Hailing from Haryana, India, Devi was trained by another former WWE wrestler, The Great Khali, who now runs a wrestling school in India. Devi also has a background in powerlifting and has represented India in international competitions, including the 2016 South Asian Games, where she won gold in the 75kg category.
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Devi caught attention of the WWE scouts during the Dubai tryouts in April and impressed the officials with her imposing figure and strength. In the first round of the Mae Young Classic, Devi entered wearing the traditional attire, an orange shalwar kameez with a dupatta around her waist. She dominated her opponent, New Zealand’s Dakota Kai, throughout the match, showing power moves (like her trainer Khali), as well as a blend of Lucha Libre style arm drags.
While she is relative inexperienced compared to other performers in the tournament, her intimidating build and attitude make up for it. Her fireman’s carry into a military press drop garnered a “whoa!” reaction from the crowd who mustn’t have expected Devi to be so powerful. However, Kai eventually defeated Devi with a big boot in the corner and a double stomp from the top turnbuckle.
The Indian star may have been eliminated in the first round, there may still be hope for her. Last summer, Mustafa Ali of Pakistani descent entered the Cruiserweight Classic tournament and despite, being eliminated in the first round, he was offered a WWE contract and since went on to perform on Raw as well as 205 Live shows.
With a little more experience and training, the day may not be far when we can see Devi make her Raw debut… wearing shalwar kameez.
Watch Devi fight here:
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