Rinku Singh thought about it for a second, then asked to hear the question again.
“I want to make sure I answer correctly,” he explained.
The Pirates pitcher turned professional wrestler thought long and hard about which of his former teammates would make the best WWE superstar. But in the end, the rising [wrestling] star wound up giving a predictable answer.
“Baseball players are all athletic, but I would probably say Josh Bell because he’s been following wrestling big-time,” Singh said. “But they’re all pro athletes. They would just need a little bit of training and direction, and I think they would be great at it.”
Fair point.
And politically correct.
But Singh picking Bell as the best Pirates wrestler isn’t just because the latter is a beast. They’re actually good friends dating back to the time Singh spent in the Pirates system after he won the “Million Dollar Arm” reality TV show in India back in 2008.
Singh and Dinesh Patel signed with the Pirates later that year. Singh and Bell were both on the Class A West Virginia Power in 2012-13, though Singh was hurt for the second of those two seasons.
Though he’s been plenty busy with WWE’s NXT promotion — essentially the minor leagues of WWE — Singh said he’s kept in touch with Bell, former Pirates pitcher Tyler Glasnow and Gregory Polanco.
Last season, Singh drove up from WWE’s Performance Center in Orlando, Fla., to catch a Rays game and reconnect with Glasnow. He and Bell had lunch last year during spring training, with Bell writing on Instagram, “Amazing what a few [pounds] and some hair can do.”
Singh even stopped by Pirate City for a visit, joking with Bell, Starling Marte and others.
“I was so surprised that baseball players and baseball fans, how much they love pro wrestling,” Singh said. “It’s insane. Josh Bell, every time I spoke to him, he’s pretty pumped. Like, ‘Dude, that’s legit.’
“Hearing from him, we laugh. When we were playing together, we shared some great moments about baseball and wrestling. It’s crazy how everything started and where we are in life.”
Singh said he’s even trying to integrate some baseball moves into his wrestling repertoire. Like a clothesline that looks like he’s delivering a fastball. Or a flamingo-type kick that looks like he’s in the middle of delivering a pitch.
“I’ve done that a few times, and fans have loved it,” Singh said. “I enjoy it. I really enjoy doing the baseball clothesline.”
Jason Mackey: jmackey@post-gazette.com and Twitter @JMackeyPG.
First Published: April 17, 2020, 4:09 p.m.
