Perhaps the biggest name from the most recent wave of WWE releases was Jinder Mahal. After all, The Modern Day Maharaja is a former WWE Champion who earlier this year has a confrontation on Raw with The Rock.
This isn’t the first time Mahal has been released by WWE and, if history has taught us anything, it may well not be the last. Indeed, for as polarizing as Mahal has been, particularly in his second WWE tenure, the one point fans must have consensus on is that he’s had one of the bizarre WWE career trajectories of all-time.
Mid-Card Act
The early stages of Jinder Mahal’s WWE career saw him work as a quintessential mid-card heel. Sure, he had moments, like debuting in high profile fashion opposite The Great Khali and enjoying an NXT winning streak. For the most part, though, Mahal was lost in the shuffle, not a jobber, but never making much progress on the roster either.
There are those perennial mid-card acts whom fans know are capable of much more. Indeed, the 2019 KofiMania run was predicated on Kofi Kingston being such a talented and well-respected performer that fans were itching to cheer him all the way to winning a world title at WrestleMania when his chance arrived. Mahal, however, seemed to find his spot in the WWE Universe as a reasonable talent who got some air time, but hardly anyone exactly clamored for more of.
3MB and First Release
While Jinder Mahal didn’t exactly seem main event bound in the early stages of his WWE career, it seemed as though WWE abandoned all hope in him when he was assigned to the 3MB faction.
As a One-Man Band, Heath Slater charismatically thrived—losing more than he won, but nonetheless earning a warm response from the WWE audience as a comedic heel. Drew McIntyre felt out of the place with the group for having too much talent and too much of a serious edge to belong in this kind of role.
Playing a supporting role to a mid-card act was a fair fit for Mahal’s limited skills, but he nonetheless never seemed all that at home in this faction either, and it wasn’t exactly a shock when WWE released him.
Return and WWE Title Reign
After two years away, Jinder Mahal returned to WWE. While his in-ring abilities and mic game hadn’t shown much progress, it is a credit to The Modern Day Maharaja that he’d amassed an impressive physique—jacked and ripped in ways he’d never appeared in his first WWE run.
Mahal returned to a mid-card role player spot, but in spring 2017, the most unlikely turn of all occurred. Mahal took the WWE Championship off Randy Orton. He’d go on to reign for the half the year, including beating back challenges from Orton and Shinsuke Nakamura before even surviving a Money in the Bank cash-in by Baron Corbin. Along the way, there’s a case to be made Mahal even came along on the mic a bit, though the poor quality of his matches remained the defining characteristic of the title reign.
Then, just as suddenly as the title reign had begun, it came to an end on an episode of SmackDown, pretaped from Manchester. AJ Styles immediately reinstated a degree of credibility to the title, then he soundly defeated Mahal when he got his rematch.
Vanishing Act and Second Release
Jinder Mahal’s release, return, and mercurial rise were followed by a steep fall from grace. Though he won the United States Championship at WrestleMania 34, that would end up being about his last moment in the sun. He’d drop the title to Jeff Hardy in short order then be on and off TV for extended stretches. A program with his former stablemate Drew McIntyre marked another peak, though by 2021, it was difficult to take The Maharaja that seriously against a main eventer.
Mahal transitioned, in part, to a managerial role, backing Veer and Sanga. This may have been the best role for Mahal, where he could cash in on his heat and improved promo skills without having to get in the ring. This team struggled to stay relevant, though.
Mahal showed up to some fanfare on the first Raw of 2024, first seeming to be the returning former world champion Triple H had touted making an appearance on that episode. The Rock arrived moments later, and a confrontation between the two was easily The Maharaja’s biggest moment in the last five years of his WWE career. Unfortunately for him, it would also be his last big moment in WWE.
Jinder Mahal’s WWE Legacy
Jinder Mahal left WWE with one of the most unusual legacies of all time. He was a world champion and had a pocket of supporters. He also spent extended stretches of his career in the lower card or off TV altogether. Moreover, he had a lot of heat on him. Some of that owed to his talents as a heel. There was also a great deal resentment from fans, though, for the main event push he garnered while so many talents like Cesaro, Shinsuke Nakamura, and Rusev never got that kind of opportunity, despite, by most metrics, having considerably more upside.
Mahal’s colleagues speak highly of him, though, which may be the best testament to why he got the big breaks he did. Moreover, it’s hard not to feel poorly for a star who reached his heights and then saw his career fall off so severely.
WWE let Jinder Mahal go in April 2024. As a former world champion and memorable character, there’s every possibility fans will see him go into the WWE Hall of Fame someday. Heck, if history is any indicator, no one should count him out, either, for another big run in the WWE ring in the next few years.
