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http://www.tcpalm.com/tcp/sports/article/0,1651,TCP_1154_2649379,00.html

By ALEX MARVEZ
February 12, 2004

Retesh Bhalla's high-flying wrestling style is just one part of his
life that requires superb balance.

Bhalla is attending classes at George Mason University in Virginia
while continuing his rise to grappling stardom under the name Sonjay
Dutt. Already a fixture on weekend independent shows in the
Northeastern U.S., Bhalla has found it increasingly difficult to
juggle his schedule now that he has landed a regular spot on Wednesday
night National Wrestling Alliance/Total Nonstop Action pay-per-view
shows.

"I'm literally never home," said Bhalla, who plans to graduate this
year with a bachelor's degree in communications. "When I am home, I'm
either driving to class, sleeping or getting ready to get back on the
road.

"I've missed countless classes. Some of my professors are lenient and
some aren't. That's the real challenging part, to get them to
understand why I can't make it to class."

Bhalla laughed when asked if his educators have ever watched him
wrestle. "I don't think any really cares," he said.

Those educators are missing athletic talent that easily matches any
exhibited by competitors on George Mason sports teams.

The 5-8, 185-pound Bhalla has quickly established himself as one of
the industry's most promising light-heavyweight grapplers thanks to
his natural charisma and a series of eye-popping maneuvers. Bhalla's
most impressive move is the Phoenix Splash, which is a twisting senton
(i.e. a version of Jeff Hardy's trademark Swanton) turned into a
450-degree splash.

And thanks to his family background, the 21-year-old Bhalla also has
the chance to become the top Indian star of his generation. Bhalla was
born in Washington, D.C., but learned English as a third language
after being raised speaking Punjabi and Hindi.

Despite having a population of more than one billion people, India is
grossly underrepresented in the wrestling world. Dara Singh, who was
an international star in the 1950s and 1960s, and ex-Japanese
headliner Tiger Jeet Singh are considered the top two all-time Indian
stars. The only other notable Indian performer was Jeet Singh's son
Ali, who had a brief stint in World Wrestling Entertainment in the
late 1990s.

WWE conducted a three-city tour of India in November 2002 but hasn't
returned since.

"Wrestling is popular in India, but they need somebody they can relate
to," Bhalla said. "I have a lot of family over there and they say
people are starving for wrestling, but they're getting old WWE TV and
are not really up to date with things. The style has changed so much.
If they were able to get a hold of the new stuff, I know they would
totally love it."

But Bhalla admits light-heavyweight wrestlers are in a tough position,
even though many have a strong underground following. Not only do they
have to overcome the stigma from mainstream fans that smaller
grapplers aren't in the same league as their more muscle-bound peers,
light-heavyweights also have a higher injury rate because of their
wild style.

Ironically, Bhalla said the worst injury he has suffered was a cracked
orbital bone in December when a move by NWA/TNA performer Tracy Brooks
went awry. But Bhalla also is well aware that the creator of the
Phoenix Splash - Eiji "Hayabusa" Ezaki - was paralyzed for several
years with a broken neck when he botched a Lionsault in 2001 during a
live pay-per-view match in Japan.

"Fans are drawn to us because we do stuff others don't do," Bhalla
said. "If we don't do that stuff, a lot of people will look at it
like, 'What do they have left?' So do we kill our bodies night in and
night out doing insane stuff or do we slow it down to try and educate
the fans (to less-risky maneuvers)? That's the biggest challenge we
have."

Bhella said his short-term professional goal is garnering a more
prominent role in NWA/TNA, which has done a far better job utilizing
light-heavyweight wrestlers than WWE.

"I keep getting more time to showcase my wrestling on NWA/TNA, but my
character and personality haven't come out yet on TV," said Bhalla, an
Ashburn, Va.-resident who broke into the business in late 2000. "My
ultimate goal is to get with WWE. Realistically at my size, that's a
long shot at this point. But I would like to work on my size and
fundamentals in NWA/TNA and see what I can do."

X . . . x . . . x

Q: Where is Chyna?

- Brianna Joseph, Lauderhill, Fla.

A: Now working under the moniker Chynna Doll, Joanie Laurer is
expected to debut in NWA/TNA on February 18 and feud with "Survivor:
Pearl Islands" castoff Johnny Fairplay (real name Jon Dalton).

More of the Retesh "Sonjey Dutt" Bhalla interview can be found at
www.wrestlingobserver.com.

- Questions can be sent to Alex Marvez c/o the South Florida
Sun-Sentinel, 200 E. Las Olas Blvd., Fort Lauderdale, Fla. 33301, or
e-mailed to amarvez(at)sun-sentinel.com. Please include your full name
and city of residence. Because of volume, no phone calls will be
accepted and letters will not receive a written reply.

(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, http://www.shns.com)


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