Wrestling
'Why are Indians always presented as villains?' asks WWE's Jeet Rama
Born in Haryana, Jeet Rama (formerly known as Satender Dagar) was a ten-time kushti heavyweight amateur wrestling champion in the 2000s before joining WWE in 2015.
Jeet Rama, seen here with Triple H, joined the WWE roster in 2015 (Twitter/TripleH)
WWE wrestler Jeet Rama, who was released from the wrestling entertainment company's roster last month, has questioned why Indians are cast to portray only negative characters on the show.
Born in Baghru village of Sonipat district, Haryana, Jeet Rama (formerly known as Satender Dagar) was a ten-time kushti heavyweight amateur wrestling champion in the 2000s before being picked up by the American media company in 2015.
Speaking after the end of his 6-year association with WWE, Rama told SK: "Why is it that you take any Indian WWE wrestler…why are they always made heels? Why are we only presented as villains? Why do they have to behave in such a manner that the audience there insults them and boos them? My soul couldn't come to peace with the fact that I was making money by misrepresenting my country."
There have been several Indians who have made it to the WWE ring in recent years - The Great Khali Jinder Mahal, Kavita Devi, The Singh Brothers to name some - but most of them have played heels (a wrestler who portrays a villain or rule-breaker and acts as an antagonist).
On the 2 November episode of WWE NXT 2.0, Rama was defeated by Solo Sikoa in what would be his last match before he was released from his contract on 4 November 2021.
He had signed with the company in June 2015. He made his in-ring debut at an NXT live event in September 2015, but wouldn't debut on television until WWE Superstar Spectacle when he took on AJ Styles the next year.
