SUMMARY
- Jinder Mahal has been released by WWE twice now.
- Despite that, Mahal is grateful to former CEO Vince McMahon for giving him the time to improve his promo cutting skills.
The self-described “Modern Day Maharaja,” Jinder Mahal, is well-known in the professional wrestling community. The 37-year-old is most recognized for his 170-day WWE Champion reign, which wasn’t well-received by the public. He was released from the company for the second time in April 2024.
Mahal is a real example of perseverance and commitment and has been one of the most reliable performers. His portrayal of a True hero when he entered the WWE in 2010 did not go over well with the audience. Mahal put in a lot of effort, waited for his chance, and took baby strides towards the top of the ladder. Sadly, he was released in 2014 after failing to make any progress.
During an interview with Chris Van Vliet, Mahal talked about the time he was WWE Champion. He stated how he wasn’t good with his promos and was always nervous about them. The time he became the number one contender for the WWE title in 2017, he requested Vince McMahon to have promo segments for him during live shows to improve himself on the mic.
“I told Vince I said hey Vince on every live event can I please get a promo.”, stated Mahal. He then revealed how Vince was cool about it and agreed on the same.
“…..he(Vince) called over road dogg……he said every live event from now on, Jinder has a promo. So every live event after that, open mic, do whatever before the match.”, said Jinder.
During his reign as the WWE Champion, Mahal showcased immense improvement in his promos. He looked exactly what was needed during the time and got a lot of heat during his reign.
From NXT to The Rock: Jinder Mahal’s consistent work on his promos
As mentioned earlier, Mahal wasn’t very confident about his mic skills and was often nervous regarding his promos. During the interview, he talked about how he used to memorize his lines all morning during his days in FCW and NXT. He was always working on his promos during his career and it all ultimately changed during his WWE Championship reign.
From giving nervous promos in front of crowds to giving an unforgettable promo against The Rock on WWE RAW Day 1, Mahal talked about his hard-working journey. He stated how Rock wanted Mahal to take his time and give a full promo so that people get used to the surprise appearance of a former WWE Champion. It added a lot of surprise elements to the promo and Jinder nailed it.
“He was excited to work with me and I was obviously excited to work with him. Rock is is amazing and for him to give me that moment,” said Jinder.
He continued, “I believe he (The Rock) wanted people to think like it’s just going to be me like go run it long enough to where people just think this is it more of a surprise.” The promo was itself spectacular with Jinder getting a lot of praise.
Rock’s road to WrestleMania started during this promo and he was involved in a large manner in the following weeks. This was surprising for Jinder as well and he talked about how good it turned out to be.
WWE has made a big mistake by releasing Jinder Mahal
Following his match against Seth Rollins, the Modern Day Maharaja was not shown on WWE TV, leaving wrestling fans to speculate about the former US Champion’s future. To the surprise of many, he was no longer associated with the organization.
Jinder Mahal really had that huge 2 week push at the start of the year just to be gone from the company 3 months later.
Damn… pic.twitter.com/BXxRjPG4dO
— Tribal Megastar (@TribalMegastar) April 20, 2024
Many fans find it hard to believe that the Triple H-led organization has let him go after the kind of performances he put on during his most recent televised appearances, while others are interested in learning what his future holds as a professional wrestler.
Although his future is unknown, Mahal had a lot of promise that the WWE wasted because of Mahal’s recent poor booking. Mahal has an impressive resume and was liked by most of the WWE Universe for his heelish portrayal of ‘Modern Day Maharaja’. Only time will tell where his future lies and how costly this mistake would be for the WWE.