.jpg) Singh,c. 1983 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | Gadowar Singh Sahota (1954-12-08)December 8, 1954 (age 71) |
| Family | Raj Singh (son) Jinder Mahal (nephew) |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Gama Singh Great Gama |
| Billed height | 5 ft 10 in (178 cm) |
| Billed weight | 225 lb (102 kg) |
| Trained by | Bill Persack Stu Hart |
| Debut | 1973[1] |
| Retired | 2020 |
Gadowar Singh Sahota (Punjabi: ਗਦੋਵਰ ਸਿੰਘ ਸਹੋਤਾ; born December 8, 1954)[2] is anIndian retiredprofessional wrestler known asGama Singh (Punjabi: ਗਾਮਾ ਸਿੰਘ) andGreat Gama[1] Sahota was a villainous mainstay and top attraction inStu Hart'sStampede Wrestling inCalgary for much of the 1970s and 1980s. Sahota also wrestled internationally inJapan,South Africa,Germany,Kuwait,Dubai,Oman,Australia, theUnited States and theCaribbean. He also worked sporadically, mostly on overseas tours, forVince McMahon and theWorld Wrestling Federation (WWF) from 1980 to 1986. His nephew is formerWWE ChampionJinder Mahal. Singh made a brief comeback of sorts in 2018, when he signed withImpact Wrestling as the manager for a stable of Indian wrestlers known as the Desi Hit Squad, but quietly left in 2020.
His father emigrated toCanada fromPunjab, India, with his family joining him in 1963. Sahota went to school inMerritt, British Columbia and excelled in amateur wrestling.[2]
In the early-1970s, Sahota met Bill Persack, an old time wrestler at a VancouverYMCA; Persack had watched him wrestle in the amateur ranks and agreed to train him. Training Singh for six months, Persack suggested he go toCalgary,Alberta andStu Hart'sStampede Wrestling to further his career. Upon moving to Calgary and meeting with Stu Hart, Sahota began training withCarlos Colón, debuting in Stampede Wrestling in 1973. He would first compete under his own name, but by 1974 would take on the name "Great Gama", in reference tothe great Indian star at the turn of the 20th century.[2]
Beginning his wrestling career in 1973, Gama Singh was one of the most hated wrestlers of all time in the Stampede Wrestling territory.[3] Singh would first find success in the tag team ranks, winningStampede's Tag Titles on two occasions, before going on to feud with theDynamite Kid, taking theMid-Heavyweight title from him in a ladder match. His most famous championship run, however, would be with Stampede Wrestling'sBritish Commonwealth Mid-Heavyweight Championship, which he would win six times in the 1980s; with title victories over future renowned stars such asDavey Boy Smith,Owen Hart andChris Benoit.[4]
Also in the 1980s Gama was a founding member and leader of the hated Karachi Vice stable, which also includedMakhan Singh,Steve DiSalvo,Vokhan Singh,Kerry Brown,Rhonda Singh,Ron Starr and managers JR Foley and Abu Wizal.[5] A much reviled play on the popular 80s TV seriesMiami Vice and the city ofKarachi inPakistan; the Karachi Vice would dominate Stampede Wrestling in the late 1980s, becoming a cult sensation within Calgary.[6] In an era when wrestling was treated as a real sport rather than spectacle, Gama Singh incensed much hatred as a wrestling villain in Calgary, receiving racist threats and often encountered people swearing at him on the street.[7] Stampede wrestling would be purchased byVince McMahon'sWorld Wrestling Federation (WWF) in 1984, but returned underBruce Hart running with Gama as one of the top attractions until 1990.[8]
Aside from Stampede Wrestling, and his later WWF tours, Gama Singh spent much of the late 1970s inVancouver'sAll-Star Wrestling. He mostly competed in Tag Team bouts with partners such asGuy Mitchell andBuck Zumhofe; culminating in aTag Title win with partnerIgor Volkoff.[9]
Apart from competing in the oddNWA affiliated promotion in the United States; Singh also took part in several tours ofNJPW in Japan in the late 1970s, often teaming withTiger Jeet Singh, and taking on greats such asTatsumi Fujinami,Seiji Sakaguchi andRiki Choshu. At various times in his career, Gama worked forWWC and various other promotions in the Caribbean as well; once winning theWWC Caribbean Heavyweight Championship fromCiclon Negro inPuerto Rico in 1980. He would also prove very popular in South Africa, engaging in tours which included bouts against his friendBad News Allen; and also competed for WPW in Germany in the mid-1990s, teaming with longtime associate'Champagne' Gerry Morrow.[10]
In the early eighties,Vince McMahon, Jr. widely expanded theWWE and was looking for an Indian wrestler to work on various tours in theMiddle East. Gama Singh began working forJack Tunney in Toronto and then worked several overseas tours for the WWF in Kuwait, United Arab Emirates, Oman, Australia and Hawaii.[2] While in the United States in 1984/1985, Singh would mostly compete in undercard matches on WWF house-shows. He would, however, appear on WWF television defeatingJohnny Rodz onPrime Time Wrestling, and also appeared on the June 27, 1985 edition of WWF'sTuesday Night Titans; interviewed by McMahon and accompanied by anIndian Rock Python.[11]
Singh signed a deal withImpact Wrestling in January 2018 as a manager of the Desi Hit Squad withRohit Raju, Gursinder Singh,Mahabali Shera and his sonRaj Singh, but whenCOVID-19 pandemic travel restrictions began in 2020, he remained in Canada, and did not return to Impact once it resumed tapings inNashville, quietly leaving the company.[1]
Gama started investing money in real estate eventually becoming a renowned real estate developer in Calgary.[7] His brother Akam would also become a professional wrestler, as would his son,Raj Singh. His nephew Yuvraj Singh Dhesi,[12] would go on to theWWE, asJinder Mahal and win theWWE Championship in 2017.[13]
He and his family are the subject ofAkash Sherman's documentary filmSinghs in the Ring, which is slated to premiere at the 2025Calgary International Film Festival.[14]
,Internet Wrestling Database