It’s been no secret at all that WWE has been making a serious push into the Indian market, and that push is likely related to the decision to put the WWE Championship on Jinder Mahal. But WWE isn’t the only company making a big play for India, as Impact Wrestling recently conducted a series of tapings there.
A couple of weeks ago, Ryback raised a number of eyebrows when he wondered why WWE and other companies would make a huge play for the Indian market, because, to paraphrase the Big Guy, the fans there have no money.
Current GFW Heavyweight Champion (yes, a recognized Impact Wrestling title right now) Alberto El Patron (née Del Rio) was asked about Ryback’s comments during an interview with Wrestling Inc., and he had his own take on the situation with the Indian market. In his response, he tried very hard to point out that he likes Ryback while taking issue with what Ryback said.
“(Laughs) That really makes me laugh. To be honest, I really like Ryback. He’s a guy that … (laughs) I mean, I like the guy, he’s a nice person. But I mean -– it’s ridiculous that someone like him, who hasn’t done much in the business … he had some good times. In WWE, he had some good moments, he had a good run, he had a good career. But he hasn’t really done anything in this business yet. And I’m putting this in the nicest way because I like the guy. I do not want to disrespect the guy. But his comment is completely stupid.
“Me, I’m a third generation wrestler. A guy who has seen it all, accomplished it all everywhere. A guy who has worked for the most important companies around the world, and was the champion in each and every one of them. I’m telling you this – India is the perfect market for pro wrestling, because there is a lot of passion and love for the sport. This is my second time in India, and I can feel and see how passionate the Indian fans are for pro wrestling.
“I come from a third world country, from Mexico, where there isn’t too much money -– we don’t have too much money. But we never regret something we manage -– we go and spend the money we have in order to be entertained. So I can compare India with my country, Mexico. We might not have a lot of money like countries -– like Germany, or United States or Spain, but we work hard every single day, to get the things that we like, and to spend money on the things that we like. So, India is a big market -– for Impact Wrestling, they want to see us here, and we want to be here. As long as the Indian fans continue to support Impact Wrestling, we will continue to come down here.”
I think he really likes Ryback!
Ryback, for his part, has since issued a statement clarifying his remarks about India, via WrestleZone.
“Apparently people have misquoted and taken comments made on CWTBG and spun them. For the record I love India and the culture. FM’s grow up.”
So everyone agrees: India is cool, and wrestling is cool, so there’s no reason for there not to be a bunch of pro wrestling in India. I’m glad that all worked out.
