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Our Bureau

New Delhi, Aug. 24 Wrestling goes desi with a new show on Colors that hopes to pit Pehalwans against international wrestling professionals.

The dramatised bouts of professional wrestling, where scripted characters such as WWE’s Great Khali, Randy Orton and Rey Mysterio take on others in choreographed moves, are hugely popular.

For Ten Sports, which has been airing the World Wrestling Entertainments since 2002, it brings in the most audiences and advertising revenue after cricket. WWE programmes usually grabs the top 5 to 10 positions of sports programme rankings, when there is no cricket featuring India. During week ending August 8, the top five sports programmes all belonged to WWE, says Mr Rukin Kizilbash, GM, Taj TV India (Ten Sports), quoting TAM Media Research data.

“WWE is one of our main driver programmes and is second in viewership only to India playing cricket. Since its debut on Ten Sports seven years ago, WWE has been growing in popularity by leaps and bounds, and I’m sure it will continue to do so for the next seven years!,” says Mr Kizilbash. Ten Sports holds the exclusive telecast right for WWE in the subcontinent up to 2015.

Colors, the General entertainment channel from Viacom 18, has scripted its way to the No.1 position with completely new shows such as Fear Factor, Khatron Ka Khiladi and Balika Vadhu, and programming strategy. The wrestling show titled 100% - De Dhana Dhan! will premier on August 29 at 9 pm on weekends.

Mentored by India’s most loved wrestler Dara Singh, the ma ke laals, Sando Paaji, Ganya Zoker and Tiger Rapta will fight Jason Steele, Kwaito Kid and Terri Middoux and their friends. The show, produced by Endemol is based on an Argentinian format Lucha.

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