Gadowar Singh Sahota
Encyclopedia
Gadowar Singh Sahota is a professional wrestler
known as Gama Singh. Sahota eventually wound up in Stu Hart's Stampede Wrestling
in Calgary. Sahota worked Kuwait
, Dubai
, Oman
, Australia
, and Hawaii
for Vince McMahon
and the WWF from 1980-86. His nephew is professional wrestler
Yuvraj "Raj" Dhesi (Jinder Mahal in the WWE).
from India
and around 1963 his family joined him. Sahota
went to school in Merritt, British Columbia
and excelled in amateur wrestling.
and there he met Bill Persack, an old time wrestler who had seen him wrestle in the amateur ranks. Persack trained Singh for six months and suggested it was time for him to go to Calgary and Stampede Wrestling.
and started working out with Carlos Belafonte
. Gama Singh was and is one of the most hated wrestlers of all time. Gama Singh was so much hated that as soon as he would step outside his house in Calgary, Canada, he start to be called with racial slurs noting the fact that at Gama's time, wrestling was treated like a real life sport. And as he soon as he would walk into the Victoria Pavilion arena, people would start going "nuts" as if all the heel stints he did were "for real"! Calling him with racial catcalls. He was a wrestler who people most loved to hate.
. Singh had just started working for Jack Tunney
in Toronto and agreed to the tour.
Singh worked Kuwait, Dubai, Oman, Australia and Hawaii for Vince McMahon and the WWF from 1980-86. He would have some great matches against Don Muraco
, Rowdy Roddy Piper
and "Cowboy" Bob Orton.
Professional wrestling
Professional wrestling is a mode of spectacle, combining athletics and theatrical performance.Roland Barthes, "The World of Wrestling", Mythologies, 1957 It takes the form of events, held by touring companies, which mimic a title match combat sport...
known as Gama Singh. Sahota eventually wound up in Stu Hart's Stampede Wrestling
Stampede Wrestling
Stampede Wrestling is a Canadian professional wrestling promotion based in Calgary, Alberta and was for nearly 50 years one of the main promotions in western Canada and the Canadian Prairies...
in Calgary. Sahota worked Kuwait
Kuwait
The State of Kuwait is a sovereign Arab state situated in the north-east of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the south at Khafji, and Iraq to the north at Basra. It lies on the north-western shore of the Persian Gulf. The name Kuwait is derived from the...
, Dubai
Dubai
Dubai is a city and emirate in the United Arab Emirates . The emirate is located south of the Persian Gulf on the Arabian Peninsula and has the largest population with the second-largest land territory by area of all the emirates, after Abu Dhabi...
, Oman
Oman
Oman , officially called the Sultanate of Oman , is an Arab state in southwest Asia on the southeast coast of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by the United Arab Emirates to the northwest, Saudi Arabia to the west, and Yemen to the southwest. The coast is formed by the Arabian Sea on the...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, and Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
for Vince McMahon
Vince McMahon
Vincent Kennedy "Vince" McMahon is an American professional wrestling promoter, announcer, commentator, film producer, actor and former occasional professional wrestler. McMahon is the current Chairman, CEO and Chairman of the Executive Committee of professional wrestling promotion WWE...
and the WWF from 1980-86. His nephew is professional wrestler
Professional wrestling
Professional wrestling is a mode of spectacle, combining athletics and theatrical performance.Roland Barthes, "The World of Wrestling", Mythologies, 1957 It takes the form of events, held by touring companies, which mimic a title match combat sport...
Yuvraj "Raj" Dhesi (Jinder Mahal in the WWE).
Early life
His father emigrated to CanadaCanada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
from India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
and around 1963 his family joined him. Sahota
Sahotra
Sahotra are a clan of Rajput, Tarkhan and Jat, found in Punjab, India and Punjab, Pakistan.There are seven pronunciations for this tribe:* Sahotra* Sohotra* Sahota* Sahontra* Sauntra* Sontra* Sutra- History and origin myths :...
went to school in Merritt, British Columbia
Merritt, British Columbia
Merritt is a city in the Nicola Valley of the south-central Interior of British Columbia, Canada. Situated at the confluence of the Nicola and Coldwater rivers, it is the first major community encountered after travelling along Phase One of the Coquihalla Highway and acts as the gateway to all...
and excelled in amateur wrestling.
Training
Singh was working out at a Vancouver YMCAYMCA
The Young Men's Christian Association is a worldwide organization of more than 45 million members from 125 national federations affiliated through the World Alliance of YMCAs...
and there he met Bill Persack, an old time wrestler who had seen him wrestle in the amateur ranks. Persack trained Singh for six months and suggested it was time for him to go to Calgary and Stampede Wrestling.
