Jinder Mahal, Drew McIntyre, and Heath Slater once formed the trio, 3MB. The faction existed in the WWE Universe from 2012-2014.
The WWE Network has just announced the trio will reunite, this time in a “Table For 3” episode set to air on the WWE Network. The episode will air Monday night at the conclusion of Raw.
A synopsis for the show reads: “It’s a Table for 3MB as Heath Slater, Drew McIntyre, and Jinder Mahal get the 3-Man Band back together for the greatest reunion of all time!”
Return Of 3MB
The reunion of the faction is made all the sweeter by the fact 2 of the 3 band members were released from WWE. Both Jinder Mahal and Drew McIntyre were released by WWE on June 12th, 2014.
Following the release of his other band members, Heath Slater moved into a tag-team with Titus O’Neil called “Slater Gator.” From there he’d move into his next low-card stable, the Social Outcasts.
Jinder Mahal spent two years on the independent circuit before returning on August 1st, 2016. Mahal would defeat Heath Slater in his first match back with the company.
Drew McIntyre increased his stock outside of WWE by competing for ICW in Scotland, EVOLVE, and other top-tier independents. He also wrestled for Impact Wrestling. When he returned, however, he was sent to NXT. McIntyre returned to NXT on April 1st, 2017. He would then go on to win the NXT Championship before being called up to the main roster earlier this year.
– When Becky Lynch challenges Charlotte Flair for the SmackDown Women’s Championship tomorrow night at WWE Hell in a Cell, she will do so in new ring attire.
WWE costume designer/seamstress Julie Youngberg took to Twitter to post a teaser photo of the ring gear she created for Lynch to wear at the pay-per-view event.
– Ahead of WWE Mixed Match Challenge, Jinder Mahal tries to teach Alicia Fox his breathing and relaxation techniques backstage at tonight’s WWE live event in Corpus Christi, Texas. Fox, however, thinks his teachings mean something else.
WWE had some interesting plans for Jinder Mahal when he returned to WWE.
“The Modern Day Maharaja” returned to WWE in 2016. After a year of being back in the WWE fold he entered the WWE Title picture. Mahal defeated Randy Orton in May of last year to capture his first WWE World Title of his career.
The victory shocked most of the WWE Universe, who would’ve never expected the former Three Man Band (3MB) member to ever win a World Title in WWE. It looks like Mahal very nearly went in the opposite direction.
Ryan Satin of Pro Wrestling Sheet reports on Twitter that WWE at one point had different plans for Mahal. Apparently there was a pitch for a “Mahal Monitor” character who would serve as a self-appointed authority figure of the backstage hallways:
Mahal first signed with WWE back in 2010. He made his main roster debut in April of 2011 and had run-ins with The Great Khali. Mahal eventually landed himself in the comedic 3MB faction alongside Drew McIntyre and Heath Slater.
Both Mahal and McIntyre were subsequently released from WWE two years later in June of 2014. After two years of working the indies, Mahal returned to WWE in 2016. Only one year later did Mahal reach the top of the WWE mountain by capturing the promotion’s World Title.
There have been plenty of rumors going around as to whether or not the WWE could sign The Young Bucks to a deal soon. The Bucks are currently enjoying success with Ring Of Honor (ROH) and New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW), as well as selling out their self-funded All In event with Cody Rhodes.
WWE’s Twitter page shows that they recently followed Matt Jackson of The Young Bucks, sparking some speculation from fans on social media. Here’s a screenshot of who WWE is following:
What Happened After RAW?
The dark match main event for Monday Night RAW last night was Elias vs. Jinder Mahal. Unfortunately the match never got to finish as both Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns hit the ring and attacked both Elias and Mahal.
They celebrated with the crowd after clearing the ring to send them home happy and end the show.
Former WWE Champion Jinder Mahal has had two completely different runs with the WWE.
