Meet Kavita Devi, first Indian woman wrestler signed by WWE and she fights in salwar suit

Kavita Devi is breaking stereotypes both in India and in WWE

Kavita Devi of Haryana has made history by becoming the first ever woman wrestler from India to be awarded a WWE developmental contract. The announcement was made by WWE Champion Jinder Mahal during his visit to Delhi.

Kavita Devi belongs to Haryana, India

"Participating in the Mae Young Classic with some of the best female performers in the world was a great learning experience. Now I am looking forward to pursuing my dream of becoming the first WWE Women's Champion from India." told Kavita to The Times of India.

India's @KavitaDeviWWE hopes to represent her country proudly in the inaugural @WWE #MaeYoungClassic! pic.twitter.com/5PL0Dd1HCv

- WWE (@WWE) August 11, 2017

Changing rules and perspectives about women and fighting Born on 20th September, 1986, 30 year old Kavita is the fighter in salwar suit. The first Indian female wrestler in the WWE ring, she trained under Khali, a WWE professional wrestler himself, and participated in the Mae Young Classic Championship this year. While Indian male fighters like Khali had won titles in the WWE, and Jinder Mahal is the current champion, Indian women have not made it to the wrestling space. Kavita changed this.

From being ridiculed to celebrated

Kavita has fought many stereotypes to reach this position in life

Born in rural Haryana, and struggling against biases, like the Phogat sisters, Kavita managed to make her mark in power lifting. In a state struggling with righting its skewed sex ratio, Kavita's choice of career caused a major lash back in the conservative society she was born in. Kavita's brother shielded her from most vitriolic attacks and she became a South Asian Games gold medalist in power lifting in 2016.

But her dreams lay elsewhere.

Ambitious and dedicated, Kavita wanted to shine in wrestling. She had watched WWE fights with names like The Undertaker, Yokozuna, Triple H and Kane among others. And with Khali and Jindar Mahal in WWE, her determination only grew stronger.

The Glamour of Female wrestlers in WWE

 

Haryana ladies wrecking it in wrestling is always A++ ????My pick for the #MaeYoungClassic is none other than @KavitaDeviWWE !#WWEFanArt pic.twitter.com/CVOPMcu4F9

- Nadia Ramlan (@Oniwanbashu) July 21, 2017

 

Female wrestlers have, for a long time, not been given a status equal to the men in the show. While men were called wrestlers, the women were referred to as WWE divas. The women were usually the focus because they wore barely- there clothes, and even tore off clothes off each other in publicity/promotions.

Synonymous with professional wrestling, the shows of WWE are however purely entertainment-based, featuring story line, and have choreographed matches. In 1956, the WWE Women's Championship was a women's professional wrestling championship in the World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment (WWF/E) promotions. In 2010,it merged with the WWE Divas championship and a new WWE Women's Championship (now Raw Women's Championship) was created in 2016.

She fights sexism with aplomb

Women in WWE known more for wearing tiny clothes than talent

Kavita's step to wear a salwar suit became crucial in ensuring not just her own unique identity as an Indian but to break the stereotype of wrestling only in tights. She told The Times of India, "I wanted to take the first step and show the world that a costume cannot stop an Indian woman from performing on world stage."

Kavita's decision is important in the sport where glamour is placed on equal footing as talent. But as Kavita asserts, she wants to build up her own following. She wants to become the first Indian female wrestler to win a title, and ensure that she does so in her salwar. And she is now finally on the road to doing just that.