Former WCW President Eric Bischoff took to his podcast, Bischoff on Wrestling, to comment on Jinder Mahal’s recent WWE Championship win and fans’ criticisms over Mahal being portrayed as the ‘evil foreigner.’ Check out what he had to say here:
Jinder Mahal winning the WWE Championship:
I loved it. I loved it. Great move. I didn’t know he was actually going to get the title. As far as getting him featured and giving him a spotlight it makes all the sense in the world to me for all the right reasons. Business wise, strategically and also as a character. As a new character and as something that is fresh. He’s not the same kind of recycled cookie coming out of the cookie press with a little different flavor. I think this is really unique and that’s what WWE needs right now.”
Fans being critical over Mahal being portrayed as the ‘evil foreigner’:
“He should be a bad guy because right now he’s the hottest thing in the hottest company on the face of the Earth! I absolutely fricking guarantee you there is no one in India going, “Oh! WWE is coming to India and Jinder Mahal is the champion and I’m not going to go see them because he’s a bad guy!” (Laughs) No. No. Stop, leave your social justice warrior stuff at home when you come into pro wrestling. It’s not applicable.”
As you can imagine, a big factor behind Jinder Mahal’s unlikely WWE Championship victory is the company’s initiative to make headway in India. While company officials do not expect a big uptick in television ratings or merchandise sales. In fact, WWE Shop just released the first Jinder Mahal “Modern Day Maharaja” t-shirt.
The real upside with pushing the company’s first Indian WWE Champion is with WWE Network subscriptions in the Indian market. WWE has a strong social media presence in India and will leverage the new champion to push Network subs there. We won’t really know if the plan was effective until August, when WWE releases the next round of quarter financial results (and network subs). WWE does not break down ‘International’ subscriptions by country, but an uptick in International subscriptions would suggest it was a good business decision.
Jinder Mahal will continue to work with Randy Orton in the coming months. As announced on SmackDown, the two will battle for the WWE Championship at next month’s Money in the Bank pay-per-view. In case you missed it on SmackDown, here’s Jinder Mahal’s Punjabi Celebration:
Finally, because you can never get too much Jinder, WWE released this photo of Jinder Mahal’s new championship title side plates.
Yesterday, Jinder Mahal’s WWE championship win was commended in Canadian Provincial Parliament in Alberta. The congrats were delivered by Graham Sucha (NDP), MPP for the Calgary-Shaw riding in Alberta.
Amazingly, Sucha got the line “Don’t Hinder Jinder” into the official transcript. The MPP posted video of his congrats on his YouTube channel. Sucha has been in office over 2 years, and this was just the 5th video he has chosen to post.
Jinder Mahal is Canadian?
Yuvraj “Raj” Singh Dhesi was born and raised in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. He is of Indian Punjabi origin. His Uncle was the Great Gama Singh, who wrestled under a similar gimmick in Stampede Wrestling. Gama Singh led the Karachi-Vice stable and feuded with members of the Hart Family.
Jinder’s grandfather emigrated from India to Canada with his family in 1963. The Great Gama Singh was 9 years old at the time.
Newly crowned WWE Champion Jinder Mahal recently did an interview with USA Today’s “For The Win” to talk about his recent title win over Randy Orton at Backlash. Check out the highlights here:
How he can solidify himself as a legit champ in the eyes of fans:
“I see Randy and A.J. Styles (as opponents), but I’m hoping for Cena when he gets back (from hiatus). I know some people don’t see me as championship material. I haven’t fully gotten their confidence. Beating someone like Cena would solidify me in their eyes as champion.”
Not referring to himself as “The American Dream” anymore moving forward, as he used it once on an episode of Talking Smack:
“Nobody told me to say that and nobody told me not to say it. It was just how I felt. I am the new American Dream because I have worked so hard to get to where I am. Many people don’t give me the credit I deserve. No one in WWE is out-dieting me, no one is out-training me. It shouldn’t be a surprise that I’m the WWE champion. Simply put, I am working the hardest.
“I could say that again. It’s something I just believe. I enjoy being Talking Smack. It’s an open forum. But literally not one person said, don’t say that again.”