In April of 2011 Mahal made his main roster debut and would eventually find himself as a member of the Three Man Band (3MB) trio alongside Drew McIntyre and Heath Slater. In 2014, however, his run with the WWE came to an end when he was released from his deal. He would return to the independent circuit for two years, where he would reinvent himself creatively and physically, before being brought back to WWE around the time of the Superstar Shake-Up last year.
He has been the talent who has worked on both brands, RAW and SmackDown Live. The former WWE Champion was recently interviewed by Planeta Wrestling (transcript courtesy of Wrestling Inc).
During the interview, he was asked about the locker room differences between RAW and SmackDown. “Generally, it is still the same but different competitors. Obviously, in WWE everyone is on top of their game. WWE is the epitome of Sports Entertainment, it gets no bigger than this. So, whether you are on Raw or on SmackDown, the level of talent that we have on both sides is second to none. Overall, feeling in the locker room is still the same, but I keep to myself and focus on myself, and hope for the best.”
Back at the biggest event of the year for the sports entertainment company, WrestleMania 34, Mahal defeated Randy Orton, Bobby Roode, and Rusev to win the United States Title. “WrestleMania is amazing. 78,000 people there all over the world, including people from Spain. Everybody thought it was ‘Rusev Day,’ no way, it was ‘Maharaja Day.’ Unfortunately, Kurt Angle put me in a match that I wasn’t prepared for when I lost the United States Championship to Jeff Hardy on Raw after WrestleMania, or else I would have brought the US Championship to Spain but we will get that Championship back. I look forward to many other WrestleMania moments, even main eventing WrestleMania.”
What are your thoughts on Mahal’s comments? Sound off in the comment section below.
Total Bellas returned on Sunday night with the premiere of the series’ third season. With all of the buzz surrounding the volatile relationship of John Cena and Nikki Bella, there were high expectations for the show’s viewership.
According to Showbuzz Daily, the Season 3 premiere averaged only 517,000 viewers.
This was way down from last year’s Season 2 premiere, which did 681,000 viewers. The Season 2 finale last October had 674,000 viewers. That’s a decline of approximately 23% in between seasons, so interest in the show is clearly waning.
This season is focused around John Cena and Nikki Bella’s relationship unwinding and Daniel Bryan’s return to WWE active competition.
Here are some video clips from the Total Bellas Season 3 premiere:
WWE has announced two matches for next week’s episode of RAW on the USA Network.
First, Seth Rollins will defend the Intercontinental Title against Jinder Mahal. Also, there will be a last chance qualifying gauntlet match involving Sasha Banks, Sarah Logan, Ruby Riott, Liv Morgan, Mickie James, Bayley, and Dana Brooke.
The winner of this match will be added to the women’s Money in the Bank Ladder Match at the upcoming MITB pay-per-view event.
WWE has announced a new match for the upcoming the Money in the Bank PPV.
As seen on this week’s episode of Monday Night Raw in Albany, NY at the Times Union Center NY on the USA Network, the sports entertainment company announced that Roman Reigns would take on Jinder Mahal in a singles match at this show.
The Money in the Bank pay-per-view event takes place on Sunday, June 17, 2018 in Chicago, Illinois at the Allstate Arena and will air on the WWE Network and some traditional pay-per-view outlets. Here is the updated card:
– Men’s Money In The Bank Ladder Match: Braun Strowman vs. Finn Balor vs. The Miz vs. Rusev vs. Kevin Owens vs. Bobby Roode
– Women’s Money In The Bank Ladder Match: Ember Moon vs. Charlotte Flair vs. Alexa Bliss vs. Becky Lynch vs. Natalya
Jinder Mahal transformed his career between his first and current run with the sports entertainment company. In April of 2011 Mahal made his main roster debut and would eventually find himself as a member of the Three Man Band (3MB) trio alongside Drew McIntyre and Heath Slater. In 2014, however, his run with the WWE came to an end when he was released from his deal. He would return to the independent circuit for two years, where he would reinvent himself creatively and physically, before being brought back to WWE around the time of the Superstar Shake-Up last year.
