Kerala girl ready to set WWE on fire

Kottayam: Sanjana George is excited beyond words as she is gearing up to feature in the globally popular World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). A native of Aymanam in Kottayam district, the 26-year-old is the only Indian female wrestler to land a WWE contract this season. 

Glamorous and girly, Sanjana's  aggressive in-ring style is expected to win over a lot of people in India and help the American entertainment company - that is primarily known for professional wrestling - expand its footprint in the country. 

Sanjana entered the competitive world of WWE through MMA or Mixed Martial Arts fighting. Currently, she is in the United States preparing for her debut season. 

Sanjana was attracted to bodybuilding when she started going to a local gym at the age of 17. She continued her MMA training while doing her degree in Bengaluru. In 2019, she took part in the first-ever WWE tryout in India. The event, held in Mumbai, saw thousands of participants from across the country battle it out for the chance to represent India on the world stage.  It proved to be the turning point in her career.

Over 3,000 men and women, who came from diverse backgrounds in sports and athletics including wrestling, kabaddi, basketball, combat sports, cricket and bodybuilding, were in the fray. The list was narrowed down to 80 (60 men and 20 women) for the final round. Only three men and a single woman could clear the final hurdle and the lone female who made the cut was Sanjana. 

Due to travel and visa restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic, her trip to the US was postponed several times. She could travel to the US only last week following the relaxation of curbs. At present, she is training at the WWE Performance Centre located in Orlando, Florida. 

"It is a different world altogether. I'm working really hard under the best WWE trainers. I'm hoping to do well and make India proud," Sanjana told Manorama over the phone. 

Sanjana is the daughter of late Vazhapparambil Chacko George and Licy George of Aymanam. Chacko George, who was part of the architectural team of the Idukki Hydroelectric Project, was also a wrestling enthusiast. It was him who initiated Sanjana into the sport at a young age and nurtured her talent.

"We used to watch professional wrestling matches on television together. I'm happy that I will soon be competing on the same platform," said Sanjana. 

WWE is the largest wrestling promotion in the world, holding over 450 live events a year. As in other professional wrestling promotions, WWE shows are not legitimate contests, but entertainment-based performance theater, featuring storyline-driven, scripted, and partially choreographed matches. A single season will have around 300 episodes, with the roster primarily divided up into three globally traveling brands; Raw, SmackDown and NXT.