WWE Champion Jinder Mahal recently did an interview with Sportskeeda to react to his title win at Backlash this past weekend against Randy Orton. You can check out what he had to say here:
What was the backstage reaction to your title win? Did Mr.McMahon say anything to you after your title win?
“The backstage reaction has been very good. Vince was very happy. He was really proud of me because Vince knows how much work I’ve put in. And, I told Vince, ‘Hey Vince, my goal is to come back every week and improve. Every time you see me perform I’m going to get better on the mic, going to get better in the ring and I’ll be in better shape every week.’
“I think Vince really appreciates that and WWE is a place where they reward hard work and I’m an example of that.”
When did you find out that you’d be winning the title last night?
“I found out the day of.”
You’re now going to be a full-time WWE Champion while your counterpart on RAW, Brock Lesnar, is a part-timer. What are your thoughts on that and do you have any message for Brock Lesnar?
“I have no problem with Brock Lesnar being a part-timer because he’s earned that spot. He’s a multiple time champion in WWE, a former UFC Champion, NCAA amateur wrestling champion so his accolades speak for themselves. He’s at a point where he calls the shots and he decides whether he’ll be part-time or full-time. I’m young, I’m hungry. This is my first taste of WWE gold. I only want more and I’m not satisfied. I want to retire, when it’s all said and done, as one of the greats.
“My message to Brock is that the Maharaja does what it takes to be a true champion, a full-time fighting champion willing to take on anybody – whether it’s Brock, Cena, Randy Orton, Roman Reigns or anybody.”
New WWE champion, Jinder Mahal, plans to have a celebration that will be felt all the way in India tonight on Smackdown. WWE has announced that Jinder will throw a “Punjabi Celebration” tonight in honor of his championship win.
Jinder will most likely have to defend this title against former champion Randy Orton at some point. Also, waiting in the wings is the returning Rusev. The injured Bulgarian insisted he be granted a WWE title opportunity at Money in the Bank in July.
If WWE plans to have Jinder defend against Rusev at MITB, it will either be a heel vs. heel match, or one of them (most likely Rusev), will turn face beforehand.
Last year at MITB, Dean Ambrose captured and cashed-in the briefcase on the same night. A lot could happen with the WWE title in the next couple of months.
Jinder Mahal made history on Sunday night by capturing his first WWE Championship Sunday night at Backlash.
Backstage after his big win, Mahal stated his intention to hold WWE’s top prize for a very long time. He also addressed his doubters in the WWE Universe by telling them to get used to him with the gold.
You can check out the full backstage interview in the video below.
WWE also uploaded this photo of Mahal and the Singh Brothers posing with the WWE Championship after Backlash.
With just a few days until Sunday’s Backlash pay-per-view, Jinder Mahal is now a betting favorite to defeat Randy Orton for the WWE Championship.
According to WWELeaks.org (via betting site Paddy Power), Randy Orton was the favorite (1/6) and Jinder Mahal was the underdog (7/2) when the betting market opened on Wednesday.
The odds remained consistent on Friday morning, when things started to narrow. By Friday afternoon, there was a surge in betting for Jinder Mahal, who is now a 3/10 favorite over Orton (11/5).
We’ll keep an eye on the betting lines over the next couple days and will provide an update if there are any more significant shifts. There is still time to see things shift back in Orton’s favor, but things are looking good for Jinder as of this writing.
Join us here this Sunday for our Live Coverage of WWE Backlash.
Discussion: If Jinder Mahal does become WWE Champion at Backlash, which SmackDown superstar do you want him to feud with first
This Sunday, SmackDown star Jinder Mahal headlines his first WWE pay-per-view when he challenges Randy Orton for the WWE Championship at Backlash. Ahead of his championship opportunity, the former 3MB member was a guest on Chris Jericho’s popular Talk Is Jericho podcast to discuss his ascension from obscurity to main events. Mahal also spoke at length about his evolving relationship with Vince McMahon, which you can read about below.
Vince McMahon changing his original post-Six Pack Challenge win promo:
“He had rewritten my promo,” Jinder said. “The original promo was something totally different, so when I finished calling the match, one of the writers was like, ‘hey, Vince changed your promo.’ I was like, ‘okay, bring it to me. Please bring it to me.’ So they [broughgt] it to me and I had read the American comment and I was like, ‘ah, I like the old promo better.’ Like, it was like something like, ‘I tried being peaceful, but nobody was listening. But now I have all you guys’, everyone’s, attention. I beat five of SmackDown’s very best and I did it all alone.’
