Shanky says he experienced ‘no racism’ backstage in WWE | Exclusive
Former WWE wrestler Shanky has opened up about his time and experience in WWE, revealing that there was no “racism” backstage at the promotion.
In an exclusive interview with F4WON, Shanky opened up about his humble beginnings from a small town in India to reaching WWE. While having never worked officially in NXT, Shanky revealed how he wrestled on the main roster and the collaborative backstage environment there.
“So when I went backstage, Roman [Reigns] was there… Seth Rollins, everyone was there. You know, like, we’re all in the same place, eating together at catering. There was no racism, nothing like, ‘Oh, you’re new, so you can’t sit at that table and eat.’ Nothing like that. Everyone was down-to-earth and humble. So, I mean, I’m telling you—it was beyond that,” he said.
When asked about working with Triple H and Vince McMahon, Shanky said, “To be honest, I didn’t work that much with Triple H, sir. When we first went to NXT, I didn’t really get a chance there. I think I’m the first one who didn’t even do NXT and went straight to Raw and SmackDown. So I went to Raw first, and that’s where I met Vince McMahon. I met the whole team. Jinder [Mahal] paaji was with me, Veer Mahaan was with me too. And Jinder paaji played a really big role for us, because we were new at that time on Raw and SmackDown,” he said.
Reflecting on Mahal’s role in his career and his interaction with McMahon, the 34-year-old recalled, “You can call him [Jinder Mahal] a mentor, an elder brother—he supported us completely. So that was really good for me. And the interaction with Vince, because he was looking at my name. He said, ‘We need to change the name.’ And I know, I’m standing in front of Vince, and he said, ‘I like Shanky, just carry on.’ So that’s when the name Shanky got set. Singh got removed from the back, but he kept Shanky. So yeah, that experience was just something else. Being around such huge Superstars, I was so excited—like, when I go backstage, I want to see what the atmosphere is like, you know.“
However, the journey for Shanky to reach WWE was not always easy.
Shanky opens up in detail about his struggles to reach WWE
While pro-wrestling is very popular and common in India, the industry there still has a lot to develop and offer to its budding pro-wrestlers. Opening up about his struggles and his journey, Shanky shared how he managed money to join former WWE champion The Great Khali’s wrestling school in India.
“Then I remembered Kapil Sharma’s show—you know, it still comes on. Even back then, it was on, and The Great Khali had come on it. He mentioned his wrestling company, which is in Jalandhar and all. My friends said, ‘Why don’t you go meet him once? Just go and see what it’s about.’ So I went to Jalandhar and met him. At that time, he said, ‘Yes, you can do it—you’ve got height, that’s your biggest plus, your advantage.’ And I mean, in wrestling, height doesn’t really matter, but if you have it, it’s a plus. Then he told me the fees—and since I’m from a simple family, it was a lot,” he said.
“Arranging ₹25,000 to ₹30,000 [$262-$315] a month is very difficult for an ordinary family, because at that time I myself was doing an accountant job for only about ₹7,000–₹8,500 [$78-84] a month. So the fees were too high, and I came back home and told my dad. Then, about 20 days later, my dad said, ‘If you want to do it, it’s okay—I’ll arrange two months’ fees from somewhere.’ I know that at that time he borrowed ₹60,000 [$630] from someone, took a bank loan, and he himself took me to Jalandhar, paid the fees there,” Shanky added.
However, the journey had just started there. Shortly after training there with Ricardo Rodriguez, Shanky injured himself and got put on the shelf. Although regretting his decision to wrestle, Shanky fought back. Unfortunately, the underdeveloped pro-wrestling scene in India over a decade ago meant almost no earnings for Shanky.
“I learned wrestling, did shows all over India. Back then, we didn’t get paid; there was no earnings. And when there’s no earning, your head starts going—like, we’re doing this to earn, right, but there’s no earning happening at that time. In 2017, there was a tryout in Dubai, and I didn’t get selected. Then in 2018, I thought, yeah, there’s no point now—there’s no earning, and I didn’t get selected in the tryout—so I quit wrestling and moved to Bombay,” he reflected.
Instead of giving up, he worked hard in the Indian TV industry, did reality shows, and again attempted the next WWE tryout in Mumbai, where he got selected.
After a brief successful run in WWE, Shanky got released in 2023 and is currently an active part of the OPW’s (Oceania Pro Wrestling) cards in Melbourne, Australia, where he recently lost the OPW Global Title Match against Parker Boudreaux.
Shounak Chakrabarti is an experienced sports journalist with a lifelong passion for athletics and storytelling. He holds a Master’s Degree in International Journalism from the University of Leeds and joined F4WOnline in 2025.
Shounak takes particular interest in soccer, closely following top clubs like Real Madrid and Arsenal. Beyond sports, he enjoys fiction writing, photography, gaming, and cinema.