The former WWE Champion was recently interviewed by Planeta Wrestling (transcript courtesy of Wrestling Inc). During the interview, he was asked how it feels to no longer be the WWE Champion and his goals in the sports entertainment company. Here is what he had to say. “Unfortunately, I lost the WWE Championship to AJ Styles but I held the WWE Championship for 6 months. Many people thought that I would never hold the WWE Championship, let alone any Championship in WWE so I proved a lot of people wrong, but now that I moved to Raw, my goal is the WWE Universal Championship, but there is also many great competitors such as Roman Reigns, who I have my eyes on right now. He claims that Raw is his yard, I think differently. I think I am the most dominant superstar in WWE. Right before I lost my title match against AJ Styles for the WWE Championship I was going to face Brock Lesnar at Survivor Series, so now that I am on Raw that match is very possible for the Universal Championship. Other than that, Seth Rollins is the WWE Intercontinental Champion. I am excited to be on Raw and I look forward to holding more championships.” Mahal added, “To become Universal Champion and Intercontinental Champion and Tag Team Champion, that way I can become a Grand Slam Champion.”
What are your thoughts on Mahal’s comments? Sound off in the comment section below.
– WWE has started a new feud involving former WWE Champion Jinder Mahal.
As seen on this week’s episode of Monday Night Raw in Uniondale, NY at the Nassau Coliseum on the USA Network, Mahal attacked Roman Reigns in the main event of the show when the former WWE Champion was competing against Sami Zayn and Finn Balor in a Triple Threat Money in the Bank qualifying match.
It appears that the sports entertainment company is building to a match between these two stars for the upcoming Money in the Bank pay-per-view event, which takes place on Sunday, June 17, 2018, in Chicago, Illinois at the Allstate Arena.
It should be noted that is pure speculation and has yet to be confirmed and/or announced. Mahal sent out the following tweets about the attack:
– WWE officials including Chairman Vince McMahon are likely very happy today (May 8, 2018) as the stock of the company passed 42.50 per share for the first time with a market cap of $3.25 billion.
With WWE’s TV rights deal expiring soon, stock for the promotion should look to increase in the coming months.
For first time, $WWE (#WWE#stock) passes both 42.50 per share, and $3.25Billion market cap
$WWE (#WWE stock) is now trading over 41.00 per share for the first time. 2 Years Ago, shares were less than 17.00 The stock is up about 147% in these last 2 years. So if you didn’t take my recommendation on this one… #ThatsNotAwesome
WWE Hall of Famer Booker T discussed the new generation of wrestlers in the WWE as well as the retirement of Enzo Amore from professional wrestling and how Big Cass is going to do without him on the recent episode of his podcast, Heated Conversations. Booker also gave his thoughts on Jinder Mahal’s transformation and more. Here are a few highlights from the podcast.
On Enzo Amore’s release from the WWE and subsequent retirement:
“If you can’t make it in the locker room, you have no chance to make it in the ring. Those guys are gonna make sure that you don’t make it. You’re not gonna have a good match ever if those guys don’t like you. In this business it takes two to tango…”
“If Enzo Amore is going to retire from the business, I think it’s very, very unfortunate first and foremost. I’ve said it many, many times.” … “If you put yourself in a situation like this, something is bound to happen.”
On what Big Cass should do now that his partner is gone from the WWE:
“I don’t think Big Cass is a main event guy right now. I wouldn’t want to put him in that position right now – I don’t think he’s ready for that role right now. Not just from a physical standpoint, from a mental standpoint. The fans want to see you work at a certain level, and you’ve got to work your butt off to get to that level.”
“The guys that are making the roster strong, these guys are technically sound. They go out there, they know how to create drama as far as the crowd goes. They know how to bring the crowd into the ring, and that’s what I think Big Cass needs to work on a bit more. What we call, Shakespeare.”
“I’m gonna make it my personal mission to get Big Cass to that place where we need him to be as far as being a main event prospect.”
