What's the story?
This past week, Jinder Mahal participated in an interview with Y2J on the Talk is Jericho podcast. On the show, Mahal revealed that he received a call from Impact Wrestling before signing with the WWE.
In case you didn't know...
Jinder Mahal started out with the WWE by performing in Florida Championship Wrestling and NXT. In 2011, he debuted on the main roster and worked programmes against The Great Khali, Kane, and Ted Dibiase to name a few. In the final stages of his initial run with the WWE, the Maharaja formed the infamous 3MB stable alongside Drew McIntyre and Heath Slater; he remained a part of the group till his release on June 12th, 2014.
From 2014 to 2016, Mahal worked in several promotions such as Reality of Wrestling, All Star Wrestling, and World Wrestling Council to name a few.
On July 27th, 2016, Mahal came back to WWE after working for two years on the independent circuit. The Indo-Candian Superstar is a part of the SmackDown LIVE roster and is the current WWE Champion.
The heart of the matter
Mahal revealed that Impact Wrestling called him to discuss business on a day when they were going to have a PPV. He said:
“I actually got a call from the other [pro] wrestling promotion too. Yes, [Impact Wrestling called Mahal] and there was a pay-per-view in Orlando [Florida] on Sunday and I live in Tampa [Florida], so they were like, ‘yeah, can you come talk to us on a Sunday?
However, on the previous day, Mahal received a call from WWE's Senior Director of Talent Relations Mark Carrano, asking him to come back. The current WWE Champion requested Carrano for a day to analyse all his options. He went to meet the executives in Impact Wrestling and then proceeded to sign with the WWE.
“I knew I wanted to come back to WWE, but I already told them that I would come talk to them, so I was going to keep my word and talk to them. And then, I called Carrano back and said, ‘send the contract over.”
Also read: Jinder Mahal wants to defeat John Cena and other WWE legends after Backlash win
What's next?
Jinder Mahal defeated Randy Orton to become the new WWE World Champion. However, he isn’t expected to have a long reign with the belt and may drop it in his rematch with The Viper.
Author's take
It's interesting to hear this story considering how both Impact Wrestling and WWE are focusing on expanding in the Indian market. Jinder Mahal may have proven to be a coup for the Nashville-based-promotion, but it looks like they’ve missed yet another trick.
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