Masked Republic sent out the following:
MASKED REPUBLIC’S JESUS “RICARDO” RODRIGUEZ PRODUCES 1ST ALL INDIAN PROFESSIONAL WRESTLING EVENT IN PUNJAB, INDIA TODAY
December 12, 2015 – Jalandhar, Punjab, India – It is no secret that professional wrestling is wildly popular in India. Indian TV has broadcast WWE and TNA Impact Wrestling for many years and just last month the WWE Network expanded it’s service into the territory. The demand for pro wrestling in the country has also lead to the demand for home grown talents not only by WWE and TNA, looking to find talents who will cross the ocean and perform within their organizations, but by fans in India looking for their very own promotions.
This past February, former WWE Superstar The Great Khali, real name Dalip Singh, opened Punjab, India’s first pro wrestling training facility, Continental Wrestling Entertainment (CWE). In September, Singh brought former WWE Superstar Jesus Rodriguez, who appeared on camera for the world’s number one wrestling promotion as Ricardo Rodriguez, personal ring announcer for Alberto Del Rio, to India to act as the school’s trainer. Those unaware of Rodriguez’s past both prior to and while employed by WWE may have missed the connection. How would this former ring announcer train the future of India’s pro wrestling ranks?
Prior to WWE, Rodriguez, using the ring name Chimaera, spent four years on the independent professional wrestling scene in a number of countries. And while his face is known for being Del Rio’s right hand man, the Chimaera mask would live on under the ring name “El Local” as Rodriguez performed often on WWE television programming including Superstars, Main Event and NXT. He would also don the persona for WWE live event tours of Europe. And, while not officially an NXT trainer, it was not uncommon to hear NXT talents discuss, or post on social media, getting in lucha libre training with Rodriguez at the training center.
At CWE, Rodriguez has been training more than 75 students in their dojo-style facility where they not only train, but live. The students are divided into three classes, placing Rodriguez in the ring himself for 9-12 hours a day, as they learn basics of pro wrestling, lucha libre, European style, psychology, communication skills and more.
Still considered a third world country, many of the students see CWE as the means to accomplishing their dream thought previously to be impossible. India’s only legitimate pro wrestling school now provides a direct conduit for talent to be seen by WWE, TNA and any other organization looking for stars from the country of over 1.25 billion.
Earlier today, CWE will be ran its first independent event, and event featuring entirely Indian talent who have all been training under Rodriguez for the past three months. Events will continue bi-weekly.
“I am so incredibly proud of all of my students,” Rodriguez said prior to the event which he produced, “I sit with these students and hear about how much their families have had to sacrifice for them to be able to come to this school. I have watched them all work so hard, hours and hours a day to be able to be part of this historic event. In the past two weeks since we announced the show, people have been driving from all over the state of Punjab just to see the school. In three months we have created a foundation for the future of the CWE, the independent wrestling scene in India and without a doubt for at least a few of these students to break out into worldwide stars.”
For more in India’s Continental Wrestling Entertainment: G8cwe.com
For more on Masked Republic: www.MaskedRepublic.com & on Twitter @MaskedRepublic
