PHOTO: PUBLICITY

PHOTO: PUBLICITY

PHOTO: PUBLICITY

PHOTO: PUBLICITY

PHOTO: PUBLICITY

PHOTO: PUBLICITY

International wrestlers have arrived in Karachi for the first ever live wrestling event to be held in Pakistan. The country’s first wrestling promotion Pro Wrestling Entertainment (PWE) is set to hold its event here on May 17 (today).Former WWE superstar Wade Barrett, Tiny Iron, Yacine Osmani, Bernanrd Vandamme, Fabio Ferrari and Pakistan’s very own Badshah Pehlwan Khan landed yesterday.The Karachi event will see all the performers compete for the PWE World Heavyweight Championship, which was revealed last month. Furthermore, PWE’s international director Imran Shah shared with The Express Tribune they are planning to reveal four more championships including a women’s title and tag team titles.The Karachi venue has been changed from Abdul Sattar Edhi Hockey Stadium to KMC Sports Complex. The show will start at 6 PM with an opening ceremony where wrestlers will be presented in a march. PWE CEO Syed Asim Ali Shah will speak about the message of the wrestling promotion to the world and how it intends to change the image of Pakistan.Sports minister Sardar Muhammad Bux Khan Mahar and Karachi mayor Wasim Akhtar will be present at the occasion. Chief Minister Sindh is also expected to make an appearance. From 8-11 PM, matches will take place on the wrestling card involving all 25 wrestlers from Austria, Germany, US, Italy and France amongst other countries.Multiple wrestlers have sent video messages for Pakistani fans in the weeks building up to the event. Barrett, in his classic “Bad News” voice, warned everyone in the video. “On the 17th of May, in Pakistan, somebody is getting some bad news.”Former WWE superstar Carlito, who had defeated John Cena for the US Championship in his debut match on SmackDown in 2004, also seemed excited to be in Pakistan. The apple-eating, cocky superstar who “spits in the face of people who don’t wanna be cool” said, “Pakistan. Carlito. Now that’s cool!” Lucha Underground ring announcer Melissa Santos also sent out her regards and said she was excited to see her fans.Actor Wali Hamid Ali Khan, who was last seen in Ishq Positive, supported the initiative through a Facebook video. He said, “Pro wrestling is coming to Pakistan for the first time. This is a very big initiative for us and I’m super excited to watch it live. Please go and support PWE as it’s our thing!” Popular host Sonia Rao said, “I fully support PWE because it portrays a positive image internationally.”Have something to add in the story? Share it in the comments below.