The Most Famous
WRESTLERS from India
This page contains a list of the greatest Indian Wrestlers. The pantheon dataset contains 1,027 Wrestlers, 11 of which were born in India. This makes India the birth place of the 27th most number of Wrestlers behind Bulgaria, and Uzbekistan.
Top 10
The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the top 10 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. Visit the rankings page to view the entire list of Indian Wrestlers.
1. The Great Gama (1878 - 1960)
With an HPI of 63.12, The Great Gama is the most famous Indian Wrestler. His biography has been translated into 19 different languages on wikipedia.
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 Pakistani pehlwani wrestler and strongman from Punjab. His career spanned British India and later, Pakistan. In the early 20th century, he was an undefeated wrestling champion of British India. He was born into a Butt Punjabi-Kashmiri family in Jabbowal village (Amritsar District) in the Punjab Province of British India in 1878, Gama 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 include Jahara Pehlwan, Nasir Bholu, Sohail Pehlwan, Abid Pehlwan, Kalsoom Nawaz, Bilal Yasin (Ex-Federal Minister), Ibraz Butt (Youth Parliamentarian, Secretary of Information) and Moazzam Zubair (son of Jahara).
2. The Great Khali (b. 1972)
With an HPI of 59.79, The Great Khali is the 2nd most famous Indian Wrestler. His biography has been translated into 50 different languages.
Dalip Singh Rana (born 27 August 1972), better known by his ring name The Great Khali, is an Indian-born American former professional wrestler, promoter, and actor. He is best known for his tenure with WWE, where he became the first Indian-born world champion. Standing over 7 feet tall due to acromegaly, Khali gained attention for his imposing stature and was prominently featured in WWE storylines throughout the mid-2000s to early 2010s. Rana began his professional wrestling career in 2000, competing in the United States for All Pro Wrestling (APW), followed by appearances in World Championship Wrestling (WCW), New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), and other international promotions. He signed with WWE in 2006, where he was involved in high-profile feuds with The Undertaker, John Cena, Batista, and Triple H, and participated in major events such as WrestleMania and SummerSlam. Outside the ring, Khali appeared in films including The Longest Yard (2005) and Get Smart (2008), and finished as runner-up on the reality television show Bigg Boss 4 in 2011. In 2015, Rana founded Continental Wrestling Entertainment (CWE) based in Jalandhar, Punjab. Khali was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2021 and continues to make occasional appearances for the company.
3. Sushil Kumar (b. 1983)
With an HPI of 51.33, Sushil Kumar is the 3rd most famous Indian Wrestler. His biography has been translated into 35 different languages.
Sushil Kumar (born 26 May 1983) is a former Indian freestyle wrestler. He is a two-time Olympic medallist who won a bronze at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, India's first wrestling medal since K. D. Jadhav in 1952, and a silver at the 2012 London Olympics. He is the first and only Indian to win a gold medal at the World Wrestling Championships. Kumar participated in the Queen’s Baton Relay at the 2010 Commonwealth Games and was India’s flag bearer at the 2012 London Olympics. He was conferred the Arjuna Award in 2005, Khel Ratna in 2009 and the Padma Shri in 2011.
4. Vinesh Phogat (b. 1994)
With an HPI of 45.43, Vinesh Phogat is the 4th most famous Indian Wrestler. Her biography has been translated into 28 different languages.
Vinesh Phogat (pronounced [ʋɪˈneːʃ ˈpʰoːɡɑːʈ]; born 25 August 1994) is an Indian politician and former freestyle wrestler. She currently serves as the MLA of Julana constituency in Haryana, representing the Indian National Congress. Prior to her political career, she was one of India's most accomplished female wrestlers. A two-time World Championships bronze medalist, she is a former Asian champion, Asian Games gold medalist and a three-time Commonwealth Games gold medalist. Vinesh is the only Indian woman wrestler to have won gold at both the Asian and Commonwealth Games. She is a three-time Olympian, having represented India at the 2016, 2020, and 2024 Olympics.
5. Geeta Phogat (b. 1988)
With an HPI of 45.16, Geeta Phogat is the 5th most famous Indian Wrestler. Her biography has been translated into 27 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 was also the first Indian female wrestler to have qualified for the Olympic Games.
6. Bajrang Punia (b. 1994)
With an HPI of 43.15, Bajrang Punia is the 6th most famous Indian Wrestler. His biography has been translated into 30 different languages.