Something like that. It was just like a regular heel promo, but the new one was like, ‘you Americans this and that.’ And I was like, ‘argh, man, I don’t think we should go [there]. Like, but I’m like, ‘but whatever. Vince wrote it. It’s okay.’ But I did it and the reaction I got, I was like, ‘oh man, Vince is a genius!’ He knows exactly what’s going to draw the most heat.”
Originally shying away from Vince McMahon but now having a great relationship with him:
“I’ve become closer with Vince. It was weird, during my first run, and even when I was on 3MB, I would kind of like avoid Vince. Not avoid him, but he’s intimidating. Now, I have like a good relationship with him.”
“It’s weird. He’s like an evil genius. Is there anyone who has watched more [pro] wrestling than Vince McMahon?” Mahal added, “Vince knows what he’s doing.”
WWE Superstar and current No. 1-contender for the WWE Championship Jinder Mahal was recently a guest on fellow WWE Superstar Chris Jericho’s podcast, Talk Is Jericho.
Mahal discussed his recent push to the main event scene in the WWE and revealed that prior to his Six Pack Challenge on SmackDown Live; in which he defeated Mojo Rawley, Sami Zayn, Luke Harper, Erick Rowan and Dolph Ziggler to earn the right to challenge Randy Orton for the WWE Title, Vince McMahon made a big change to his character:
“So when I finished calling the match, one of the writers was like ‘hey Vince changed your promo’ and I was like ‘okay, bring it to me’ so they brought it to me and I had read the America comment and all that and I was like ‘ugh I like the old promo better.’ Like it was something like, ‘I tried being peaceful but nobody was listening but now I have all you guys’ attention, I just beat five of SmackDown’s very best and I did it all alone.’ Something like that, it was just a regular heel promo but the new one was like: ‘You Americans, this and that’ — I was like ugh I don’t like it, but Vince wrote it, it’s okay. But I did it and the reaction that I got I was like ‘ah man, Vince is a genius.’ He knows exactly what draws the most heat”
He also shared the interaction he had with Vince following his promo, and praised “The Chairman Of The Board” for his genius wrestling mind:
“It’s weird, he knows what’s going to draw the most heat. I didn’t see it at first but as soon as I heard the reaction — actually when I came back to I sat with Vince and he was like, because we went over time already and he was like, ‘forget about the time, let them boo even more before you start talking’ so I was like, okay.”
Tonight’s episode of Smackdown Live take place from Manchester, NH and is the ‘go-home’ show ahead of WWE Backlash this Sunday. WWE is advertising two matches for the show:
AJ Styles vs. Jinder Mahal
This match pits the two male singles title challengers at Backlash against one another. Jinder takes on Randy Orton for the WWE championship on Sunday, while AJ Styles challenges Kevin Owens for the US title.
Randy Orton vs. Baron Corbin
As of this writing, Baron Corbin is not booked for a match at Backlash.
Updated Backlash Card
Ahead of tonight’s SmackDown, WWE has confirmed five matches for Sunday’s Backlash PPV:
WWE Champion Randy Orton vs. Jinder Mahal
SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Usos vs. Breezango
US Champion Kevin Owens vs. AJ Styles
Charlotte Flair, Becky Lynch & Naomi vs. Carmella, Natalya and Tamina Snuka
WWE Superstar and current No. 1-contender for the WWE Championship Jinder Mahal recently did an interview with Sportskeeda to talk about his recent main event push on SmackDown Live. You can check out the highlights from the interview here:
Your physical transformation during your hiatus has been stark. What’s the secret behind your toned body?
The secret is consistency. I literally haven’t had a cheat meal in 3-4 months. I haven’t eaten anything I shouldn’t have. Even now, on the tour, I have my cooling bag with me and I carry 5 meals with me so that I eat every 2 hours. I eat 30/40 grammes of carbohydrates, 30/40 grammes of proteins with every meal.
