In its first week, the Pro Wrestling League (PWL) has witnessed several glitches which may pose serious threats to its reputation even before it is built.
After its launch in July the PWL ran into various problems, including some internal issues among its stakeholders, triggering doubts about the conduct of the league. The promoters managed to complete most of the basic formalities a few days prior to the scheduled start on December 10. Their lack of preparedness and planning is still reflected in the way the PWL is being run.
For example, the change in team names, the ‘false start’ to the event in the opening bout, the malfunctioning clock in another contest and the shuffling of the schedule were clear examples of poor planning. Some of these issues are familiar features of a domestic event and look bizarre in a professional league.
If these were not enough, newer and avoidable problems cropped up as the league, studded with World championship and Olympic medallists, progressed; the most ridiculous one being the lack of clarity about results. If one visits the official website of the event, the results table — featuring collective points won by a team — may present a misleading picture.
A team can only win a match by bagging at least four of the seven bouts and not more number of points than its rival. Haryana Hammers beating Dilli Veer 5-2 here on Saturday was one instance of this as Haryana had managed only 25 points against Dilli’s 30.
The points table, featuring total points and number of matches played by each side, misleads you as well. One struggles to find the rules on the portal.
Sometimes, even the wrestlers participating in the PWL have been left clueless about the rules. On Monday, the PWL had a chaotic moment when Mumbai and Bengaluru Yodhas chose to block men’s 125kg and women’s 53kg weights (a pre-match ritual where both teams get a chance to protect their weak links) but to the utter surprise of everyone the first bout of the match turned out to be a men’s 125kg clash!
Later, the women’s 53kg fight was also held.
When asked about the hiccup, Mumbai coach Mahabir Prasad said, “There was a bit of confusion. Since the 125kg weight had been blocked in our previous match, it could not have been blocked again.”
It is a sharp contrast to other sporting leagues which are spectator friendly when it comes to following the progress of the event.
The other prickly aspect of the PWL is the commentary, sometimes bordering on absurdity, on live television.
While offering some top class action on the mat, the PWL is toiling hard to rise to the ‘professional’ tag attached to it.
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