Indian boxing sensation Vijender Singh, last year, wanted to compete for the WBO Asia-Pacific championship title in India. He fought against Kerry Hope in New Delhi and came out victorious after 10 rounds of the bout.
Now, WWE Champion Jinder Mahal, who is originally from Canada, wants to defend his title in India -- the country he is billed to originally belong from, in the pro wrestling promotion.
The 31-year-old, who defeated Randy Orton in Backlash 2017 in May this year to win the WWE championship for the first time, has defended the title thereafter. Although he has had outside help from the Singh Brothers and the Great Khali, fact is Mahal is still holding the gold.
He takes on Japanese sensation Shinsuke Nakamura this Sunday August 20 at SummerSlam. This might be the toughest competition that Jinder has faced in recent times. Will he remain champion after the end of the match? Looks pretty unlikely, but never say never.
One dream that can still fuel Jinder during the match is his ambition to defend his title in India.
"First of all, I want to be an inspiration to our youth and tell them that through hard work, everything is achievable. Secondly, I want to bring the WWE Championship to India," the pro wrestler said in an interview with India Today.
"I know that WWE is working really hard to announce a date shortly and once it's finalised, I hope I can bring the WWE Championship to India and defend it on Indian soil."
Jinder has revealed that the WWE are trying their best to accommodate a date of a live event by the end of this year, but nothing is confirmed as of now.
"India is a very special part of the WWE Universe and so we really want to have an event there. WWE superstars were telling me about their experiences and how they can't wait to go back there," Jinder continued.
"I really want to go to India and I know WWE is working really hard to announce a date and once the date is announced, I hope I am still the WWE Champion."