On Jinder Mahal’s transformation:
“When Jinder Mahal came back to WWE he was transformed – he was reincarnated. He was almost a totally different guy than we saw with 3MB. His strength seems to neutralize these guys, to where Jinder has to really go out and do nothing in a match, and people look at him and think ‘wow, this guy has evolved.”
You can listen to Heated Conversations by clicking here. Quotes by ProWrestling.com
Last night’s crowd in Montreal, Canada showed a ton of love for their fellow Canadians – but Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens received some major pops. Roman Reigns’ promo opened up the night but was soon interrupted by Jinder Mahal, Zayn, and Owens – all of whom wanted a piece of The Big Dog.
Ultimately all three men jumped Reigns and Bobby Lashley and Braun Strowman came out for the save. This led to a Six Man Tag Team match being made later on in the night between the teams of Reigns, Strowman, and Lashley vs. Owens, Zayn, and Mahal.
The match actually proved to be a very entertaining one, and during a physical exchange outside by Owens and Reigns, Owen’s father (Terry) and The Big Dog playfully exchanged words.
Reigns was working on Owens agains the fan barrier when the pair began jawing off at one another. You can check out the video here below:
Former WWE Champion Jinder Mahal transformed his career between his first and current run with the sports entertainment company.
In April of 2011 Mahal made his main roster debut and would eventually find himself as a member of the Three Man Band (3MB) trio alongside Drew McIntyre and Heath Slater. In 2014, however, his run with the WWE came to an end when he was released from his deal. He would return to the independent circuit for two years, where he would reinvent himself creatively and physically, before being brought back to WWE around the time of the Superstar Shake-Up last year.
Mahal was recently a guest on Chasing Glory with Lilian Garcia. During the interview, he was asked about being put in the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal which saw Mojo Rawley win the match last year at WrestleMania 33. Here is what he had to say (transcript courtesy ofWrestling Inc):
“It was cool, definitely, but part of me, I’d be lying if I’d say it wasn’t disappointing in a way because I wanted to be on the main show. Actually, one of the things that I did in this last year is that I write down my goals. Every day I write down ‘Main Evented WrestleMania,’ along with writing, ’10-Time World Champion,’ I have all these goals. I write down what my net-worth is going to be, how many properties I’d like to own. Every day I write this down,” Mahal said. “One of my goals is main eventing WrestleMania. Right now, I write ’10-time World Champion.’ Before I became WWE Champion I used to write down ‘Become A Champion in WWE,’ because I was so low on the card, to even hold a championship in the WWE I would think that it would be so cool. I can be Intercontinental Champion, U.S Champion, but I should have written ‘Become a World Champion.’ I’m a firm believer that if you put it on paper and it reminds you to work hard every day, especially every day if you write down your goals.”
What are your thoughts on Mahal being very open about this role at the biggest event of the year for the WWE? Sound off in the comment section below.
RAW GM Kurt Angle started off the show and promised a lot of surprises tonight. Sunil Singh interrupted and announced that United States Champion Jinder Mahal was the new addition to WWE RAW.
Mahal got in the ring to a chorus of boos and raised the United States Championship in the air. Jinder stated that Kurt Angle made a terrific decision by bringing him to RAW. Mahal complained about not being brought to the arena in a limo. Angle said that they never agreed on a limo and Mahal went on a rant and claimed that he is better than any Superstar on RAW. Jinder claimed that this was his kingdom and he expects the same perks that Brock Lesnar gets.
The crowd started chanting “you suck!” and Mahal shouted that he was speaking and the crowd booed. Angle asked Jinder to email him a list of demands and Sunil whipped out his phone. Angle stated that his email address was “kurtangle@nofreakingway.com”. Kurt said that they settle things in the ring on RAW and announced that Mahal will be defending his United States Championship right now. Jeff Hardy then made his way down to the ring to challenge Mahal for the United States Champion.
Mahal started out the match in control and stomped on Hardy in the corner. Jeff battled back and slammed Mahal’s head into the top turnbuckle. Hardy followed it up with a Dropkick that knocked Jinder out of the ring. Hardy followed it up with a Crossbody off the ring apron as RAW went to a break.