Then there’s cardio 6 days a week and weight training 6 days a week. I also became straight-edge. I also do a lot of Olympic compound movements. Then there are lots of basic squats, lots of push-ups and other exercises. Overall, from diet to exercise, I’m seeing good results. I’m going to keep getting in better shape because not only do I look better but I feel better. I feel better inside the ring in terms of stamina and endurance, which is important if I want to become WWE Champion and have long matches every night.
What was it like to move to SmackDown Live and being pushed to the main-event scene almost immediately?
It’s been great. They say SmackDown Live is the land of opportunity and I think I’ve proved that it really is. The move has been great. When I originally debuted in 2011, I was on SmackDown. At the time, they were separate from RAW so I feel at home on SmackDown. It’s good to be back. RAW is also a great show but I feel, for me, SmackDown is a better opportunity and I’ve run with the opportunity so far on the blue brand.
What the experience of working with Randy Orton like?
The experience is great. I’m on the European tour so I get to wrestle Randy Orton every night. I try to pick up points every time on how to beat him at WWE Backlash to win the WWE Championship. Working with him is great. He’s a legend in the business. As they say, he’s the legend killer but I think it’s time for someone new to challenge him. I’m younger than him, I’m faster than him and I’m in better shape than him. I’m also stronger than him and don’t have any injuries so I think it’s time for a new WWE Champion.
What are your thoughts on the Singh Brothers?
The Singh Brothers are good. I’ve actually known them for a long time. They were wrestling in Canada before this and it’s good to see them on SmackDown Live also. They were on 205 Live and NXT earlier. Now they’re helping me out (laughs) so it’s good that I have somebody in my corner watching my back.
If you’d like to read Mahal’s full interview with Sportskeeda you can check it out by clicking on this link.
WWE’s Superstar Shake-up was a few weeks ago and a bunch of talent switched brands. The change has certainly benefited some Superstars as they have been able to hit the reset button and were given new opportunities. For other Superstars, the brand switch has either done nothing for them or made matters even worse. Below is the list of every Superstar that switched brands after WWE’s Superstar Shake-Up and what they have done on their new show so far.
From SmackDown to RAW:
Bray Wyatt: Bray Wyatt was having a hell of a run on SmackDown until everything fell off the rails. He captured the WWE Championship at Elimination Chamber, only to lose it rather quickly to Randy Orton at Wrestlemania 33. It took years for WWE to put a title on Bray Wyatt. They pulled the plug on his title run really quick and he is now feuding with Finn Balor on RAW. The change of brands may help Wyatt in the long run, but right now it is hard to take Wyatt seriously after the match at Wrestlemania 33 and the terrible House of Horrors match at WWE Payback.
The Miz & Maryse: The Miz had an excellent run on SmackDown. He was the Intercontinental Champion and had a terrific feud with Dolph Ziggler. There is no reason that he shouldn’t be able to continue that success on RAW as he is currently the #1 contender for the IC Title. The only down side of Miz joining RAW is that he will no longer be a guest on Talking Smack. His insane rants towards Renee Young and Daniel Bryan will be missed.
Dean Ambrose: Ambrose is currently the Intercontinental Champion, but absolutely needed a fresh start. Even though he is continuing his feud with The Miz from SmackDown, Ambrose was already more entertaining on this past week’s RAW than he was for the last month on SmackDown. Time will tell if Ambrose will grow stale again, but for now he has benefited from the Superstar Shake-Up.
Alexa Bliss: Alexa Bliss was terrific on SmackDown and has carried that over to RAW. She is the best female talent on RAW when it comes to promos. She also has great in-ring ability and always gets a reaction from the crowd. Alexa Bliss has already become RAW Women’s Champion and is the first female Superstar to hold both the Smackdown and RAW Women’s Championships.
Apollo Crews: Shockingly, Apollo Crews has actually benefited from the Superstar Shake-Up. It is hard to believe that becoming a part of the “Titus Brand” is an upgrade, but it actually is. Crews was doing absolutely nothing on SmackDown. At the very least, Crews is becoming a weekly part of RAW. Crews struggles with promos, so the idea of having Titus O’Neil manage him actually helps him.
Kalisto: Kalisto went from getting beatdown by Dolph Ziggler on SmackDown to getting destroyed by Braun Strowman on RAW. To be fair, Kalisto actually did defeat Strowman in a Dumpster Match, he also happened to get stuffed in the dumpster and shoved of the entrance ramp after the match.
