What’s the story?
On a recent edition of E&C’s Pod Of Awesomeness, Edge compared Jinder Mahal’s development as a top WWE Superstar to that of Randy Orton.
Edge explained that Mahal keeps improving every week and that the Modern Day Maharajah is going through a similar phase of development that Orton went through about 15 years ago. Besides, Edge also heaped loads of praise on the Singh Brothers, asserting that they’re doing great and are an excellent addition to the whole ‘Maharajah’ package.
In case you didn’t know...
Jinder Mahal was primarily relegated to performing as a jobber for other WWE Superstars, ever since he started out with WWE back in 2011.
Nevertheless, the 30-year-old Indo-Canadian has been accorded a huge push by WWE in recent months, owing to the promotion’s global expansion agenda, of which the Indian sub-continent comprises an essential part.
The heart of the matter
Edge stated that he’s no stranger to the Singh Brothers’ backgrounds and that he knows where they come from. The Rated-R Superstar added that he’s proud of them and explained that the Singh Brothers are a big part of Jinder Mahal’s deal.
Additionally, Edge compared Mahal’s current status to that of Randy Orton 15 years ago, stating:
“Here's what people forget: that was Randy 15 years ago. That was Randy working Chris Benoit, teaming with Ric Flair, working against Shawn Michaels and (Chris) Jericho, and teaming with Batista, working against me. Like, he was working against guys that were much more experienced in that level on the card and he was thrust into that too, and, obviously, he swam like Michael Phelps with it."
"Anyways, you do see the confidence Jinder is gaining and the small time lapse of trying to think of what to do next instead of going with instinct are starting to happen. That instinct, and timing, and not second-guessing yourself is starting to assimilate in and you can see it happening."
What’s next?
Jinder Mahal is scheduled to defend his WWE Championship against Randy Orton in a Punjabi Prison Match at SmackDown’s brand-exclusive PPV Battleground that takes place on July 23rd.
Author’s take
Jinder Mahal has come a long way – from putting in the work on the indie circuit from 2014-16 to coming back to the WWE last year.
I’ve got to agree with Edge here as regards the comparison to a young Orton. We as fans need to give the Maharajah a few more months on the top in order to see him truly break through as a solid, main-event performer for WWE.
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