sporting leagues that poke up. Recently, when WWE visited India, they also made use of Bollywood to get some extra publicity.
Similarly, when Impact ran Ring Ka King Years back, they had brought in Harbhajan Singh and it worked wonders. If Impact manages to rope in a big name from Bollywood for their on-going tapings, it would help them make some headlines. The presence of such celebrities can also result in a bigger audience for the tapings.
#3 A surprise appearance
A handful of big names has been advertised for the show in Mumbai with Alberto Del Rio and Bobby Lashley being the biggest ones from the lot. But Impact could do more than this. If they pull off a surprise appearance from someone who is not advertised for the show, it would certainly excite the fans.
Cody Rhodes and Scott Steiner are two particular names that could evoke a huge reaction from the crowd in India. Both are established names and the shock value of their surprise appearance is bound to make for a memorable moment.
The rich history that Cody and Steiner have with the WWE would make it easier for the casual viewers to connect with them. It is also a good way for Impact to attract a new audience to their product as a portion people who tune into WWE may not be aware of Impact.
#2 An invasion angle with homegrown talent
Everyone loves a well-executed invasion angle. And if the invasion angle involves some homegrown talent, then things are bound to be interesting. The Great Khali’s Continental Wrestling Entertainment is a promotion that Impact could work with. The promotion hosts a solid roster of homegrown talent and of course, the star power of Great Khali is a great add-on.
Having these home-grown wrestlers on Impact’s television show would be a long shot. However, these guys can work in dark matches and in turn attract a bigger crowd for the Impact tapings. It would be an excellent opportunity for Impact to scout new talent as well.
Signing new wrestlers from India would be crucial for Impact’s expansion plans and a working relationship with CWE could pave the path for this.
#1 Big push for Mahabali Shera
As mentioned in the introductory slide, WWE made an aggressive move into the Indian market by making Jinder Mahal the WWE Champion. The numbers suggest that the move has been a huge hit and Impact Wrestling could do something similar.
They have two talented wrestlers of Indian descent on their roster in the form of Mahabali Shera and Sonjay Dutt.
But unlike the case with Mahal and Sonjay, Shera was actually born and brought up in India. His story is one of those rare inspirational ones where a boy conquers his dream by overcoming the hurdles in his path to success.
If Impact emphasises on this real life story of Shera, they could have themselves a good baby face in their hands. He need not be around the Impact Heavyweight Championship, but as he is crucial for Impact in penetrating the Indian market, they should consider giving him a big push.
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