When Leati Joseph Anoa’i — better known by his WWE ring name Roman Reigns — announced his leukaemia recurrence and relinquished the Universal Championship last year, 14 million eyes on YouTube wept. A majority of them were from India, which makes sense given that we sit at the top for most social media engagement for the US-based wrestling promotion.
The numbers are mind-blowing. John Brody, Executive Vice President of Global Sales and Head of International, says that India generates 386 million unique views for the company’s original content. Naturally, WWE finds the market ripe for investment, evidenced by the “largest talent tryout in history” that it organised in Mumbai last week. As many as 80 participants (shortlisted from over 1,000 hopefuls) underwent rigorous training, hoping for the opportunity to become a WWE superstar and engage with the fans of wrestling content, or as the company calls them, WWE Universe.
To prove that it is serious about the localisation efforts, WWE flew down trainers, scouts, senior management executives and three of its main roster wrestlers — Kofi Kingston, Big E and Xavier Woods, members of the hugely popular tag team stable, The New Day — for the tryouts.
Adding local flair
Brody adds that there are currently nine wrestlers of Indian origin on the roster. “The tryout is the next step of our localisation efforts in India,” he says. While WWE-branded wrestling content has been available in the country for the better part of the last 25 years, it was only in 2015 that the company started its localisation push, when it began broadcasting the Hindi language Sunday Dhamaal . Airing weekends on Sony Network, Brody says, the show (which recaps action from WWE’s main shows Raw and Smackdown Live ) racks up 26 million viewers per week on average.
What is WWE looking for in India, a primary global market for fan-engagement on YouTube and Facebook? Brody sums it up thus: “We are looking at athletes who can inspire and entertain our fan base.”
Part of a bigger plan
WWE’s expansion wave previously hit the UK, where the company now runs a television programme named NXT UK that offers British wrestlers visibility on the global stage. With India, there are no such plans, but the organisation is looking to re-imagine merchandise options in a bid to enhance sales, Brody adds.
Is the expansion coming on the back of a saturated market in the US for wrestling? “This is not a ‘look East’ policy. We are in the midst of a tremendous growth phase. We are looking forward because of the opportunities that these new markets give us,” he concludes.