Heath Slater, Rhyno & Curt Hawkins: Heath Slater and Rhyno were the first SmackDown Tag Team Champions. After losing the titles, they faded away into obscurity. Since joining RAW, they have essentially done nothing besides backstage segments. Tune in on Monday nights to see if Rhyno is eating cheese and crackers. Curt Hawkins was getting his ass kicked on SmackDown and the exact same thing is happening on RAW. I guess that is an improvement for Hawkins given that more people watch RAW.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FGDC-DtppTY
From RAW to SmackDown:
Kevin Owens: Kevin Owens was the Universal Champion for a long time on RAW. However, it wasn’t the best version of Kevin Owens. He relied on Chris Jericho to win matches and consistently looked weak. Once Owens dropped the Universal Championship to Goldberg, he actually became more entertaining. Things really picked up when he turned on Jericho at the Festival of Friendship. Since joining SmackDown, Owens has been declaring himself the “Face of America”. He is back to being ruthless in the ring, while also showing off his impressive promo skills. I think the Superstar Shake-Up has benefited Kevin Owens. The United States Championship may be less important than the Universal Championship, but Owens is much more entertaining in his current role.
The Colons: Formerly The Shining Stars, The Colons have absolutely benefited from the Superstar Shake-Up. Even though SmackDown barely features their tag team division, The Shining Stars was just an awful gimmick and anything would be an upgrade from that.
Sami Zayn: Everyone was hoping for Sami Zayn to join SmackDown while he was on RAW. He was seemingly always coming up short on RAW and SmackDown felt like the perfect show for him. Zayn is gifted in the ring and people believed that he would shine on SmackDown. Unfortunately, that has not been the case at all so far. Zayn’s move to SmackDown has made no difference at all in how he is booked. He is back to losing matches and wrestling people much bigger than him. The Superstar Shake-Up has done nothing for Zayn so far as he seems to be stuck in the same role.
Charlotte Flair: Charlotte Flair is probably the best female wrestler on WWE’s roster. Her athleticism is insane and she can put on a terrific match with anyone. However, Charlotte’s character got old on RAW. Her promos eventually sounded robotic and the WWE Universe was starting to get tired of it. Since joining SmackDown, Charlotte has gone from a heel to a fan favorite. The crowd erupted when she made her way to the ring after being attacked backstage on this past week’s episode of SmackDown.
Jinder Mahal: Without a doubt, Jinder Mahal has been the Superstar that has benefited the most from the Superstar Shake-Up. It didn’t look like that would be the case after his SmackDown debut where he lost to Mojo Rawley. Mahal also took a beer to the face courtesy of Patriots’ tight end Rob Gronkowski. Mahal went on to win a Six-Pack Challenge to become the #1 contender for Randy Orton’s WWE Championship. He even stole Orton’s title and beat him down at WWE Payback. Mahal had an unsuccessful run with WWE and was released from the company. He made his WWE return last year and it looked like it was going to be more of the same. That clearly is not the case and he now has the chance to make a major name for himself heading into his WWE Championship match at WWE Backlash.
New Day, Rusev & Lana: New Day have yet to make their SmackDown debut due to Kofi Kingston being injured. New Day has been boring to me for a long time, hopefully the change of brands brings something fresh to their act. Rusev also hasn’t been on SmackDown yet as he is out with an injury. However, he has demanded a title shot at Money in the Bank. Time will tell if he gets his wish. Finally, Lana hasn’t made her SmackDown debut yet but she will be introducing a new gimmick as seen in the video below.
Discussion: Now that we are a few weeks into it, what are your thoughts on the Superstar Shake-Up so far? Which Superstar do you think has benefited from it the most?
Last night at Payback, Jinder Mahal and the tag team formerly known as the Bollywood Boyz interfered in the Bray Wyatt vs. Randy Orton match. Their actions ended up costing Orton the bout, though not the championship, as it was not on the line.
