Kavita set to become 1st Indian woman to appear in WWE

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, June 22 

Former South Asian Games gold medallist and Haryana powerlifter Kavita Devi is set become the first Indian woman to compete in the WWE. 

Kavita Devi has been selected to compete in the Mae Young Classic, which is the maiden WWE tournament for women, the WWE announced on Thursday.

Kavita, who has trained under Dalip Singh Rana better known as The Great Khali at his Punjab-based wrestling promotion and training academy, participated in the WWE Dubai tryout in April where she gained the attention of talent scouts with her strong performance. 

Kavita will be competing with 31 other top female competitors from around the world in the premier Mae Young Classic.

“I am honoured to be the first Indian woman to compete in the WWE’s first ever women’s tournament. I hope to use this platform to inspire other Indian women and make India proud,” said Kavita. 

Canyon Ceman, vice-president, WWE Talent Development, said: “Kavita Devi gave a strong performance at the WWE’s 2017 Dubai tryout. She is athletic and extremely strong woman who demonstrated a solid grasp of the fundamentals of sports entertainment, and a passion to improve that will serve her well in WWE’s upcoming Mae Young Classic tournament.”

The first Mae Young Classic will take place on July 13 in Orlando, Florida. The tournament, named after WWE Hall of Famer and one of the greatest WWE Superstars in history, Mae Young, will feature 32 of the top female competitors from around the world.