On March 16, Doc Young and former WWE writer “Irish” Pete Doyle welcomed “The Original Playa from the Himalaya” and TNA X Division star, Sonjay Dutt to Wrestling Weekly.

Doc opened the program by asking Sonjay Dutt about the big push he’s been receiving at TNA lately. Sonjay said he’s been pleased with how everything’s going at TNA and is very excited about TNA’s scheduled timeslot change effective April 13 when the program moves from Saturdays to Thursdays at 11:00 pm.

Major changes at TNA also include taking the show going on the road beginning in Detroit March 17. Although Sonjay is not on the Detroit show, the house shows are a good indication that TNA is moving in the direction that they want to go, according to Sonjay. The shows following Detroit are scheduled for March 31 in Danville, Virginia and April 1 in Martinsville, Virginia and are being promoted by Earl and Dave Hebner. The shows will include TNA’s 6-sided ring and have a “complete TNA feel and look,” he said.

Sonjay feels that at just 23, the “future looks bright” for him. He said, “I hope I can take this as far as I can.” When asked if he’d like to have a feud with anyone at TNA, Sonjay mentioned Alex Shelley, Chris Sabin and even Sabu. He said Sabu has “been sort of a mentor to me.” He mentioned that in later years he would like to stay in the business in some other capacity.

Sonjay talked about his Indian heritage, about his family’s move in the 1970s from New Delhi to Washington D.C., and the trip to India he took last year with Simon Diamond and Shark Boy. He said, “They treated me like royalty.”

Sonjay said a busy week for him includes various independent bookings in addition to his appearances at TNA. His average is traveling three days a week but he tries to stay in the Eastern U.S., taking occasional bookings on the West Coast and the Midwest. Some of the indys he works for include Jersey All-Pro Wrestling, UWA Hardcore and NWA Cyberspace.

In fact, Sonjay has an upcoming appearance scheduled at JAPW in Aberdeen, New Jersey on March 25 in a tag team match with his mentor, Sabu, against Low-Ki and Homicide. Although he hasn’t worked for Ring of Honor since what he described as “the controversy,” Sonjay was involved in the recent CZW “invasion” of ROH. Sonjay cites his work at ZERO-ONE, saying that working in Japan “really saved my wrestling career.”

Discussing varied topics such as Shannon Moore signing with WWE, Eric Young’s recent brush with death, the possibility of Goldberg coming to TNA, and the introduction of Big Poppa Pump and Sting to the TNA roster, Sonjay maintains that adding guys like Goldberg, Sting and Steiner to the roster is helpful in gaining interest from the casual viewer. What is good for the show and the business is what’s important. He was surprised to hear about Shannon Moore and thought Shannon was under contract with TNA but apparently not. When asked about signing with WWE in general, Sonjay said “you keep what you hear in the back of your mind” but make choices that suit you.

Sonjay discussed his role as an Indian-American in the wrestling business and found that his experience has been positive. He purposely avoided any stereotypes in his character development and it’s worked for him.

Tune in next week, March 23, when Wrestling Weekly with hosts Doc Young and Les Thatcher welcome Dr. Tom Prichard and Samoa Joe to the program.

Wrestling Weekly featuring Doc Young and LesThatcher can be heard every Thursday from 8:00-10:00 pm EST at http://www.wrestlingweekly.com .   

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