The Bollywood Boyz now going by “the Singh Brothers” is a subtle homage to Jinder Mahal’s family history in pro-wrestling. Singh was also the last name given to the members of a controversial faction from the 1980s.
https://youtu.be/WQQ1ywQ5kn8
Karachi Vice
Karachi Vice was the name Bruce Hart gave to the Great Gama Singh’s stable in Calgary’s Stampede Wrestling. Singh’s father had immigrated from India to Calgary in the 1960s. He would play the role of the evil foreign menace in the territory for years. Jinder Mahal is the Great Gama Singh’s nephew.
There were two other Singh’s in Karachi Vice: Makhan Singh (played by Mike Shaw/Bastion Booger) and Vokhan Singh (played by Gary Albright, who married into the Anoai’i family). The stable would feud with the likes of Owen Hart, Bruce Hart, Brian Pillman, and Chris Benoit.
While Jinder’s push has seemingly come out of the blue, the company is full-blown behind it, especially considering what it could mean to their exposure in India.
WWE COO Triple H recently spoke with Josh Barnett of For The Win about former ‘3MB’ partners Jinder Mahal and Drew McIntyre returning to the company.
Jinder Mahal returned to WWE back in July 2016 after a two year layoff. Mahal was primarily working as an enhancement talent until being paired with Rusev earlier this year and more recently becoming #1 contender to Randy Orton’s WWE Championship.
Drew McIntyre returned to WWE around WrestleMania and is already making a big splash in NXT. McIntyre came a long way since his last run with the company in 2014, having captured world championships in companies like Impact Wrestling, WCPW, ICW and EVOLVE.
Triple H says Mahal and McIntyre may have been too young and immature to make the most out of their WWE opportunities during their first runs with the company. After some time away gaining experience wrestling for other companies, they’re better equipped to reach the top of the mountain and realize their full potential.
“Jinder is a guy who has always worked extremely hard. He trains hard; he’s very intense about what he wants with his career; he’s very thoughtful. That’s the same with Drew. That opportunity came for them when you’re too young and not ready for it and a little immature to it.
(When they left), I had a conversation where I told them, ‘We’re not going to be able to do more with you here. Go other places, learn more in your career, mature and think about the business in a different way.’ Sometimes you get reliant on other people telling you what to do instead of going out there and figuring it for yourself, which is what you have to do.”
“To Jinder’s credit and to Drew’s credit, they left, they went and figured it for themselves, they improved. They’re both men now as opposed to kids trying to make it in the business. They see their careers differently and what they want and are still extremely hard workers and great people. Now hopefully they are in a better position to succeed.”
Check out USAToday.com to read the full interview.
WWE sent out a press release earlier today unveiling a new Vice President and General Manager of WWE India. This comes just 3 weeks after the company announced WWE Shop products will be made available in the country for the first time ever.
Many are speculating that Jinder Mahal’s recent push is due to WWE’s desire to expand their fanbase in the country by creating a local star. Mahal was born in Calgary, AB Canada but is of Punjabi Sikh origin. He is the nephew of Stampede Wrestling alumni Gama Singh.
WWE India Expansion
Sheetesh Srivastava will now be the head of WWE’s expanded operations in the country.
Today’s press release detailed WWE’s plans for increased exposure in the Indian market.
“India is key to the global growth of WWE, and we are confident Sheetesh will successfully help develop our brand and business in this critically important country,” stated the release. “WWE is committed to expanding its presence in India, and we are pleased to welcome Sheetesh to further our efforts in the market.”
India represents WWE’s single largest regional contribution to the brand’s massive social media community of 750 million followers globally. To increase engagement with fans in India, WWE recently launched WWEShop.in, the company’s first-ever local, e-commerce experience in India.
The WWE Network in India was made available in the fall of 2015, close to 2 years after it was made available in other countries.
This isn’t the first time the company has attempted to create a local star in India, having featured the Great Khali on their programming from 2006-2014.
Jinder Mahal made his WWE television debut on April 29th, 2011. He confronted The Great Khali backstage. Mahal spent the next few months confronting wrestlers, but it never led to anything substantial. Mahal then began appearing on NXT and put together a winning streak. Mahal had the chance to become the first ever NXT Champion but lost in the Gold Rush Tournament Finals to Seth Rollins.
On September 21st, 2012, Mahal joined forces with Drew McIntyre and Heath Slater to form 3MB. Heath Slater was getting destroyed by Brodus Clay on an episode of SmackDown but McIntyre and Mahal came to his aid.
