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April is an important month for American sports. Not only will we be busy betting on MLB games, but it’s WrestleMania 38. It’s the biggest event of the year for World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) with the event being held on April 2nd and 3rd. Over the years, there have been many links between WWE and MLB and that’s again the case this year.
Fans of the Pittsburgh Pirates will be familiar with the name of Ranju Singh. The Indian baseball player defied the odds to win a television show called ‘The Million Dollar Arm.’ Despite not knowing anything about baseball. Singh beat over 37,000 other contestants as he threw at 87mph.
That took him to the USA and with pitches at speeds as high as 92mph, it was no surprise that betting on him being signed by an MLB team was going to happen. The Pirates signed him 14 years ago along with Dinesh Patel, who became the first Indian players to sign MLB contracts.
Singh was to play baseball around the globe, but injuries blighted his career. He changed track completely by in 2018 joining WWE and launching a professional career. Singh was hoping to follow in the footsteps of Randy Savage who had switched from being a baseball player and ended up as one of the most famous wrestlers ever in WWE.
Currently known as Veer Mahaan, Singh is now part of the Raw roster, aligning himself with former champion Jinder Mahal. He’s yet to make a major impact in WWE, but you can bet that may well happen in the future. He could well be involved in the WrestleMania card in April, possibly in a battle royal.
There are plenty of betting opportunities available at both MLB and WWE events. Getting your hands on a Bet365 bonus is a great idea to boost your betting experience.
Perhaps the most famous link between MLB and WWE is Pete Rose. While betting on him being inducted into the MLB Hall of Fame hasn’t produced a return, that’s not the case In the professional wrestling business. Rose is in the celebrity wing of the WWE Hall of Fame, being inducted in 2004.
Rose is no stranger to the WrestleMania event. His first appearance was in 1998 at WrestleMania XIV. He was a guest ring announcer for the big showdown between Kane and The Undertaker. You can bet that Rose was shaking in his boots when Kane gave him a Tombstone Piledriver. That never happened to him in his baseball career.
Such was the success of his 1998 WrestleMania appearance, Rose was invited back the following year. He was out for some revenge on Kane which was a rather foolish act to be fair. When cheering him on in MLB, fans would never have bet on one day seeing him dressed as the San Diego Chicken. That’s what happened at WrestleMania XV as he tried to attack Kane only to be given another Tombstone Piledriver.
By now WrestleMania wasn’t complete without Rose being walloped by Kane. WrestleMania 20 saw him again have a painful evening with the rather large Rikishi also getting in on the act. Could you bet on that being the end of his problems with Kane? 2002 saw Rose get chokeslammed by him but it was a less painful experience the next time they met. That was in 2004 when that WWE Hall of Fame induction took place.
That was just the lull before the storm though. In 2010, WWE used to have guest hosts for their Monday Night Raw show. Anyone betting on more problems with Kane were dead right. Kane attacked Rose again! It’s perhaps not surprising that two years later, Kane said: “For reasons never quite explained, I have an unhealthy obsession with torturing Pete Rose.”
Not all the interactions between MLB and WWE take place in the ring. Last year saw the two companies sign a multi-year partnership. Sportsbooks will offer odds on who will win the main belts at WrestleMania as Brock Lesnar battles it out with Roman Reigns.
However, neither will win one of the special WWE belts that feature the logos of all the MLB teams. Recent years have seen WWE sending custom title belts to championship winning teams in other sports. That’s been the case in the past three years with the World Series winners being given one by WWE.
It’s not rare either of WWE ‘superstars’ making appearances at MLB games. Charlotte Flair, alongside her father, the legendary Ric Flair, threw the first pitch at a Chicago Cubs game. Other WWE stars to perform that feat have been Seth Rollins, The Miz, Daniel Bryan and Sheamus.
It’s always good to see two different sports working together. You can bet that WWE and MLB will continue to do so in the future.
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