Satnam Singh has (literally) towered over the competition in AEW, but came up short against Super Grizz at a recent basketball game for the Memphis Grizzlies.
During the halftime of the Memphis Grizzlies Vs. Oklahoma City Thunder Game, Singh appeared and was set to wrestle five men. Only four showed up, however, and they were easily dispatched of by the AEW star.
During the third quarter of the game, Singh’s fifth and final opponent showed up and turned out to be Super Grizz, the mascot of the Memphis team. Grizz got Satnam to his knees, hit a superkick, and targeted Jeff Jarrett on commentary. The finish of the unique match saw Grizz hit a crossbody from the commentary booth onto Singh in the ring to get the win.
While Singh didn’t leave the game with the win, he and Jeff Jarrett did spoil the evening for Memphis hero Jerry ‘The King’ Lawler. Jarrett and Singh were on hand to steal a lifetime achievement title from the famed commentator who was being recognized in his native Memphis.
Satnam Singh in AEW
Singh made his in-ring debut for AEW on the June 8, 2022, edition of Rampage. He would spend his first month undefeated, with his first loss being as part of a six-man tag match at Fight for the Fallen 2022 in July.
Singh has competed a total of 20 times in AEW. He currently boasts a 13-7 win/loss record. His most recent match was at the inaugural AEW House Riles event in June 2023, where he and Jeff Jarrett defeated Brandon and Brent Tate. He competed for the AEW Trios Championships at AEW All Out last September.
AEW has plans to take their brand of professional wrestling across the world to India, according to Satnam Singh.
Since launching in 2019, AEW has mostly kept itself within the United States. In October 2022, AEW hosted its first events in Canada which also saw the debut of Renee Paquette. Earlier this year, AEW traveled outside of North America for AEW All In. The UK-based show was a huge success with a second event scheduled for next year.
AEW’s Coming to India
AEW is making its name across the globe and it appears India is in the sights of Tony Khan. Speaking to the Hindustan Times, Satnam Singh was asked about his AEW career and revealed plans for the promotion to travel to India.
“I have signed with AEW now, and I stay with them always. Every week we travel and we have matches also. We are planning to bring AEW to India and expose it here so that the people in this country know what it is. This is important.
“The youth should know that something can be done with wrestling too. Children need to find something, analyse your health and power, and see what you can do. It is not important that you need to do sports, study, become a businessman, very important.”
Satnam Singh on a Potential Basketball Return
Before wrestling, Singh competed in basketball but was handed a two-year ban handed by the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) after a positive test. While his ban is a thing of the past, a return to the court isn’t in Singh’s future.
“No comeback plans. I don’t have any plan to come back there after whatever happened to me, I am done. I am focussed in wrestling right now.”
Singh’s most recent match saw himself, Jeff Jarrett, and Jay Lethal lose to The Acclaimed at AEW All Out 2023.
In September 2021, Satnam Singh signed with AEW. When he made his television debut in April 2022, he attacked Samoa Joe and aligned himself with Sonjay Dutt and Jay Lethal. Singh has had a few tag team matches, but had yet to have a singles match.
Dutt gets to speak Punjabi every week with Singh. “Obviously, his English is good. He’s been here since ’13 or ’14 he’s been here experiencing the NBA and whatnot. But, I understand –I kind of empathize with him in that he’s still in a strange place. He’s still surrounded by people that he — his sister finally got her visa and finally got to move to Canada, so she’s a little closer. It was great. He was telling me and he was crying. It was an emotional moment for both of us. I felt for him. But most of the time, we strictly speak Punjabi.”
“It’s a connection me and Satnam have. And you know, hopefully he can feel a little more at home when he’s around me at work.”
Sonjay Dutt on His Connection with Satnam Singh
Dutt has really enjoyed getting to know and work with Singh. He and Paqutte discussed Singh’s warmth and his presence. “I love him as a person. Me and him obviously have this bond where we’re both from the same place with the same background. We speak the same language and there’s not many of us in professional wrestling. That connection kind of brings us together right off the bat. We have this connection and he wants to excel at this.”
“And Lethal and I have kind of taken a hand in kind of cultivating his in-ring stuff whenever we can. Anytime there’s tag matches with he and Lethal — he hasn’t had a singles match so we’re getting to that point. I think we’re getting real close. Anything we show him, anything we tell him, he soaks it up. He utilizes stuff that we tell him to utilize; ‘hey, do this differently.’ And I didn’t think that would be the case. I’ve worked with other Indian giants and that was not the case at all.”
“So, you know experiences with him is cool because I always tell people yes, he’s seven-foot-four. Yes, he’s giant or whatever you want to call somebody of that stature. He’s got size 20 feet, but he’s an athlete. That’s the difference between him and anyone else of his size that’s gotten in professional wrestling. He’s a legitimate athlete, so anything we show him or tell him, bam! He pulls it off.”
“And I love that and he’s got such a bright future in wrestling. He’s 26, Renee. Let’s not forget that. He is a kid. So, I always kind of keep that in the back of my mind every week when we’re kind of talking to him, that ‘hey, he’s still a kid.’ He’s 26 and he’s working in this new world that he probably had no clue about before he stepped in it. So for him to excel this quick in something he probably never even watched as a child, that says a lot about his character and his athletic prowess.”
Paul Wight Mentoring Satnam Singh
Paul Wight (Photo: AEW)
“Paul Wight has taken a lot of interest in Satnam and they kind of hit it off. So when it comes to tape study and stuff, I tell Satnam, ‘whatever Paul tells you, just listen and do that.’ And I appreciate Paul taking that time, effort, and energy that he spends with Satnam because there’s just some days where Lethal and I don’t have time get in the ring with him, but Paul does.”
“I’ve kind of told Satnam, ‘Paul will be your ticket to success if you just listen to what he’s telling you to do. He is experienced.’ If there’s anyone in AEW that can empathize and sympathize with Satnam’s issues and problems and kind of excelling at something like this, it’s Paul.”
“So that’s why I tell Satnam a lot of times, ‘look, Lethal and I will tell you our perspective, but our perspective is going to be way different than his. His perspective and his insight will be more centered and gear to you. So, whenever he wants to sit with you, just sit down and listen and soak it all in.'”
The main event of this week’s Dynamite saw Samoa Joe becoming the new ROH TV champion. This win, however, was overshadowed by the debut of Satnam Singh.
The Indian star joined forces with Sonjay Dutt and Jay Lethal. They attacked the new champion. The whole angle received mixed reactions from the fans.
Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer recently talked about Singh’s AEW debut. He mentioned that Tony Khan’s idea was to shoot an angle that would be a breakthrough in the Indian market:
“As part of the first week after the Discovery merger, Tony Khan wanted to shoot an angle that would be a breakthrough in that market using someone of some renown in that country”
The wrestling journalist noted that Satnam Singh will be managed by Sonjay Dutt. This pair will be used to promote the company in India.
Singh is the only Indian-born player to be ever drafted by NBA. The giant was a second-round draft choice of the Dallas Mavericks in 2015.
Author’s Note: While the idea to use an Indian origin talent to promote the company in the country is great, AEW first needs to create some brand awareness in India.
The Discovery-owned Eurosport channel was rebranded in March 2020. It doesn’t have the same reach as their WWE counterpart, Sony Ten Network channels.
WWE hasn’t been regular with their promotion in India. AEW has many known faces in their roster they can use to promote the show as an alternative wrestling product. They can send in some stars on tours to garner media attention.
In the time Satnam Singh completes his training, this tactic can be used to increase the recognization of AEW. This will help them maximise the buzz around him when Singh is ready to be pushed properly.