3MB lasted for a while and certainly had their fans. They were a goofy team that often lost their matches. If they were not on RAW or SmackDown every week, they would have most likely would still have been on Main Event or Superstars. The Three Man Band officially broke up on June 12th, 2014 when both Jinder Mahal and Drew McIntyre were released. Two weeks after he was released from WWE, Mahal did an interview with Slam! Wrestling. Mahal stated that he hoped to one day return to WWE and accomplish things he never got to do.
“I want to keep wrestling,” said Mahal. “I’m still young and I would like to go back to WWE someday and accomplish things that I never got to do, work with people that I never got to work with.”
Jinder Mahal made his WWE return on August 1st, 2016. Heath Slater was showing up on both WWE RAW and SmackDown begging for a contract. Mick Foley was the GM of RAW at the time and made a match between the two former members of 3MB to determine which Superstar would get a contract. Mahal seized the opportunity and quickly defeated Slater to earn a contract on RAW.
Jinder Mahal then recently joined the SmackDown roster during WWE’s Superstar Shake-Up. Mahal wrestled Mojo Rawley in his first SmackDown match last week and Rob Gronkowski was watching the match in the first row. Gronk had previously leveled Mahal with a shoulder tackle at Wrestlemania 33. This time Gronk thew his beer in Mahal’s face and Mahal wound up losing to Rawley. Mahal still hadn’t made an impact since returning to WWE.
On this past week’s episode of SmackDown, everything changed. Jinder Mahal competed in a Six-Pack Challenge against Mojo Rawley, Dolph Ziggler, Sami Zayn, Luke Harper and Erick Rowan. The winner of the Six-Pack Challenge would become the #1 contender to the WWE Championship. Sami Zayn was about to hit Mahal with the Helluva Kick but was prevented from doing so by the Bollywood Boyz. Mahal then took advantage and won the match and became the #1 contender to the WWE Championship. Mahal will most likely face Randy Orton for the WWE Championship at the SmackDown exclusive PPV WWE Backlash on May 21st, 2017.
Time will tell if Jinder Mahal will actually become WWE Champion at Backlash. Even if he doesn’t, this is a major opportunity for Mahal. He is guaranteed to headline a PPV with the WWE Champion. Mahal cut a very solid promo after winning the Six-Pack Challenge and you can see it at the end of the video above. This can either be a disaster or WWE and Mahal can hit it out of the park. It all depends on whether Mahal and the WWE creative team can get the WWE Universe to legitimately despise him. We will see if that winds up being the case. At the very least, it is something new and it appears that SmackDown truly is the land of opportunity in WWE.
Sami Zayn Frustrated After Another Loss On SmackDown
Last night on WWE SmackDown, Sami Zayn competed in a Six-Pack Challenge. The winner of that match would become the #1 contender for the WWE Championship. Sami Zayn was about to hit the Helluva Kick on Jinder Mahal but the Bollywood Boyz appeared and grabbed his legs from behind him. Jinder Mahal then won the match and Sami Zayn came up short yet again. WWE has uploaded a new backstage interview with Zayn after his latest loss and Zayn was visibly frustrated. Zayn stated that he was really angry and heartbroken about coming in second place again.
Jinder Mahal Confident He Will Defeat Randy Orton
Jinder Mahal appeared on Talking Smack last night after WWE SmackDown. Mahal said that he heard the boos from the crowd when he won the match. Mahal also stated that when he wins the WWE Championship he will become the new American Dream. Jinder was asked about Randy Orton and Mahal claimed that Orton should be worried. Mahal claimed that he could see fear in Orton’s eyes and that he is going to take the WWE Championship away from him.
WWE Superstar Finn Balor suffered a concussion during his match with Jinder Mahal this week on WWE Raw. Balor took to Twitter and sent the following tweet to Mahal:
WWE Superstar Big E was interviewed on WWE.com about becoming an ordained minister. Here are a some highlights from the interview:
WWE.COM: So, what led to you offering yourself up as a wedding officiant?
“I recently learned that I would have a lot of time off. I really don’t do well with a lot of idle time. A couple of weeks ago, we just had WrestleMania, which kept me really busy. Then, we had about six days off, which was fitting, and then TV.