When RAW returned. the action had returned to the ring and Mahal had regained control during the break. The crowd got behind Hardy as he tried to fight out of a Chin Lock. Hardy broke the hold with a Jawbreaker, but Mahal shrugged it off and dropped Jeff neck-first on the top rope. Mahal connected with a series of knees to Hardy’s spine and then posed in the ring as the crowd booed him.
Hardy stumbled his way to his feet on the ring apron, but was quickly dropped by a big right hand from Jinder. Mahal crotched Hardy on the top turnbuckle and went for a Superplex, but Hardy fought him off with an elbow to the face. Hardy connected with the Whisper in the Wind from the top and both Superstars crashed to the mat. Sunil Singh hopped on the ring apron and Hardy decked him with a Dropkick.
Jeff planted Mahal with a basement Dropkick for a two count. Mahal blocked the Twist of Fate and hit a knee to the face for a two count. Chants of “lets go Hardy” echoed in the arena as Jeff countered the Khallas into a roll-up for a two count. Jinder quickly got up and decked Hardy with a Superkick for another two count.
Hardy battled back and connected with the Twist of Fate in the middle of the ring. Jeff followed it up with the Swanton Bomb off the top rope for the pinfall victory. Jeff Hardy is the new United States Champion for the first time in his career. Jinder Mahal was extremely pissed off as Jeff Hardy celebrated on the entrance ramp.
Mahal then invoked his rematch clause at WWE Greatest Royal Rumble on April 27th during an interview with Renee Young backstage. No Way Jose interrupted and started dancing with Renee Young as Mahal got even more pissed off.
Jinder Mahal worked for years on lower card, got fired and was rehired before WWE finally decided to push him and made him the WWE Champion last year but his struggles started long before that.
Mahal was recently the guest on Lilian Garcia’s Chasing Glory podcast where he talked about how he tried not to get too excited when he found out about winning the WWE Championship as plans tend to change very often.
Reflecting on his early days in wrestling Mahal recalled how he had to drive hours to wrestle in front of very small crowds when he was still in high school:
“When I started wrestling I was still in high school. I would wrestle with guys that were 30 years old, we would drive like 20 hours to a show. I’m still in High School at this time.. I wrestled Tyler Breeze one time when there was like 20 people at the show.
Continuing on the topic, the Morden Day Maharaja said that he drove for hours to get paid $10 on wrestling shows and claimed that he wasn’t just made in the development somewhere:
I’ve wrestled around five people, drove hours and hours and got paid $10. I often don’t share that side, but for years I was training, traveling, struggling. I wasn’t just made in the Development somewhere.”
Apart from this, Jinder Mahal also talked about how Road Dogg had told him good things would be happening to him before he was moved to SmackDown Live and won the WWE Championship and more. You can check out his full interview in the video below:
– WWE posted the following WrestleMania Diary video on their YouTube channel of 2018 Hall Of Fame inductee Jeff Jarrett. Jarrett did an interview with The Midday 180 on Nashville’s 104.5 The Zone:
– Below are videos of Triple H and Stephanie McMahon arriving in New Orleans for their Mixed Tag Team match against Kurt Angle and Ronda Rousey at WrestleMania 34 this weekend. Check it out:
– WWE posted a clip from WWE Network’s “Ride Along,” featuring Jinder Mahal and Sunil Singh. Mahal discussed the formation of Three Man Band (3MB) and said he believes the faction will return one day as a dominant one:
Jinder Mahal has had an interesting run with the sports entertainment company.
If you recall, in April of 2011, Mahal made his main roster debut and would eventually find himself as a member of the Three Man Band (3MB) trio alongside McIntyre and Heath Slater. In 2014, however, his run with the WWE came to an end when he was released from his deal.
After he was released from WWE, he returned to the independent circuit for two years where he would reinvent himself creatively and physically before being brought back to WWE around the time of the Superstar Shake-Up. After some time on RAW upon his return, the shake-up moved him over to Tuesday nights on SmackDown Live.
