The WWE roster will miss Jinder Mahal and Xia Li and many believe that the two were not given fair opportunities on the main roster.
Mahal and Li were released from WWE in the first wave of talent cuts in this ‘new era.’ Veer Mahaan, Sanga, and Xyon Quinn were also let go. The talent will have to wait out 90-day non-compete clauses before they can take bookings elsewhere.
Mahal’s release was something of a surprise given that 2024 started for him with a segment with The Rock and a high-profile feud with then-World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins. A handful of talent believe that when it comes to his work with The Rock, Mahal nailed his side of things only for WWE to never follow up with anything substantial for him, PW Insider reports. Perhaps that is why Mahal gave a curt announcement regarding his release, stating that he’d quit WWE.
I Quit. Maharaja Out ?.
— The Maharaja (@JinderMahal) April 20, 2024
Mahal’s early 2024 also saw him ‘feud’ with AEW President Tony Khan, who had some choice words regarding Mahal’s World Heavyweight Championship push. The running joke amongst some WWE talent is that Mahal will be feuding with Khan on AEW Dynamite during this summer.
For Xia Li, there is a feeling that she suffered because of her stop-start pushes on the main roster. Li, the first Chinese female Superstar, was called up to the main roster in 2021 though arguably didn’t have her first actual storyline until two years later.
Given how infrequently she had been used, Li’s 2023 feud with Becky Lynch met a cool response from fans as audiences didn’t believe Li would get the better of one of wrestling’s biggest stars. Talent also believe that Li being introduced in the Vince McMahon era did not help her chances either.
Li and Mahal were said to be extremely well-liked within WWE, as demonstrated by the positive messages from the remaining talent. It’s never easy to lose a job, especially one from the biggest professional wrestling promotion in the world, and now Mahal, Li, and the rest will have to forge the next chapter of their careers outside of WWE.
