Ring is king

Indian TV stars now have competition with ‘lords of the ring’. WWE's biggest wrestling stars are being paid a bomb to make a debut in an Indian reality TV show. Here are the details.

Wrestling

Indian TV stars now have competition with ‘lords of the ring’. An Indian reality TV show is set to sign on the three biggest names in WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment) —John Cena, Batista and Randy, for their new season. And up against them will be their ‘gabru’ Indian counterparts.

The wrestling show, 100% De Dhana Dhan, that didn’t quite have a successful ‘bout’ in its first season on the channel, Colors, is in for a makeover. Sources have told HT City that The show, hosted by actor Sharat Saxena with the sultry Eesha Koppikhar as the judge, will feature the international WWE stars in the second season. “John Cena and Batista have been finalised, while talks are on with Orton. These stars will add the much-needed hype to the show,” says the source.

While the first season had Indian pehelwaans sweating it out against South African wrestlers, with fights being shot in India and Johannesburg, parts of season two, scheduled to go on floors early next year, may be shot in the US. The WWE stars, who have tremendous fan following in India, are being paid huge sums of money to entertain the Indian audience. “These famed wrestlers will take home Rs 2.5 crore each,” reveals the source.

Fans are super-excited. “The first season was dull. With Batista coming in, I can’t wait to see a lot more dhamaka,” says Minakshi Sharma, a WWE fan.