Mahal would win a Six-Pack Challenge match that earned him the status as No. 1-contender for the WWE Championship, which was then-held by Randy Orton who defeated Bray Wyatt at WrestleMania 33 for the strap.
Mahal would later beat Orton for the title and held it for several months before losing it to AJ Styles on an episode of WWE SmackDown Live on the USA Network.
Stephanie McMahon recently spoke with the Times of India, and during the interview, she was asked if Mahal’s run as WWE Champion last year was a success. This is what she had to say:
“I think his Championship run was incredibly interesting and successful to our global audience and not just to India. If he became a bit of a hero in India as a result, well that is awesome too… Jinder of course is playing the antagonist here in the States.
I think he was received as a homecoming hero when he performed live in India and whenever there is a local star there is significance to the audience there. Our audience is so much bigger, it is global, so we have to entertain everyone.”
The Bludgeon Brothers vs. The New Day vs. SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Usos is now official for WrestleMania 34, as announced on tonight’s SmackDown episode.
Tonight’s show also saw a change made to the WWE United States Title Triple Threat at WrestleMania. Rusev has been added to the match to make it a Fatal 4 Way.
WrestleMania 34 takes place on April 8th from the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans.
Below is the updated confirmed WrestleMania card:
Confirmed Matches:
WWE Universal Title Match
Roman Reigns vs. Brock Lesnar
WWE Title Match
Shinsuke Nakamura vs. AJ Styles
Triple Threat for the WWE Intercontinental Title
Seth Rollins vs. Finn Balor vs. The Miz
Fatal 4 Way for the WWE United States Title
Rusev vs. Bobby Roode vs. Jinder Mahal vs. Randy Orton
RAW Women’s Title Match
Nia Jax vs. Alexa Bliss
SmackDown Women’s Title Match
Asuka vs. Charlotte Flair
RAW Tag Team Title Match
Braun Strowman and a partner vs. Cesaro and Sheamus
Triple Threat for the SmackDown Tag Team Titles
The New Day vs. The Bludgeon Brothers vs. The Usos
Finals of the WWE Cruiserweight Title Tournament
Cedric Alexander vs. Mustafa Ali
Ronda Rousey and Kurt Angle vs. Triple H and Stephanie McMahon
Daniel Bryan and Shane McMahon vs. Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn Zayn and Owens will get their jobs back if they win, they will remain fired if they lose.
First-Ever WrestleMania Women’s Battle Royal
Sasha Banks, Ruby Riott, Liv Morgan, Sarah Logan, Naomi, Becky Lynch, Bayley, Natalya, TBA
Fifth Annual Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal
Scott Dawson, Dash Wilder, Baron Corbin, Tye Dillinger, Mojo Rawley, Matt Hardy, Dolph Ziggler, Tyler Breeze, Fandango, TBA
– Current rumored WrestleMania 34 plans for the United States Championship have Randy Orton defending his title against Bobby Roode and Jinder Mahal in a Triple Threat match. WWE posted the following backstage video of “The Modern Day Maharaja” claiming he is the uncrowned United States Champion:
– Tonight’s episode of Monday Night RAW will feature The Ultimate Deletion segment between Matt Hardy and Bray Wyatt at The Hardy Family Compound. Hardy took to Twitter to hype tonight’s segment:
– It looks like WrestleMania 34’s card will feature two Triple Threat matches for WWE titles. We’ve already seen that Monday Night RAW General Manager Kurt Angle has announced The Miz will be defending his Intercontinental Title in one against Seth Rollins and Finn Balor. Wrestling Observer Newsletter’s Dave Meltzer reports that SmackDown Live will have a Triple Threat Title match of their own.
United States Champion Randy Orton is expected to defend his strap against both Bobby Roode and Jinder Mahal in New Orleans. Roode announced his intentions to use his rematch clause at WrestleMania against Orton, after losing the strap this past weekend at Fastlane to “The Viper.” Mahal recently picked up a singles win over Bobby Roode, however, so it’s possible he’s added to the match on SmackDown Live next week.
