An announcement was recently made by AEW that they have signed former NBA player, who is the first to ever be drafted from India, Satnam Singh, to a contract with the promotion and that he will begin his training at The Nightmare Factory in Atlanta, Georgia, which is run by Cody Rhodes and QT Marshall.
It was also mentioned on a press release that Satnam Singh, who stands in at 7’3”, was drafted by the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks back in 2015 and now he will be bringing his natural athleticism, charisma and his daunting stature to AEW. AEW President and CEO Tony Khan noted that even though the have recently secured some of the hottest free agents on the planet, he is also deeply committed to cultivating the promotion’s own homegrown stars and the next generation of extraordinary professional wrestlers.
AEW President Tony Khan also said that in addition to Singh’s stature, he was also impressed with his high level of athleticism and charisma and that he is definitely an exciting addition to their roster and that the AEW CEO is also looking forward to the fans getting to know his personality and watching his development.
After Singh was drafted by the Dallas Mavericks in 2015, he was sent to the 2015 NBA Summer League to play for the Texas Legends, the G-League affiliate of the Mavericks. Singh played for the Legends for their 2016-17 season and then returned to the Dallas Mavericks for the 2017 NBA Summer League. Satnam Singh had his NBA draft rights traded to the NBA’s Memphis Grizzlies in July 2019 alongside two other second round draft picks in a sign and trade for Delon Wright and Singh has not played since.
You can check out All Elite Wrestling’s full announcement below:
First-Ever NBA-Drafted Player From India Signs With AEW
Former Dallas Mavericks Center Satnam Singh Begins Training At The Nightmare Factory
September 23, 2021 – All Elite Wrestling (AEW) today announced the signing of Satnam Singh, an international phenom best known as the first-ever player from India to be drafted by the National Basketball Association. The 7’3” Singh was drafted by the Dallas Mavericks in 2015, and now brings his natural athleticism, charisma and daunting stature to AEW.
Singh follows in the footsteps of NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal, who squared off alongside Jade Cargill in a mixed tag team match against Cody Rhodes and Red Velvet on “AEW: Dynamite” in March. Singh will begin training at the world-class, Atlanta-based Nightmare Factory, run by QT Marshall and Cody Rhodes.
“While we’ve recently secured some of the hottest free agents on the planet, I’m also deeply committed to cultivating our own homegrown stars and the next generation of extraordinary professional wrestlers,” said Tony Khan, CEO, GM and Head of Creative of AEW. “In addition to Satnam’s commanding 7’3” stature, I was impressed with his high level of athleticism and charisma. He’s an exciting addition to our roster, and I’m looking forward to our fans getting to know Satnam’s personality and watching his development.”
In early August, AEW began broadcasting weekly episodes of “AEW: Dynamite” and “AEW: Rampage” on Eurosport India, joining more than 120 countries watching AEW worldwide on broadcast partners and via AEWPlus. The signing of Singh also comes at a momentous time for AEW, fresh off the wildly successful ALL OUT pay-per-view, its red-hot debut in the NYC market, and the lauded signings of CM Punk, Bryan Danielson, Adam Cole and Ruby Soho.
With two nights of programming on TNT, and substantial digital content available weekly, AEW continues to solidify its position as the fastest growing and hottest professional wrestling promotion. This week, AEW features four hours of programming on TNT from the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Queens, NY, starting with “AEW Dynamite: Grand Slam” on Wednesday, Sept. 22, at 8 p.m. ET, and a special two-hour presentation of “AEW: Rampage” on Friday, Sept. 24, at 10 p.m. ET.
About AEW
Founded by CEO, GM and Head of Creative Tony Khan, AEW is a new professional wrestling league headlined by Kenny Omega, Dr. Britt Baker, CM Punk, Bryan Danielson, Chris Jericho, Cody & Brandi Rhodes, The Young Bucks (Matt & Nick Jackson), Adam Cole, Sting, Jon Moxley, Miro, Lucha Bros., PAC, Hangman Page, MJF, Darby Allin, Nyla Rose, Red Velvet, Ruby Soho, Hikaru Shida, Jade Cargill, Thunder Rosa, Malakai Black, Andrade El Idolo, Christian Cage, Jungle Boy, Sammy Guevara, Scorpio Sky, Ethan Page, Orange Cassidy, Ricky Starks, Powerhouse Hobbs, Lance Archer, and many more. For the first time in many years, AEW is offering an alternative to mainstream wrestling, with a roster of world-class talent that is injecting new spirit, freshness and energy into the industry.
“AEW: Dynamite” airs every Wednesday from 8-10 p.m. ET on TNT and attracts the youngest wrestling audience on television. The new fight-forward show “AEW: Rampage” airs every Friday from 10-11 p.m. ET. AEW’s multi-platform content also includes “AEW Dark” and “AEW Dark: Elevation,” two weekly professional wrestling YouTube series, “Being the Elite,” a weekly behind-the-scenes YouTube series, and “AEW Unrestricted,” a weekly podcast series. For more info, check out Twitter.com/AEW; Instagram.com/AllEliteWrestling; YouTube.com/AEW; Facebook.com/AllEliteWrestling.