I’m ready to work. I don’t do well with idle time. My head was spinning, thinking “What am I going to do with all these days off?” I don’t really want to take a vacation. I’m bored just being in the house. I think I was talking about it in the locker room, [and] I actually have to give all credit to Enzo Amore. He came up with this idea. As soon as I heard it, I thought “This is kind of ridiculous, but kind of phenomenal, as well.” So, I gave it some thought, ran it by a couple of my friends, got their feedback. I couldn’t really think of a reason not to do it and got even more excited about the prospect.”
WWE.COM: What do you think makes you a good fit for this?
“I guess I’m hoping that people are excited to have me. I don’t want to walk into an awkward situation where just the husband or just the wife wants me there. I want it to be something where everyone involved is pleased with the outcome.
But anything specific? I could give you something sappy about people who are madly in love and want to be together forever, but it’s cool to be part of someone’s day. I had no idea how much interest there would actually be; I just threw it out there. I told Emilio that I wouldn’t be surprised if there were no serious requests, but there are a few. Now, we have to sit down and reply to people. I’ll probably find a way to call, Skype or FaceTime them so people know it’s real.”
If you wish to have Big E officiate your wedding, Big E sent out a tweet letting you know how to book him.
I may be officiating weddings in LA April 20-22. Hit me if you're weird. MarriedbyBigE@gmail.com. I'm actually not joking. For once.
The Usos defended their Smackdown Tag Team Championships against American Alpha tonight on Smackdown. The Usos wound up retaining in a back and forth match. After the match, The Shining Stars made their Smackdown debut. Epico and Primo attacked American Alpha from behind and stood over them in the ring. The entire crowd started chanting “delete!” as The Shining Stars stood in the ring.
It was also announced that Jinder Mahal will be joining the Smackdown roster. He faced off in a match against Mojo Rawley in his SmackDown debut. Mahal lost the match and also got a beer in the face from Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski.
Check back here on SEScoops and join our SmackDown live discussion to find out which other WWE Superstars will be changing brands during the Superstar Shake-Up.
Since making his return to WWE Raw, Jinder Mahal has been working hard on his physique. The issue is that some fans believe that he has obtained his new look by using steroids. Mahal responded to those fans in the following Instagram post:
“#TBT to a few weeks ago, no idea exactly when or where… Anyone else on the roster have veins in their abs ??… And of course I’ll get a hundred “steroid” or “wellness” comments …. I’ve been tested multiple times since coming back, and have never once in over 6 years with WWE had any issues. Follow my IG stories or my SnapChat and you can see that no one is out-training me, and no one is out-dieting me.”
– Bayley will join Jonathan Coachman this Wednesday on ESPN’s SportsCenter for the weekly Off The Top Rope segment.
– WWE taped Curtis Axel vs. Darren Young and Golden Truth vs. Jinder Mahal & Titus O’Neil last night in Memphis for this week’s WWE Superstars episode.
– Steve Austin and his “Stunner” are featured in this new WWE Network promo:
– Cesaro is featured in this backstage video from last night’s RAW after tying the Best of 7 Series with Sheamus at 3-3. Cesaro talks about the Cesaro Section being behind him wherever he goes and the special connection they have, calling it a connection that other people don’t understand.
– Tonight’s SmackDown Live is the “go home” show ahead of this Sunday’s WWE Backlash pay-per-view. SmackDown will feature AJ Styles confronting WWE Champion Dean Ambrose and the semi-finals of the ongoing tag team tournament. American Alpha faces The Usos and The Hype Bros face Heath Slater and Rhyno. The winners will square off at Backlash to crown the first SmackDown tag team champions.
Check back later tonight for our SmackDown Live Results & Discussion.
– Speaking of American Alpha, they’ll be Jonathan Coachman’s guests on ESPN SportsCenter on Wednesday night for this week’s Off The Top Rope segment.
– Check out the latest promo for Total Bellas, which premieres in October:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJDXJR96mDA
– Jinder Mahal thanked WWE for allowing him to return to Japan this past weekend to finish up some bookings that he agreed to before returning to the company after the WWE Draft. Mahal also met WWE Hall of Famer Antonio Inoki while in Japan, seen below:
