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WWE fans are in for a treat with live, full versions of Raw, SmackDown

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 Ghanain wrestler Kofi Kingston PHOTO: SUPPLIED
Ghanain wrestler Kofi Kingston PHOTO: SUPPLIED

Forget the old, pared down bouts of WWE local audiences used to be subjected to.

Now that Supersport has gained the rights over e.tv to air WWE from August 28, fans in more than 50 sub-Saharan African countries will now be able to see Raw and SmackDown in their full versions live, instead of the one-hour versions shown a week after as per e.tv’s scheduling. Specials like NXT, WrestleMania and SummerSlam will also air on the channel.

City Press and journalists from Zambia, Nigeria, and Kenya travelled to Brooklyn in the US to cover a week of wrestling mayhem.

Ghana star

Wrestling lovers will be delighted to see the likes of The New Day, the colourful and popular trio who have grabbed the hearts of the WWE community.

One of their members, Kofi Kingston, was born in Ghana.

“When I was a kid we didn’t have WWE in Africa – most of it was very old reruns,” Kingston told City Press at a media junket on Friday. “So that this is happening is just awesome. I’m like a kid in a candy store.

Ghanain wrestler Kofi KingstonPHOTO: SUPPLIED

Kingston, whose real name is Kofi Nahaje Sarkodie-Mensah, say his parents are both teachers and wanted him to pursue an education.

“I went to college and was working full time. I told them I wanted to pursue wrestling, and they said ‘but you need to keep climbing that corporate ladder’ if it doesn’t work out. But it did, and now they’re my biggest fans.”

But Kingston isn’t the first African-born WWE superstar – fans will remember South Africa’s Justin Rose and Adam Gabriel.

“I hope somehow I’ve opened people’s eyes to see that if I can do it, they can do it too.

Supersport’s Neil Andrews poses with The New Day PHOTO: SUPPLIED

The modern-day Maharaja

Another supremely entertaining wrestler is Jinder Mahal, aka The Modern Day Maharaja.

Jinder is one of the most conditioned wrestlers in the ring, and says he played a lot of sports growing up.

“I started my professional wrestling training very young – at 16 years old. Growing up my goal was to be a WWE superstar.”

Jinder’s uncle is semi-retired wrestler Gama Singh, who became known in the 1980s and 1990s and performed regularly in South Africa.

Jinder Mahaln goes by many names, including Hardbody Mahal

Jinder Mahaln goes by many names, including Hardbody MahalPHOTO: SUPPLIED

Women warriors

There’s been massive growth in WWE’s female division, with women wrestlers pulling in the same amount of attention as their male counterparts. In fact, WWE will soon launch their first ever women-only championship called The Mae Young Classic.

One of the most popular wrestlers right now is undefeated NXT champion Asuka. She faced rival Ember Moon at the NXT Takeover Brooklyn III on Saturday, and has been holding onto her belt for 501 days now.

No one has been able to beat Asuka, The Empress of Tomorrow

No one has been able to beat Asuka, The Empress of TomorrowPHOTO: SUPPLIED

With her colourful hair and neon get-up, superstar Naomi is another favourite. Coming through WWE’s development division, she became the first black woman to win the SmackDown Women’s Championship at Elimination Chamber this year. Naomi also stars in reality show Total Divas, alongside Nikki and Brie Bella, and faces fellow superstar Natalya at Summerslam.

Feel the glow, it’s Naomi

Feel the glow, it’s NaomiPHOTO: SUPPLIED


SuperSport channels SS4, SS7, SS9 and SS10 will air Raw on Tuesdays and SmackDown on Wednesdays, offering both live telecasts and same-day re-airs, and will also broadcast all WWE specials live, including WrestleMania, SummerSlam, Survivor Series and Royal Rumble.


Grethe Kemp
Journalist
City Press
p:+27 11 713 9001
w:www.citypress.co.za  e: Grethe.Kemp@citypress.co.za
      


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