Stampede Wrestling
Singh then went to Calgary and met Stu HartStu Hart
Stewart Edward "Stu" Hart, CM was a Canadian amateur wrestler, professional wrestler, promoter and trainer. Hart founded Stampede Wrestling, a promotion based in Calgary, Alberta, and was the father of famous wrestlers Bret and Owen Hart...
and started working out with Carlos Belafonte
Carlos Colón
Carlos Colón may refer to:*Carlos Colón, Sr., wrestler*Carly Colón, wrestler whose real name is Carlos Colón, son of the above*The Deadlines' lead guitarist, Carlos Colón...
. Gama Singh was and is one of the most hated wrestlers of all time. Gama Singh was so much hated that as soon as he would step outside his house in Calgary, Canada, he start to be called with racial slurs noting the fact that at Gama's time, wrestling was treated like a real life sport. And as he soon as he would walk into the Victoria Pavilion arena, people would start going "nuts" as if all the heel stints he did were "for real"! Calling him with racial catcalls. He was a wrestler who people most loved to hate.
World Wrestling Federation
In the early eighties, Vince McMahon, Jr. was expanding the WWF and was looking for an Indian to take the Middle EastMiddle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
. Singh had just started working for Jack Tunney
Jack Tunney
John "Jack" Tunney was a Canadian wrestling promoter. Tunney was known worldwide for his appearances on World Wrestling Federation television as the promotion's figurehead president, suspending wrestlers, stripping them of titles, and ordering matches...
in Toronto and agreed to the tour.
Singh worked Kuwait, Dubai, Oman, Australia and Hawaii for Vince McMahon and the WWF from 1980-86. He would have some great matches against Don Muraco
Don Muraco
Donald Muraco , better known by his ring name "The Rock" Don Muraco, is a retired American professional wrestler...
, Rowdy Roddy Piper
Roddy Piper
Roderick George Toombs , better known by his ring name "Rowdy" Roddy Piper, is a Canadian semi-retired professional wrestler and film actor who is currently signed to WWE. In professional wrestling, he is best known for his work with WWE...
and "Cowboy" Bob Orton.
Semi retirement
Singh only wrestles on occasion, but mainly overseas. Its estimated that he wrestles three months out of the year, taking two to three trips overseas. While he was wrestling on tours around the world, he started investing money in real estate. After that, he also got involved in video store and gas station businesses. He is currently a renowned real estate developer in Calgary.In wrestling
- Finishing moves
- Camel clutch
- Cobra clutch
Championships and accomplishments
- Central States WrestlingHeart of America Sports AttractionsHeart of America Sports Attractions, also known as the Midwest Wrestling Association, Central States Wrestling and the World Wrestling Alliance, was an American professional wrestling promotion that ran shows mainly in Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska and Iowa...
- NWA Central States Tag Team ChampionshipNWA Central States Tag Team ChampionshipThe NWA Central States Tag Team Championship was the primary tag team championship for the Heart of America Sports Attractions / Central States Wrestling promotion from 1979 until the promotion ceased to exist in 1988...
(1 time) – with Bob BrownBob Brown (wrestler)Robert Harold Brown was a Canadian professional wrestler, better known by his ring name "Bulldog" Bob Brown.- Early life :...
- NWA Central States Tag Team Championship
- NWA All-Star Wrestling
- NWA Canadian Tag Team Championship (Vancouver version)NWA Canadian Tag Team Championship (Vancouver version)The Vancouver version of the NWA Canadian Tag Team Championship was established in 1962 as the top tag team title in NWA All-Star Wrestling. The title held that status until late summer 1985, when the title was renamed the UWA Tag Team Championship upon All-Star Wrestling's departure as a member of...
(1 time)
- NWA Canadian Tag Team Championship (Vancouver version)
- Stampede WrestlingStampede WrestlingStampede Wrestling is a Canadian professional wrestling promotion based in Calgary, Alberta and was for nearly 50 years one of the main promotions in western Canada and the Canadian Prairies...
- NWA International Tag Team Championship (Calgary version) (2 times) - with Ed Morrow (1) and Crary Stevenson (1)
- Stampede British Commonwealth Mid-Heavyweight ChampionshipStampede British Commonwealth Mid-Heavyweight ChampionshipThe Stampede British Commonwealth Mid-Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling title for lighter wrestlers in the Canadian promotion, Stampede Wrestling. It has existed since 1978.-Title history:...
(6 times) - Stampede World Mid-Heavyweight ChampionshipStampede World Mid-Heavyweight ChampionshipThe Stampede World Mid-Heavyweight Championship was a professional wrestling title, one of the lesser known secondary titles created for Stampede Wrestling in 1979, and was the focal point of the 1982-83 feud between the Dynamite Kid and the Great Gama...
(2 times)
- World Wrestling CouncilWorld Wrestling CouncilThe World Wrestling Council is one of Puerto Rico's two main professional wrestling promotions, the other one being the International Wrestling Association....
- WWC Caribbean Heavyweight ChampionshipWWC Caribbean Heavyweight ChampionshipThe WWC Caribbean Heavyweight Championship is a secondary title contested for in the Puerto Rican professional wrestling promotion, the World Wrestling Council ....
(1 time)
- WWC Caribbean Heavyweight Championship