Vinayak Sodhi founded Wrestle Square at the beginning of 2015. He made a life-changing decision to start a wrestling promotion of his own in India. He gained unwavering support from fellow wrestlers and close friends to establish Wrestle Square. Vinayak got sucked into the world of pro wrestling when he was two years old. Introduced to WWE (then WWF) on TV by his grandparents made him a wrestling fan for life.
The founder and creative head of the promotion, Vinayak, is also a trained athlete. He has worked with a few indie wrestling promotions prior to creating Wrestle Square. The promotions he worked for failed to attract large audiences. As we know audiences are critical to long-term success and sustainability.
Motivated, Vinayak decided to open his own wrestling promotion. Yes, it was outside his comfort zone. But he vowed to make it a reality. A household name. Thus, Wrestle Square came into reality.
Wrestle Square | The Belief System
Wrestle Square has been following the mantra of developing and showcasing talent from the motherland of India from the very beginning. The promotion provided the much-needed platform to the aspiring wrestlers from India. Wrestle Square also gave a platform to the wrestlers from various parts of Asia, courtesy of freelance contracts. Various wrestlers from indy promotions around the world have worked with Wrestle Square. Promotions such as Singapore Pro Wrestling (SPW), SETUP Thailand Pro Wrestling. Grapple MAX, Middle Kingdom Wrestling (MKW), Kingdom Wrestling Federation (KWF). Malaysia Pro Wrestling (MyPW), Independent Wrestling Federation (IWF: Russia).
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The Roster of Wrestle Square has a plethora of talents, both from the motherland and beyond. The promotion has held various live events all across India involving wrestling from both sides of the spectrum. Cities like Delhi, Panipat, Jaipur, Indore, and Nagaur, to name a few. And Wrestle Square didn’t stop within the confines of the motherland with holding events. Spreading their word and providing a platform to the local talent. They held multiple shows overseas with their partners in Thailand, Singapore, and, most recently, in Bangkok.
Two seasons of Wrestle Square’s YouTube series are available for streaming on their official channel on the platform named ARENA and WAR, respectively. The series focuses on the talents of India and their struggle to the mountain top.
Wrestle Square has the following championships in active competition:
Intercontinental Championship, currently held by “The Limitbreaker” Skyler
Hardcore Championship, presently held by RAAKA
Cruiserweight Championship, presently held by Val Senan (Grapple MAX)
Tag Team Championship, now held by Neal The Hector & Major X (Team X-Hector)
Women’s Championship, presently held by Mefisto (IWF: Russia)
Baliyan Akki is one of India’s most recognizable names in the world of pro wrestling. Being dubbed as India’s Greatest Export, Akki is now unstoppable. Baliyan Akki is the most complete superstar with terms of his look and his skill in the ring. He is right now honing his craft in Japan, working alongside Emi Sakura. Baliyan Akki, a product of Wrestle Square, has caught the eye of many around the globe. His bouts with Dr. Smash in WIN: Dangal Ke Soorma showed his ring prowess to the masses.
Even before his performances in live events against the likes of Eurasian Dragon, Lokomotive, Zorro, Malkeet Brawler, Deep Randhawa (Dr. Smash), etc. you saw a glimpse of his immense potential. His current stay in Japan had him match up against the likes of Minoru Suzuki, Masato Tanaka, Mei Suruga, Emi Sakura, Sayaka Obihiro, etc. which haven’t gone unnoticed by the wrestling folk worldwide.
Dr. Smash:
Aka Deep Randhawa, has been the undisputed face of Wrestle Square for quite some time. He had a dominant and defining run as the top champion of the company. A former Hardcore Champion until he was dethroned at the recent event in Bangkok by RAAKA. Dr. Smash is cool, calm, and highly skilled in the ring as well. Dr. Smash and Baliyan Akki have been at each other’s throats for quite a while, but all the emotion and angst came to the fray at WIN: Dangal Ke Soorma. They competed in various competitive, hard-hitting bouts. At some points these matches were difficult to watch. Dr. Smash had the last laugh as he walked out as the new WINDKS Champion of Champions in the finale of the first season.
