Tiger Ali Singh sues the WWE...

[Guest Retro Rob]

From the NY Post:

 

August 22, 2002 -- A Sikh professional grappler is pile-driving wrestling impresario Vince McMahon's company with accusations of religious and ethnic harassment.

Gurjit Singh Hans - whose ring name is Tiger Ali Singh - claims his turban, which is sacred in the Sikh religion, was swiped in 1999 from a locker and desecrated by World Wrestling Entertainment Inc. workers. He says they stuffed it with cigarette butts and garbage, and called the Indian-descended wrestler a "taxi driver."

 

"Another turban belonging to Gurjit Singh Hans was torn into pieces backstage and placed on the head of a mentally disturbed person for the ‘amusement' of the WWE personnel present," Hans, 31, claims in a legal filing.

 

The Ontario, Canada, resident says the harassment coincided and escalated with WWE efforts to get out of its contract with him. The conduct included WWE demands that he wear his turban as a "gimmick" during matches, and make pre-match speeches that "referenced persons of Indian descent as likely being perceived as taxi driver and convenience-store operators," his filing says.

 

He also claims he suffered a career-ending injury last December when he was forced to perform in an outdoor tag-team match in pouring rain.

 

Hans' lawyer Bruce Ewing said the McMahon-controlled WWE acted in an "appalling" manner toward Hans, who has asked an arbitration panel for a ruling against the company. Hans is seeking $7 million from WWE, which has stopped paying his contract.

 

His father, Jagjit Singh Hans - who became a wrestling legend in Asia as Tiger Jeet Singh - wants $1 million in a separate arbitration action that claims the WWE stopped paying him in 1999.

 

WWE lawyer Jerry McDevitt said the company was not aware of any harassment Gurjit Hans may have suffered, and that it legally stopped paying him because he no longer can wrestle.

 

The lawyer also said the WWE is not responsible for Gurjit Hans' injury, which was incurred during another company's match.

 

"People make all kind of claims against the WWE, and when you get to the facts, you find that they're seldom found to be true," McDevitt said.

 

 

This so reeks of the Sable lawsuit when it comes to defation of someone's property, but this time religion is involved, so it may be a little more touchy. We all know that ribbing happens in professional wrestling, but if this did happen, would it be going over the line? Or maybe Gurjit is just pissed that the last time he was on WWF TV he jobbed to Steve Blackman in under 3 minutes.

[Guest DragonflyKid]

I wouldn't be suprised if his turbans were desecrated but how can that be proven in court? An out of court settlement seems likely.

 

Also didn't the WWF send Tiger to Puerto Rico to work on his wrestling and is that where he got hurt? If so shouldn't the WWE be obligated to at least continue paying him. Isn't there worker's compensation in the WWE? I remember the British Bulldog getting injured in a WCW ring and just getting fired, isn't that illegal.

 

It seems like a harsh business that in a profession where injures are common that if you get injured the employer can just fire you and let you handle the doctor's bills all by yourself.

 

Is labeling their employees as "independant contractors" a way the WWE gets out of paying wrestlers who get injured badly enough they cannot work?

[Guest J*ingus]

Is labeling their employees as "independant contractors" a way the WWE gets out of paying wrestlers who get injured badly enough they cannot work?

Bingo. According to the wording of their contracts, wrestlers aren't employees of the WWE; they're self-employed. Ergo, they pay more taxes, get no insurance, no pension, no worker's comp, so forth and so on.

 

But as for Tiger Ali Singh, I'd feel like suing him for being the worst fucking wrestler since... well, since his father. Didn't he actually PAY the WWF in order to work there?! And since when did Jeet ever have any dealings with Titan that he could've sued them over?

 

Bottom line: Sable lost her lawsuit, Singh will lose his. It's doubtful he could find any wrestlers to testify for him, it's been said that he was not well-liked backstage.

[Guest Samurai_Goat]

Dang, Jingus, I wanted to be the one to sue Tager Ali Singh. And how do you force someone self employed to do anything? He's self employed, he coulda just left. Gone to TNA or something.

[Guest Retro Rob]

I think Jeet wrestled sporadically for the WWF back in the day.

[Guest starvenger]

>Bingo. According to the wording of their contracts, wrestlers aren't employees of the WWE; they're self-employed. Ergo, they pay more taxes, get no insurance, no pension, no worker's comp, so forth and so on.

 

Well, yes and no. Being self-employed means that taxes aren't automatically taken from your paycheque - you'll have to do that yourself. But you can expense a lot of stuff, from flights to meals to dry cleaning your sequined spandex. X percent of your expenses can be deducted from your salary, which in theory can lower the amount of taxes that you have to pay.

 

>Dang, Jingus, I wanted to be the one to sue Tager Ali Singh. And how do you force someone self employed to do anything? He's self employed, he coulda just left.

 

I think he had a guaranteed contract. In fact, I think he had one of the WWF's first guaranteed contracts...