Becky Lynch Jokes About Her SmackDown Absence, Gary Gandy Correction, New WWE Hire In India

By Raj Giri

- In a correction from yesterday, independent wrestler Chris Pain worked as Gary Gandy on last night's SmackDown Live, not Erick Locker from OVW. Chris Pain works with the PWA independent promotion out of Lancaster, Ohio. We have fixed our earlier post.

- WWE announced in a press release that they have appointed Sheetesh Srivastava as Vice President and General Manager, WWE India. Srivastava will lead WWE's strategic business initiatives and day-to-day operations in India and work with partners across all of WWE's lines of business, including television, live events, marketing, sponsorship, new media, licensing and merchandising. Srivastava is a seasoned executive with more than 18 years of experience in driving strategic business growth in domestic and international markets. He will report to Ed Wells, WWE Executive Vice President, International.

"India is key to the global growth of WWE, and we are confident Sheetesh will successfully help develop our brand and business in this critically important country," said Wells. "WWE is committed to expanding its presence in India, and we are pleased to welcome Sheetesh to further our efforts in the market."

It was noted that India represents WWE's single largest regional contribution to the brand's social media community of 750 million followers globally.

Srivastava joins WWE from The Walt Disney Company in India, where he most recently led business development for Disney Media Networks, overseeing branded content creation, distribution, marketing and syndication. Earlier in his career, he held senior management roles at Reliance Broadcast Network, The Times of India Group, and Frito Lay India. Srivastava is an Economics graduate from Lucknow University, and he received a Master's degree in Business Management from the Institute for Integrated Learning in Management.

- Former SmackDown Women's Champion Becky Lynch did not appear on last night's episode of SmackDown Live. Becky joked about her absence on Twitter, writing:

Brett Amos contributed to this article.

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