Bajrang Punia (born 26 February 1994) is an Indian politician and former freestyle wrestler. He has won a bronze medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Punia is the only Indian wrestler to win four medals at the World Championships. He is a multiple gold medalist at the Asian Games, Asian Championships, Commonwealth Games and Commonwealth Championships. For his achievements in wrestling, Punia has been honored with the Khel Ratna, Arjuna Award, and Padma Shri. In 2024, he joined the Indian National Congress and currently serves as the Working President of the All India Kisan Congress.
7. Babita Kumari (b. 1989)
With an HPI of 41.02, Babita Kumari is the 7th most famous Indian Wrestler. Her biography has been translated into 22 different languages.
Babita Kumari Phogat (born 20 November 1989) is a former Indian professional wrestler and a politician from the state of Haryana. She is a multiple Commonwealth Games medalist, winning the gold medal in 2014 Commonwealth Games, and silver medals at the 2010 and 2018 Commonwealth Games. When she won the 2014 Commonwealth gold medal, she became the second Indian women wrestler to win a Commonwealth gold after her sister Geeta Phogat, who had won it in 2010. Babita participated in the Rio 2016 Olympics in the 53 Kg women's wrestling, though she could not make it to the podium. Earlier, she had won a bronze medal at the 2013 Asian Wrestling Championships tournament in New Delhi, India; and another bronze at the 2012 World Wrestling Championships. Later in 2019, after retiring from sports, Babita Phogat entered politics by joining the Bharatiya Janata Party.
8. Yogeshwar Dutt (b. 1982)
With an HPI of 39.01, Yogeshwar Dutt is the 8th most famous Indian Wrestler. His biography has been translated into 24 different languages.
Yogeshwar Dutt (born 2 November 1982) is a former Indian wrestler. At the 2012 London Olympics, he won a bronze medal in the 60 kg freestyle event. He was conferred the Arjuna Award in 2009, Khel Ratna in 2012 and the Padma Shri in 2013 by the Government of India.
9. Deepak Punia (b. 1999)
With an HPI of 29.49, Deepak Punia is the 9th most famous Indian Wrestler. His biography has been translated into 14 different languages.
Subedar Deepak Punia is an Indian freestyle wrestler. He is the reigning Commonwealth Games champion in the 86 kg weight category. Punia has won a silver medal at the 2019 World Championships in the freestyle 86 kg category, where he had to concede the final by walkover to his idol, Hassan Yazdani of Iran. This silver medal also earned him a berth at the 2020 Summer Olympics, where he finished fifth after narrowly losing the bronze medal match. He later won silver in the 86 kg freestyle event at the 2022 Asian Games.
10. Bekmurod Oltiboev (b. 1996)
With an HPI of 28.69, Bekmurod Oltiboev is the 10th most famous Indian Wrestler. His biography has been translated into 9 different languages.
Bekmurod Oltiboev (born 17 June 1996) is an Uzbekistani judoka. At the 2018 Asian Games held in Jakarta, Indonesia, he won one of the bronze medals in the men's +100 kg event. At the 2019 Military World Games held in Wuhan, China, Oltiboev won the silver medal in the men's +100 kg event. At the 2017 Islamic Solidarity Games held in Baku, Azerbaijan, Oltiboev won one of the bronze medals in the men's +100 kg event. In 2021, he competed in the men's +100 kg event at the World Judo Championships in Budapest, Hungary. He also competed in the men's +100 kg event at the 2020 Summer Olympics held in Tokyo, Japan.
People
Pantheon has 13 people classified as Indian wrestlers born between 1878 and 2003. Of these 13, 12 (92.31%) of them are still alive today. The most famous living Indian wrestlers include The Great Khali, Sushil Kumar, and Vinesh Phogat. The most famous deceased Indian wrestlers include The Great Gama. As of April 2024, 2 new Indian wrestlers have been added to Pantheon including Deepak Punia, and Aman Sehrawat.
Living Indian Wrestlers
Go to all Rankings
The Great Khali
1972 - Present
HPI: 59.79
Sushil Kumar
1983 - Present
HPI: 51.33
Vinesh Phogat
1994 - Present
HPI: 45.43
Geeta Phogat
1988 - Present
HPI: 45.16
Bajrang Punia
1994 - Present
HPI: 43.15
Babita Kumari
1989 - Present
HPI: 41.02
Yogeshwar Dutt
1982 - Present
HPI: 39.01
Deepak Punia
1999 - Present
HPI: 29.49
Bekmurod Oltiboev
1996 - Present
HPI: 28.69
Aman Sehrawat
2003 - Present
HPI: 25.72
Navjot Kaur
1990 - Present
HPI: 15.88
Shushila Devi Likmabam
1995 - Present
HPI: 15.10