– As for the finals of the 205 Live Cruiserweight Championship Tournament, Meltzer reports the plan has always been for Cedric Alexander vs. Mustafa Ali to take place in the finals. After Alexander already solidified his place in the finals, Mustafa Ali vs. Drew Gulak will take place on next week’s 205 Live to determine Alexander’s opponent. It was also added that Alexander vs. Ali was the idea for the finals once the idea was developed to have the match take place at WrestleMania.
Former WWE Champion Jinder Mahal recently spoke withRohit Nath and Sportskeeda to talk about various topics. During the interview, he was asked about former NXT Champion Drew McIntyre and possibly teaming with him again.
If you recall, in April of 2011, Mahal made his main roster debut and would eventually find himself as a member of the Three Man Band (3MB) trio alongside McIntyre and Heath Slater. In 2014, however, his run with the WWE came to an end when he was released from his deal. “Drew would be awesome, I know he’s focused on his singles career, he’s doing his rehab, he’s looking forward to coming back stronger than ever, but there will be a 3MB re-union. We will be more successful than in the past, so definitely. We’re 3-time champions. Currently, someone like Elias would be a great tag partner, but also in NXT and in the Performance Center, there are many future superstars who train very hard. There are even new Indian superstars who just got signed.I’m excited to see where they go in the future.
They’re going to work hard too to become main roster superstars of RAW and SmackDown. I would love to take one of them and hopefully in a few years when I’m more experienced in WWE, I could take a mentorship role and bring them to RAW or SmackDown and together we could hold a tag team championship. That would be very cool.”
He was also asked about potentially moving back to WWE’s flagship show, Monday Night RAW.
After he was released from WWE, he returned to the independent circuit for two years where he would reinvent himself creatively and physically before being brought back to WWE around the time of the Superstar Shake-Up. After some time on RAW upon his return, the shake-up moved him over to Tuesday nights on SmackDown Live.
“Absolutely. I go wherever I’m called. SmackDown Live is the land of opportunity and I took advantage of that opportunity, but I believe that I’m one of the main superstars in WWE, and whether I’m on RAW or whether I’m on SmackDown, I will be successful.I could definitely see there being a shake-up, some superstars will switch, but whichever side I’m on, RAW or SmackDown, I’m more than happy to represent that brand and compete against the superstars of that respective brand and win either the Universal or WWE Championship at the end.”
It’s Tuesday and that means another episode of SmackDown Live is upon us.
Tonight (March 6), the show takes place inside the Resch Center in Green Bay, Wisconsin. WWE.com has rolled out their preview for tonight’s episode. The show has two matches and one segment set. WWE is also teasing conflict between two female superstars.
The Lowdown
WWE champion AJ Styles is set to take on one of his Fastlane opponents in a non-title bout. He’ll meet Dolph Ziggler, who got a measure of revenge on Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn last week. After losing to John Cena, Styles will look to redeem himself on the go-home show.
An old rivalry will be renewed. Randy Orton will do battle with Jinder Mahal. Back in May 2017, Mahal shocked the world when he defeated Orton for the WWE title. That rivalry sparked the return of the Punjabi Prison match. They’ll meet again tonight just five days before Orton challenges Bobby Roode for the United States championship.
Ruby Riott has been a thorn in the side of SmackDown Women’s champion Charlotte. Riott is the last member of the Riott Squad for Charlotte to take out. Before their title match at Fastlane, the two will have a faceoff.
Becky Lynch and Money in The Bank holder Carmella have been at odds on social media. Things got heated enough for Lynch to challenge Carmella to a match tonight. We’ll see how it all plays out tonight on SmackDown Live at 8 p.m. ET.
