LUCKNOW: Rinku Singh, 29, a village boy from Bhadohi district of eastern UP and former baseball pitcher is set to participate in World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) after signing a contract with the organisation last week. Rinku is set to join WWE Performance Centre in Orlando, Florida on Tuesday to start his training as a wrestler. Rinku Singh belongs to Haulpur village of Gyanpur tehsil in Bhadohi district of UP.
A junior national javelin throw medalist who won India's 2008 reality TV series The Million Dollar Arm-- the 6-foot-3 inch, 102 kg left-hander from Bhadohi, had shot to fame through the Disney movie "Million Dollar Arm" in 2014 as it was based on the life story of Rinku Singh.
In November, 2008 Rinku Singh along with another Indian player Dinesh Kumar Patel became the first Indians to sign a professional sports contract in North America. In 2007, Rinku had participated in Million Dollar Arm talent hunt joining 35,000 participants from 12 cities and he was crowned the winner. After a training of six months signed a professional sports contract with Pittsburgh Pirates.
Having signed with the Pittsburgh Pirates to become Major League Baseball's first Indian pitcher, in April 2017, Singh joined a contingent of 40 male and female athletes from India and Gulf in an invitation-only tryout at the Dubai Opera House. There, he won a WWE development contract as he impressed Performance Centre coaches of WWE.
A transformation from a baseball player to a wrestling ring may not be an easy task for Singh but he's confident of his abilities. Singh is supposed to join several other recruits at Performance Centre on Tuesday and looks forward to dealing very different strikes to opponents while training in Orlando.
In India, giant wrestler Khali is identified with WWE. It did not come as a surprise for Rinku’s family back in Bhadohi as they knew he would hit the jackpot.
In fact, Rinku comes from a very humble background. His father Brahmdeen Singh is a driver. The condition of his family improved when Rinku went to US to play baseball.
“He had been focused and diligent right from his childhood. We are overwhelmed over his success,” says his uncle.DD
Singh who fondly remembers how Rinku had left home fro Allahabad to become a trained javeline throw player and after it he never looked back.