Dilsher Shanky
Gurvinder Singh Malhotra (born 19 June 1991)[3] is an Indian professional wrestler better known by the ring name Dilsher Shanky. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Shanky.
| Shanky[1] | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Gurvinder Singh Malhotra |
| Born | 19 June 1991 Jagadhri, Haryana, India |
| Alma mater | Maharaja Agrasen College |
| Parent(s) |
|
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Dilsher Shanky Shanky |
| Billed height | 7 ft 0 in (213 cm) [1] |
| Billed weight | 140.8 kg (310 lb)[1] |
| Billed from | Jalandhar, India[2] |
| Trained by | Continental Wrestling Entertainment (2015-2020)[2]WWE Performance Center |
| Debut | 2015 |
He is also known for his tenure in Continental Wrestling Entertainment (CWE).
Early life
Gurvinder was born to Sardar Narendra Singh and Narendra Kaur in 1991 in Jagadhri, Haryana, India.[4][5] He pursued B.Com from Maharaja Agrasen College and worked as an accountant in Maharishi Markandeshwar University in Mullana, Haryana, India. He saw The Great Khali talking about his new academy, Continental Wrestling Entertainment at the 164th episode of Comedy Nights with Kapil on 24 June 2015 and thus he decided to join CWE the same year.[5]
Personal life
Malhotra is a Sikh. He is the only son of his father and mother. His father, Sardar Narendra Singh, who is 6 feet 0 inches (1.83 m) tall, is a factory supervisor. His mother, Narendra Kaur,[5] who is 5 feet 6 inches (1.68 m) tall, is a housewife. He is personally unhappy with his ring-name, Shanky Singh.[5] According to the Hindustan Times, his early training in CWE was so hard for him that he "usually cried in the bathroom".
Professional wrestling career
At the age of 24, Malhotra joined Continental Wrestling Entertainment (CWE) in 2015. He was officially announced as a CWE Superstar named Shanky Singh on 21 June 2016 through the official YouTube channel of CWE.[6] On 22 March 2017, he announced that he was being selected for the WWE tryouts in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.[7] During his time in CWE, he won the Heavyweight title twice.
On 29 January 2020, WWE announced the signings of three Indian trainees, including Malhotra.[8][9] At Superstar Spectacle on 22 January 2021, Malhotra, under the ring name Dilsher Shanky, teamed with Giant Zanjeer, Rey Mysterio, and Ricochet to defeat Cesaro, Dolph Ziggler, King Corbin, and Shinsuke Nakamura in an eight-man tag-team match. On 10 May episode of Raw, Shanky, along with Veer, would align themselves with Jinder Mahal.[10] As part of the 2021 Draft, both Shanky and Mahal were drafted to the SmackDown brand while Veer remained on the Raw brand, ending their alliance with Veer.[11][12]
Beginning on the 27 May episode of SmackDown, Shanky began dancing before and after his matches, possibly teasing a face turn.[13][14][15] Shanky has been unseen on WWE programming since July, when Triple H took over creative.
Championship and accomplishments
- Continental Wrestling Entertainment
- CWE Heavyweight Championship (2 times)[16]
Other media
Malhotra did a Bollywood film, in it he played the role of Zalzala Singh in the 2019 film Bharat.[17]
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Bharat | Zalzala Singh |
References
- ^ a b c "Shanky". WWE. Retrieved 15 May 2022.
- ^ a b c d "डेढ़ दर्जन अंडे, दूध,चिकन खाकर बनाई ऐसी बॉडी, US आने का मिल रहा बुलावा". Dainik Bhaskar. 19 August 2017.
- ^ "Shanky Singh reveals truth behind giving 'chokeslam' to police constables". InUth. 19 January 2018. Retrieved 8 May 2018.
- ^ "डेढ़ दर्जन अंडे, दूध,चिकन खाकर बनाई ऐसी बॉडी, US आने का मिल रहा बुलावा". Dainik Bhaskar (in Hindi). 19 August 2017. Retrieved 15 May 2022.
- ^ a b c d "The Great Khali's final move: Desi-style WWE via a village in Punjab". Hindustan Times. 26 June 2016. Retrieved 11 May 2018.
- ^ CWE (21 June 2016), CWE Superstar ShankySingh hight [sic] 7 feet from Jagadhri Haryana, retrieved 24 May 2018
- ^ CWE (22 March 2017), CWE Superstar Shanky Singh sharing his views on his WWE Tryout 2017 in Dubai., retrieved 24 May 2018
- ^ "WWE Performs New Tryout at The Great Khali School in India". wrestlingculture.com. 16 November 2017. Retrieved 10 May 2018.
- ^ Solowrestling (16 November 2017). "WWE realiza nuevo tryout en la escuela de The Great Khali en India" (in Spanish). Retrieved 11 May 2018.
- ^ "Former WWE Champion Returns During WWE Raw". WWE. Retrieved 11 May 2021.
- ^ "See all the results from the 2021 Draft".
- ^ Powell, Jason (4 October 2021). "10/4 WWE Raw Results: Powell's live review of the WWE Draft night two, Goldberg returns, the build to WWE Crown Jewel continues". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved 5 October 2021.
- ^ "It's A Drew Day, Bryan Danielson In Action, Max Dupri Welcomed To SmackDown, And More". Fightful. Retrieved 27 May 2022.
- ^ "WWE Friday Night SmackDown Results for May 27, 2022". WrestlingNews.co. Retrieved 21 May 2022.
- ^ "WWE SMACKDOWN May 27, 2022". WWE. Retrieved 27 May 2022.
- ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip (5 May 2018). "CWE Saturday Night Show". Cagematch - The Internet Wrestling Database. Retrieved 21 January 2021.
- ^ Kumar, Ankit (7 June 2019). "सलमान खान की फिल्म 'भारत' में डेब्यू करने वाले 7 फुट लंबे रैसलर के बारे में 5 बड़ी बातें". hindi.sportskeeda.com (in Hindi). Retrieved 14 April 2021.