Ex-WWE Champion reveals that The Rock handpicked him to be involved in massively-hyped RAW segment

From the RAW on Netflix premiere (Picture Courtesy: WWE on YouTube)
From the RAW on Netflix premiere (Picture Courtesy: WWE on YouTube)

The Rock handpicked a former WWE Champion to be a part of a massively-hyped segment on Monday Night RAW, and it was such a big secret that even the superstar couldn't tell his fiancée about it.

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That superstar is none other than the former WWE Champion, Jinder Mahal. In early 2024, there was a segment hyping the return of a former WWE Champion, and fans on RAW were underwhelmed when it turned out to be Mahal. However, it was a ruse, and The Rock was the one who came out before having a standoff with The Modern Day Maharaja.

On TMZ's Inside The Ring, Jinder Mahal, now going by the name Raj Dhesi, revealed that The Great One handpicked him to be a part of that huge RAW segment in early 2024. Mahal recalled that after the segment was announced, he assumed it would be somebody else, and that's when he received a call from a WWE writer.

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"When I landed, I called the writer, and he told me, he’s like, 'Hey, so you probably seen on Twitter a former WWE Champion, yes, it’s gonna be you and… it’s gonna be The Rock,'" Dhesi recalled. "But hey, kayfabe, super kayfabe, don’t tell anybody anything. And I didn’t tell anybody anything. Actually, I didn’t even tell my fiancée." (H/T: PWMania)
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Mahal added that it was The Rock who picked him:

"So Rock told me he picked me," he said.
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Jinder Mahal commented on "unfinished business" with

The Rock

For Jinder Mahal, that segment with The Rock ultimately led to an unexpected World Heavyweight Title shot, and that was where Seth Rollins suffered an injury that very nearly made him miss WrestleMania 40 after the incredible year he had in 2023.

On the same episode of TMZ's Inside The Ring, Jinder Mahal said that he has unfinished business with The Final Boss and expects to "out-promo" him:

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"Yeah, I'll definitely take him. Yeah, I'll take it up. I feel like I'll out-promo The Rock," Mahal said. [From 24:02 to 24:07]

Ultimately, the segment with The Brahma Bull wasn't enough as Jinder Mahal would be gone from WWE a few months later, effectively ending a near eight-year stint with the company.

Mahal previously stated that he is open to returning to WWE, but only if there are solid creative plans in place. He has no intention of returning only to be sidelined. He stated in an interview that it was a red flag for him not to be used at the Royal Rumble in the aftermath of his World Title shot against Seth Rollins.

The Modern Day Maharaja even pitched entering at #30, but also holds no hard feelings towards how things went. He has been back on the independent scene for 13 months now.

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Edited by Rohit Nath
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