Kavita Devi,
India’s former powerlifter and South Asian Games gold medallist, will
make history as the first Indian woman wrestler to appear in World
Wrestling Entertainment (WWE).
She has been selected to compete in the Mae Young Classic, which is the first ever WWE tournament for women.
Devi hails from Haryana and underwent rigorous training under former
WWE Champion, The Great Khali at his Punjab-based wrestling promotion
and training academy. The wrestler came into limelight after
participating in the WWE Dubai try-out in April this year. Her strong
performance impressed the talent scouts.
Devi was an accomplished kabaddi player in high school. In 2016, she
won gold in the 75kg weightlifting division at the South Asian Games.
Inside the ring, Devi has racked up victories using a head-caving
roundhouse kick.
As a Sashastra Seema Bal constable from Haryana, Devi shot to fame
after a viral video. She wrestled a woman wrestler named B B Bull Bull
at the Continental Wrestling Entertainment (CWE), promoted by The Great
Khali, in a salwar kameez!
The Mae Young Classic will be a single-elimination tournament where
32 of the top female competitors from around the world will participate.
“I am honoured to be the first Indian woman to compete in WWE’s first ever women’s tournament. I hope to use this platform to inspire other Indian women with my performance and make India proud,” said Kavi Devi in an interview.
Vice President, WWE Talent Development, Canyon Ceman was impressed by
Devi’s performance at WWE’s Dubai Try-out. He said, “Kavita Devi gave a
strong performance at WWE’s 2017 Dubai try-out. She is an athletic and
extremely strong woman who demonstrated a solid grasp of the
fundamentals of sports entertainment, and a passion to improve will
serve her well in WWE’s upcoming Mae Young Classic tournament.”
The tournament is named after one of the greatest women wrestlers in
history, WWE Hall of Famer and Superstar Johnnie ‘Mae Young’. It will
take place on July 13 and July 14 in Full Sail Live in Orlando, Florida.
