On Friday, Jan. 15 and Saturday, Jan. 16, WWE returns to India for the first time in 13 years. Granted, the vast majority of current Superstars and Divas weren’t part of the roster back in Nov. 2002. Yet, there’s no mistaking how excited they are – most of them, anyway – about traveling to New Delhi and entertaining a generation of WWE Universe members that have never attended a WWE Live Event.

Event and ticket details |  Watch: Daniel Bryan recaps his visit to India

“It’ll be cool,” is how Dolph Ziggler summed up his exuberance to WWE.com. “It has been so long since we’ve been there, and I’m very fortunate to be part of a select group being sent over. I was the first to volunteer to make our way there … I’m really looking forward to it.”

“Our fans in India have spoken, and they want the WWE product there,” said Ryback. “We’re delivering on that, and I’m very excited to be a part of it and give them a true WWE experience.”

Divas Champion Charlotte shares her ring colleagues’ enthusiasm, especially when it comes to the younger members of the WWE Universe in New Delhi. “I’m most looking forward to seeing the smiling faces of kids sitting in the front row,” said the Flair scion. “I can’t wait to see and hear their energy.”

Unfortunately, one Superstar has no such energy to witness such excitement. With the exception of fulfilling a contractual obligation to compete in the ring, Rusev curtly told WWE.com, “I am not even going to get out of my hotel room. The place is so bad. I’m not going to take Lana with me.”

It’s not surprising that Rusev says this with an expression that some of his detractors might describe (from a safe distance) as his “Bulgarian Boo-Boo Face.” What, though, could possibly bother him about traveling to India? To hear him tell it, just about everything.

“I don’t trust their food,” he complained. “I am just going to drink protein shakes and bring some food from home. It’s a 16-hour flight and a totally different time zone, you’re on the wrong side of the world … I could keep going. “

Thankfully, he doesn’t. But it begs the follow-up question: Is there anything about India that he does enjoy? “I’ve seen that movie with the kid and the tiger in the ocean [“Life of Pi”]. It is a good movie.”

Yes, the League of Nations powerhouse just delivered some faint praise to Ang Lee’s cinematic adaptation of a novel written by an award-winning, Spanish-born Canadian author. Yet, he may have a point regarding the tribulations of adjusting to long international travel – something that Ryback also recalled during a media tour he did in the South Asian country several years ago.

“For me, the time difference was greater than anywhere else I had been,” The Big Guy said. “So, it’s adjusting to that, trying to get on a normal sleep schedule, finding a decent gym and getting your workouts in, and getting your food in. That’s the biggest challenge.”

“The only thing that’s different,” Charlotte opined, “is how the audience there is going to perceive you. It’s the first time they’re seeing me live, and for that matter, the first time I’m seeing them.”

“There’snoadjustment,” Ziggler insisted. “Whether your flight’s delayed, or you’re going to a different coast or a different country, it doesn’t matter. We’re WWE Superstars. We could fly all through the night. And if we had to walk off the plane and go right to the ring, we would do it and we would put on a hell of a show. That’s the best thing about what we do. The travel is sometimes a pain, but you get rewarded the second you walk out through the curtain.”

The Showoff, as well as his fellow Superstars and Divas, hope the WWE Universe in India will share that sense of reward Jan. 15-16. “It’s a memory you will never forget,” Ryback assured. “I remember being 12, 13 years old and going to my first WWE Live Event in Las Vegas. It molded my life into what it is now – the moment that I knew I wanted to be a WWE Superstar. For these fans coming from all around India to see us live, they’re in for the night of their lives. The adrenaline, the energy, the larger-than-life [competitors], the pyrotechnics, the atmosphere only WWE can provide … they’re going to witness all of that firsthand. And it will exceed all expectations.”

Amazingly, even the mighty Rusev echoes the sentiment of his oftentimes adversary. “[Many of] these fans have never seen us live before. They have just seen a bunch of people on TV, but It is completely different when they see you [in person], just a few feet in front of you. Me and the Ryback fighting, two big guys going at each other, is like seeing an action movie live. There is nothing better than a WWE Live Event.”

Tickets for WWE’s Live Events in New Delhi’s Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium are still available for both nights, and you can get them by  clicking here.