"He still has the drive" – Ricochet believes the former WWE Champion can be a threat to him despite his recent lack of success

WWE Superstar Ricochet stated his thoughts on Jinder Mahal before facing the Indian Origin star on SmackDown this week.

Last week, the match between the two was set up on the blue brand after Jinder Mahal complained to Adam Pearce about not getting a shot at the Intercontinental Championship. Mahal got his wish by the show's end as he'll now face Ricochet with the Intercontinental title on the line.

Speaking about the upcoming bout on this week's WWE The Bump, Ricochet said Jinder is an accomplished WWE star and could end the high-flyer's reign despite his recent lackluster run:

"He has his own credentials himself. He has done things and he has shown that he's a high-level performer. Much like me, maybe he hasn't had the most success recently, but I think he still has the drive, he still has that edge. He still has that want to be a champion in him. We're all here because we're all the best in the world. So Jinder is still up there." (from 19:30 to 19:58)

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Jinder Mahal wants to be a Grand Slam Champion in WWE

Jinder Mahal returned to WWE in 2016 after being released from his contract in 2014. Since then, the Modern-Day Maharaja has soared to great heights, winning the prestigious WWE Championship and the United States Championship.

The Indian-origin star has no plans of slowing down as he intends to win more gold in the company. During an interview with AJ Singh of The Wrassingh Show podcast, Jinder said he wants to become a Grand Slam Champion in WWE:

"So my goal is to become a Grand Slam Champion. In doing so, I need to beat the Intercontinental Champion, which is Ricochet. I need to beat Ricochet essentially, right now. And then also the tag team championship, which will either be The Usos or Rick Boogs and Shinsuke Nakamura at WrestleMania. We’ll see but definitely, I want to win the tag team championships. I’ve been working with Shanky, getting his body right, telling him how to diet, helping him in the ring...So hopefully soon.” (H/T - WrestlingNews.co)

Jinder Mahal has a chance to get a step closer to his dream of becoming a Grand Slam Champion on Saturday if he manages to overcome the former NXT North American Champion.

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If you use any quotes from the article, please credit WWE's The Bump with H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for transcription.