Skyler is the current Intercontinental champion. And a former two time Tag Team Champion of Wrestle Square. He started training in 2017 at the Wrestle Square academy. He’s wrestled overseas for indy promotions that include; Gatoh Move Pro Wrestling, Independent Wrestling Federation (Russia), and Setup Thailand Wrestling.
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Important Matches in Wrestle Square History:
– Baliyan Akki vs. Zorro
– Dr. Smash vs. Baliyan Akki- Multiple Bouts (WINDKS Champion of Champions)
– Mona/Zorro vs. Maxim Risky/Alexis Lee (Bangkok Showdown)
– Chris Masters competing in WINDKS
– Battle to the Finish – Season Finale (WINDKS Champion of Champions)
– Emi Sakura/Baliyan Akki (Team India) vs. Paksa/Masahiro Takanashi (Team Thailand) – Bangkok Showdown
Wrestle Square
Achievements:
A TV Show in collaboration with Lex Sportel Vision PVT Ltd, Dangal Ke Soorma (loosely translated as “Arena of Warriors”) began in 2019. This was a 12 episode season that aired on DSport. A channel that reaches 110 million households a year and airs on 1SPORT. The tapings also took place during Valentine’s Season (see below). WIN: Dangal Ke Soorma ended 2019 as the third most-watched TV show on the network. The company received massive appraisal from all across the globe for the venture. The enormous success of WIN: Dangal Ke Soorma opened discussions for a season 2 of the series.
Wrestle Square had their biggest event ever in Valentine’s Season 2017. In Indore, their live event drew a live audience of more than 5,000 people. The event had the first Women’s Champion being crowned and the debut of the tallest wrestler alive on Earth, The Great Angaar.
WWE Officials visits Wrestle Square academy in Noida – When WWE came for the tryouts in India in 2019, the WWE USA officials were highly impressed by the athletes of Wrestle Square. Many talents from the roster got selected for their final round in Mumbai.
Appeared on one of the regions biggest TV channels in 2017 – Wrestle Square also gave a taste of what pro wrestling is all about to the masses watching reality shows in India in the Summer of 2017 when they performed in two episodes of “India Banega Manch” on Viacom18’s Colors TV channel. It was a big step in making the masses aware of the promotion and the art of professional wrestling in India.
International Events – Wrestle Square is the only promotion in India that holds international events. They held an event in the City of Bangkok in January 2020 with Setup Thailand.
“Wrestle Square aims to make India a pro wrestling market. To tell the world that India is not just a fan or viewer of wrestling, but can produce talent and contribute to the wrestling world.”
Wrestle Square’s Future
It is confirmed that the promotion is planning to hold a live event in the Land of the Rising Sun. The second most important wrestling industry in the world, Japan.
The promotion has announced two new championship belts for active competition. One for the men’s and women’s divisions respectively. The initial plans call for the championships to be defended on domestic turf only. The announcement would be made official on August 15, 2020. It also marks the anniversary day of India’s independence from colonial rule.
Wrestle Square is dropping a show for its fans for their unprecedented support during these testing times. It’s a two-part event called “Wrestle Square: Ground Zero.” The two episodes will be dropping on August 15 and 16, respectively. They will be available for streaming on Wrestle Square’s official website. Highlights of the same would be available on all their social media handles. The theme of the show revolves around opportunities and a power struggle. The show could tease where things are headed concerning their next season i.e. Season 3 of the internet series.
Instagram: @wrestlesquare
YouTube: www.youtube.com/wrestsquare
Facebook: WrestleSquare
Twitter: @wrestlesquare
VK: WrestleSquare
Website: WrestleSquare
Originally Written by Abhishek Aneja
