Satnam Singh made an impactful debut on last night’s AEW Dynamite reportedly to help the promotion build a fanbase in India.

A former basketball player, Singh debuted after the ROH World Television Championship match between Minoru Suzuki and Samoa Joe, and attacked Joe.

The Wrestling Observer Newsletter reports:

“Singh’s debut was designed to build the AEW brand in India, and has a lot to do with the WarnerMedia/Discovery merger.”

AEW programming airs on the Discovery-owned channel Eurosport India, a deal AEW President Tony Khan reportedly made based on the impending Discovery-WarnerMedia merger.

Singh will be managed by Sonjay Dutt, who gained notoriety in India years back when he wrestled for TNA.

The report noted that both Singh and Dutt “will be used to promote AEW on Eurosport India” and pushed as a “lead act.”

Singh became the first Indian player to be signed to the NBA in 2015 but despite being drafted by the Dallas Mavericks, never played for the Mark Cuban-owned team.

He signed with AEW in September 2021.