Back in May, Arjan Bhullar became the first fighter of Indian descent to win a major MMA title when he claimed the ONE Championship heavyweight belt with a second-round TKO of Brandon Vera. Afterward, Bhullar stated he’d be willing to make his first title defense against Kang Ji Won, but that’s not what stood out about his post-fight interview.
It was this sign-off message.
“Before my next fight, I do want to say one thing: I have reached the pinnacle of this sport,” Bhullar said. “Now I want to attack the pro wrestling industry. AEW, WWE, I’m coming for you guys next. Consider this a warning shot.”
To viewers, that might’ve sounded fake, but it was real – as in, the possibility exists for Bhullar to cross over into pro wrestling. According to him, there’s language in his ONE Championship contract that makes it so.
“It was serious from the get-go, and it is serious,” Bhullar told MMA Fighting. “I’m picking a fight with these guys, with the entire industry. AEW, WWE, it doesn’t matter. When I actually signed over from the UFC, we had language in our contract that would open the door to this. So we had some foresight on this.
“Both industries, there’s a blend there in terms of crossover and like I said, I want to pick a fight with these guys. They think they’re tough guys in the industry; I think I’m tougher. For the WWE, India’s the biggest market, they had over 20 million people tune in to (a recent event). You want India, we want India in terms of MMA. It all works.”
WWE could be an option, sure, but AEW makes more sense given that ONE Championship also has a TV deal with TNT. One thing is clear: Bhullar loves pro wrestling, and he wants his shot, and he’s been trying to catch anyone’s attention on social media.
Calling out Baron Corbin
Kings bow to the feet of Gods @BaronCorbinWWE I will make you bend to my will✊🏾
— Arjan Singh Bhullar (@TheOneASB) May 19, 2021
Calling out Bobby Lashley
I see you @fightbobby and I'll gladly oblige if you still got that itch#GodOfWrestling #OneBillionStrong https://t.co/WqjHJSDpYX
— Arjan Singh Bhullar (@TheOneASB) May 22, 2021
McIntyre blew it! The fans want 2 see REAL hell in a cell. Lock me in there w/ @fightbobby I'll bring it live on @peacockTV No rounds No time limit No referree. Bellator vs ONE. Winner gets both @wwe ONE belts n the mace of Hanuman w/the right 2 reign as almighty #GodOfWrestling
— Arjan Singh Bhullar (@TheOneASB) June 21, 2021
Calling out Jake Hager
Hey @RealJakeHager congrats on that squash match w/Wardlow. How bout we give the fans a real fight inside the @AEW squared circle live on @tntdrama and @AEWonTNT? Bellator vs ONE. Winner gets the mace of Hanuman and the right to be called the #GodOfWrestling
— Arjan Singh Bhullar (@TheOneASB) June 21, 2021
The silence is deafening https://t.co/M1LwVsCCjy
— Arjan Singh Bhullar (@TheOneASB) June 24, 2021
Celebrating nWo week
Happy #NWO week to all you pro wrestling fans! 25 yrs ago the world turned upside down when Hulk Hogan turned heel on the Hulkamaniacs. It changed the industry forever….and made me a fan 4 Liiiife🤘🏾#4life #toosweet #prowrestling #GodOfWrestling #TeamBhullar #OneBillionStrong pic.twitter.com/q2lmGokzdR
— Arjan Singh Bhullar (@TheOneASB) July 8, 2021
You’ve got to hand it to Bhullar for trying. Will there be any takers? We’ll see, but perhaps building his name as a dominant champion is Step 1 to a crossover.
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