WRESTLERS from India

Top 8

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the most legendary Indian Wrestlers of all time. This list of famous Indian Wrestlers is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity.

1. The Great Khali (b. 1972)

With an HPI of 53.03, The Great Khali is the most famous Indian Wrestler.  His biography has been translated into 50 different languages on wikipedia.

Dalip Singh Rana (born 27 August 1972) is an Indian-born American retired professional wrestler and wrestling promoter better known by his ring name The Great Khali. He is best known for his tenure in WWE where he became the first Indian-born World Heavyweight Champion in history. Khali was inducted to the WWE Hall of Fame in 2021.He made his professional wrestling debut in 2000. Before embarking on his professional wrestling career, he was an Assistant Sub-Inspector of Punjab Police. He has appeared in four Hollywood films, two Bollywood films and several television shows. He is the founder and head coach of India's largest professional wrestling promotion, Continental Wrestling Entertainment, founded in 2015. He was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame as a member of the 2021 class.

2. The Great Gama (1878 - 1960)

With an HPI of 48.76, The Great Gama is the 2nd most famous Indian Wrestler.  His biography has been translated into 19 different languages.

Ghulam Mohammad Baksh Butt (22 May 1878 – 23 May 1960), commonly known by the title Rustam-e-Hind and by the ring name The Great Gama, was a pehlwani wrestler and strongman in British India and later, Pakistan. In the early 20th century, he was an undefeated wrestling champion of British India.He was born in Jabbowal village (Amritsar District) in the Punjab Province of British India in 1878, and was awarded a version of the World Heavyweight Championship on 15 October 1910. Undefeated in a career spanning more than 52 years, he is considered one of the greatest wrestlers of all time. After the partition of India, Gama migrated to Pakistan, where he died in the city of Lahore on 23 May 1960.The prominent members of Great Gama Family includes, The Great Jahara Pehlwan, Nasir Bholu, Sohail Pehalwan, Abid Pehalwan, Kalsoom Nawaz, Bilal Yaseen (Ex-Federal Minister), Ibraz Butt (Youth Parliamentarian, Secretary of Information) & Moazzam Zubair (Son of Jahara The Great)

3. Sushil Kumar (b. 1983)

With an HPI of 31.88, Sushil Kumar is the 3rd most famous Indian Wrestler.  His biography has been translated into 32 different languages.

Sushil Kumar (born 26 May 1983) is a former Indian wrestler. He carried the Indian flag at the opening ceremony of 2012 London Olympics. His 2008 Olympic medal was only the second for India in wrestling, and the first since Khashaba Dadasaheb Jadhav's bronze medal at the 1952 Summer Olympics. In July 2009, he received the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna – India's highest honour for sportspersons. On 3 October 2010, Kumar handed the Queen's Baton to Prince Charles in the Queen's Baton Relay for the 2010 Commonwealth Games Opening Ceremony. Sushil won the gold medal in the 74 kg division at the 2014 Commonwealth Games. Sushil won the gold medal in the 74 kg division at the 2018 Commonwealth Games. He is the first and only Indian to win a gold medal at World Wrestling Championships.

4. Geeta Phogat (b. 1988)

With an HPI of 31.66, Geeta Phogat is the 4th most famous Indian Wrestler.  Her biography has been translated into 25 different languages.

Geeta Phogat (born 15 December 1988) is a freestyle wrestler who won India's first ever gold medal in wrestling at the Commonwealth Games in 2010. She is also the first Indian female wrestler to have qualified for the Olympic Summer Games.

5. Yogeshwar Dutt (b. 1982)

With an HPI of 29.15, Yogeshwar Dutt is the 5th most famous Indian Wrestler.  His biography has been translated into 22 different languages.

Yogeshwar Dutt (born 2 November 1982) is an Indian freestyle wrestler. At the 2012 Summer Olympics, he won the bronze medal in the 60 kg category. He was awarded the Padma Shri by the Government of India in 2013. He won gold medals at the 2010 and the 2014 Commonwealth Games. He is one of only 5 male wrestlers in India to win an Olympic medal.

6. Bajrang Punia (b. 1994)

With an HPI of 28.95, Bajrang Punia is the 6th most famous Indian Wrestler.  His biography has been translated into 27 different languages.

Bajrang Punia (born 26 February 1994) is an Indian freestyle wrestler, who competes in the 65-kg weight category. At the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Punia won a bronze medal by defeating Kazakhstan's Daulet Niyazbekov with a 8–0 margin. Punia is the only Indian wrestler to win 4 medals at the World Wrestling Championships.He is a recipient of Padma Shri, the fourth-highest civilian award in India which he gave up as a protest after a close aide of Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh was elected as Wrestling Federation of India chief.

7. Babita Kumari (b. 1989)

With an HPI of 25.82, Babita Kumari is the 7th most famous Indian Wrestler.  Her biography has been translated into 20 different languages.

Babita Kumari Phogat (born 20 November 1989) is an Indian wrestler, who won the gold medal in 2014 Commonwealth Games. She also won silver medals at 2018 Commonwealth Games and 2010 Commonwealth Games and a bronze medal at the 2012 World Wrestling Championships. Babita Phogat entered politics by joining the Bharatiya Janata Party in 2019.

8. Vinesh Phogat (b. 1994)

With an HPI of 21.53, Vinesh Phogat is the 8th most famous Indian Wrestler.  Her biography has been translated into 23 different languages.

Vinesh Phogat (born 25 August 1994) is an Indian wrestler. She became the first Indian woman wrestler to win a gold at both the Commonwealth and Asian Games. She is the only Indian woman wrestler to win multiple medals at the World Wrestling Championships. Phogat became the first Indian athlete to be nominated for the Laureus World Sports Awards in 2019.Phogat comes from a successful family of wrestlers. Her cousins have been international wrestlers and Commonwealth Games medalists as well. She was one of the leaders of the 2023 Indian wrestlers' protest against BJP MP Brij Bhushan Singh which was held in two phases, one in January 2023 and the second in April 2023.