Former WWE Champion Jinder Mahal recently did an interview with The Independent to talk about several professional wrestling topics. During the interview, “The Modern Day Maharaja” made the case for “The British Bulldog” Davey Boy Smith being inducted into the WWE Hall Of Fame:
“[British Bulldog] had a great, storied career. From tagging with The Dynamite Kid to breaking out on his own, his career had a great evolution,” said Mahal. “He started in Stampede Wrestling in Calgary for Stu Hart and before that had been training in England before being brought in with Dynamite, and of course that classic, classic match against Bret Hart at Summerslam – that’s one of my all-time favorite matches.
“He’s just a great, great superstar in the history of WWE, so I don’t think it is a matter of if he’ll be inducted into the Hall of Fame, but when he’ll become a member.”
Mahal also discussed his historic WWE Title loss to AJ Styles last year. Mahal dropped the strap to “The Phenomenal One” during a pre-taped episode of SmackDown Live overseas in Manchester, England. It was the first WWE Title change in WWE history to occur overseas:
“It was the very first time in the history of WWE that the title had changed hands overseas. History was made that night and the match was probably one of the best I’ve ever had. I’ve said this before, but I feel that although I lost, I really won that night. The energy in the arena that night was amazing and AJ Styles really is phenomenal – the fans just love him.
“I think he might be the number one, top star in WWE in terms of fan reaction because everybody loves him. Everyone that night was genuinely so happy for him, so it was a little bit bittersweet for me. I was laying on my back on the mat with my eyes closed, listening to the reaction of the crowd and a couple of tears fell in the ring, of happiness as everyone was so pleased for him. It was a very cool moment and it was a moment I’ll never forget.”
You can read Mahal’s full interview with The Independent by clicking this link here.
– In the main event of last night’s episode of SmackDown Live, WWE Champion AJ Styles lost a non-title match to John Cena. Per the stipulation, Cena has now earned himself into the WWE Championship match on the Fastlane pay-per-view (PPV) next month. The match will now be a Six Pack Challenge between AJ Styles, John Cena, Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn, Baron Corbin, and Dolph Ziggler. WWE posted the following video of Dasha Fuentes interviewing the WWE Champ after his loss. Check it out:
– RAW Superstar Bayley was recently interviewed by The Mirror following WWE’s Elimination Chamber PPV this past weekend. “The Hugger” was asked about a possible feud with her former NXT rival and friend Sasha Banks. Here’s what she had to say:
“I would love for that to happen and I really do think that we have such a great chemistry and it’s just a natural bond, that it doesn’t matter when it happens, we can pick it up anywhere,” Bayley said. “Not to sound cocky or anything, but I just think we have a really good connection. Whenever we have the time to tell that story, we would be able to. And last night after what she did, I think now is a good time! So I would love to start that up and get some payback.”
Read Bayley’s full interview with The Mirror by clicking this link here.
– As we’ve previously reported, Jinder Mahal lost a dark match to Randy Orton after last night’s SmackDown Live and 205 Live tapings in just five seconds. YouTube star Lilly Singh was sitting at ringside and gave “The Modern Day Maharaja” a special introduction:
– Xavier Woods and Jinder Mahal are set to meet on SmackDown Live next week in the next round of the United States Championship Tournament. Woods took to Twitter to take a shot at Mahal by posting a clip of an old match they had on WWE Superstars back in 2014. Woods and R-Truth teamed up to defeat Mahal and Drew McIntyre in tag team action, as Woods pinned Mahal for the victory:
– At last night’s MLK Parade Foundation Honors event in Tampa, Florida, WWE Superstar Titus O’Neil was honored by receiving the Drum Major For Justice Award. He Tweeted out the following:
Proverbs 4:19 The ways of right-living people glow with light The longer they live the brighter they shine. God Placed light inside of you for a reason.LET IT SHINE!!Thanks again 2all of my Family&Friends that came out 2support me receiving the Dr. MLK Drum Major 4Justice Award pic.twitter.com/M6aOdD4xvf
Getting ready to be honored and Awarded tonight at the Dr Martin Luther King Jr Parade Foundation Gala with the “Drum Major For Justice Award” for Family/Community with my friends and Family ❤️ #Proud#Legacypic.twitter.com/GGqBCfSuPv
