What’s the story?
In an interview given to the Indo-Asian News Agency (IANS), WWE Champion Jinder Mahal spoke about a number of WWE-related topics, including changing the public perception of the WWE and being a WWE Superstar.
In case you didn’t know...
Jinder Mahal, whose real name is Yuvraj Singh Dhesi, is a WWE Superstar of Indo-Canadian origin. Mahal is the current WWE Champion in his first reign with the title, he had become the WWE Champion by defeating Randy Orton at WWE’s Backlash Pay Per View event on 21st May 2017.
Mahal has since managed to defend the title at WWE’s Money In The Bank Pay Per View on 18th July 2017 where he had faced off against Randy Orton in a rematch. Mahal being the WWE Champion has been attributed to him being a part of WWE’s plans for expansion into India.
The heart of the matter
During the interview, Mahal stated that he wanted to change people’s perception of professional wrestling and stated that professional wrestlers did not get enough credit for all that they put themselves through.
Mahal said that because pro-wrestling is perceived as “scripted”, the hard work that goes into it, which according to the Champ is the same as any other sport, is often ignored. Mahal stated that the WWE is not shot like a “movie scene”, where retakes are possible as it’s Live television. Mahal was quoted as saying:
“I don't think we get enough credit cause we're not only athletes, we are also actors, stuntman... everything taken into consideration; we travel so much, we have no off season, we work all year long. The longest running episodic television show is RAW. So, I would like to see professional wrestling get more credit than it's given."
Mahal further said that WWE Superstars had to constantly evolve and improve. He stated that he watched a lot of old wrestling tapes of professional wrestlers who had a similar size and body shape as him to get a frame of reference regarding which moves he could or couldn’t do.
Also read: 5 possible opponents for Jinder Mahal after Money In The Bank
Mahal called himself a “unique blend of speed, size and strength” and mentioned that he was very strong despite being “only 230 pounds”. Finally, Mahal praised his trainer Bad News Brown and said that Brown had not only taught him a lot in professional wrestling but had also imparted several life-lessons to him, including the importance of taking care of the family.
What’s next?
It is being rumoured that now that his feud with Randy Orton is coming to an end, Mahal might go on to face a returning John Cena with the WWE Championship on the line. It is also being said that with Baron Corbin now being the holder of the Money In The Bank briefcase, the Championship might eventually go to him after Cena wins it from Mahal.
Author’s take
Jinder Mahal retaining the WWE Championship against Randy Orton is a huge testament to how much the WWE believe in him. Mahal has done a stellar job as the champion so far and has been able to communicate effectively with the Indian audiences as well.
It will be interesting to see how the WWE take Jinder Mahal as the WWE Champion forward from this point. If rumours are to be believed, Jinder might even bring back the Punjabi Prison match!
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